The Main Themes In The Taming Of The Shrew

Shakespeare’s play, which goes by the name the Taming of the Shrew, is one of his most engaging and charming comedies, even though it’s likewise one of his most confusing. Where some of the play’s many complexities lay is starting with the Induction; Christopher Sly changes into a lord, yet he then leaves after the next few scenes that follow, never to fulfill his meaning later in the tale. Many ask then, why did Shakespeare make the Taming of the Shrew with an Induction left to the audience’s interpretations; what was its importance? The Induction was telling the audience the main themes while showing subtle taming and transformations of the roles throughout the play, which is its importance. However, the Taming of the Shrew without the Induction would have ended the tale, not leaving it open-ended; Moreover, it would not have prepared the audiences for the transformations and taming of the other parts in the following Acts.

When going through the entirety of the Taming of the Shrew, the audience is going to be seeing two main themes, that being transformation as well as taming. One of the first transformations in the Taming of the Shrew, if not the first one, the audiences see is that of Christopher Sly who is one of the main characters in the Induction. Christopher Sly awakens, donned with high clothes and being girded by a slew of helpers, as well as finding his newfound wife. Forthwith, Christopher Sly believes his title is truthfully that of a Lord, which he utters in the following lines, ‘Am I a lord, and have I such a lady? Or do I dream? Or have I dreamed till now? I do not sleep: I see, I hear, I speak, I smell sweet savors and I feel soft things. Upon my life, I am a lord indeed, And not a tinker, nor Christopher Sly’ (Shakespeare Ind.2.66–71). Christopher Sly’s transformation here is significant since it readies and gives the audience a more overall theme of the meaningful transform, which happens later in the tale with Katherine. When the full transformation of Katherine happens is shown during the final act of the play, and what Katherine did was she out of the three wives, was the only one who had followed their husband’s wish to ‘come to me’ (Shakespeare 5.2.100). Then after, Katherine quickly answers and asks of Petruchio, ‘What is your will, sir, that you send for me?’ (Shakespeare 5.2.106). This deed done by Katherine wins Petruchio his bet with his friends, which makes an opening for Katherine to begin her speech about the significance of being a devoted wife. On the other hand, Sly’s taming is not as understood, since his transformation took itself in the right opposite way. Instead of taming through food withholding, weariness, and shame, Sly’s transform was from indulgence.