How Does Shakespeare Use Deception In The Taming Of The Shrew

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Throughout the Taming of the Shrew, the idea, and action of deception become prevalent within the analysis of the main characters. A maze is created through the deception of the character’s behavior and the elaborate exchange of clothing and roles. The plot of the play revolves around how the characters disguise themselves and pretend to be other people, all in order to gain the favor of a girl. Shakespeare uses deception and blindness to fuel an environment of humor and dramatic irony to create a comedic play for his audiences. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses deception to increase the level of dramatic irony within his viewers. The play begins with deception, a lord brings a drunken man into his home and uses servants to convince …show more content…

The audience is privy to all the scenes, that’s what makes the play possible. The audience knows what is going on when the characters themselves do not. As each character disguises themselves, the audience can follow along which creates the humor aspect of the play. “His characters are manipulated into situations which are humorous and as a result mistaken identity or absurd confusion ensues. Thus, the characters are revealed only in terms of what they do”(Champion). As the play continues more deceptions seem to occur, and one begins to ponder whether Shakespeare meant for a deeper meaning in his plays. Once might conclude that he was trying to prove that sometimes being yourself does not always work at first, but in the end being yourself is what truly matters. Katherine never pretended to be anyone but herself, despite the horrible things her peers said about her. In the end, she found a loving husband that loved her for her. To truly be oneself, one has to fully accept whom they are inside and out. Shakespeare was trying to convey this message to his audiences through his

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