Tag Archives: induction

Role/Significance of Induction

Posted on September 12, 2011 by ef082014

I was absent from class on Wednesday, so I’m not sure if this was touched upon during the discussion, but I was very intrigued by the induction; though I’m curious as to the reasoning behind the whole “play within a play” premise.  When I began reading the play, I found the plot of the induction to be very humorous and captivating at the same time – I wanted to know how long the Lord would maintain the ruse and if Sly would ever discover the truth, however the actual play starts so abruptly that it is impossible to discover definitive answers to my curiosities.  I am making the argument that maybe the induction serves as a parallel to the story of Petruchio and Kate.  Like the Lord, Petruchio must change his natural appearance/actions for his own personal gain.  Instead of seeking humorous relief from drastic role changes, Petruchio changes his attitude and overall demanor in order to marry “weathily in Padua” (27).  Petruchio deprives Kate of food, becomes increasingly nasty and  to his servants, and intentionally utters outlandish contradictions in order to achieve his personal gain.  Grumio confirms Petruchio’s true desire for riches from Kate: “Why, give him gold enough and marry him to a puppet…or an old trot with ne’er a tooth in her head” (27).  All of this being said, I was very surprised when The Taming of the Shrew ended without returning to the original plot of the induction.  Perhaps there is a purpose for this as well…? 

 

 

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Early instances of “taming”

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Mary Iannone

Hi everyone!  After hearing what everyone had to say in class, here is my response post:

The title The Taming of the Shrew is meant to refer to Katherina, but there are subtle instances of taming even before we meet her.  In the induction, when the Lord is talking about his multiple dogs, we inherently know that these animals have been trained to do his bidding.  He even seems to prefer one dog over the others, most likely because this dog is the tamest of the bunch, and responds most obediently to the Lord’s orders.

It’s also interesting to see the Lord’s behavior towards Sly.  He has just been talking about taming his dogs, and now will go on to tame this drunken bum.  Sly falls for his game almost immediately, subtly putting himself on the same level as the dogs – obedient, but not very smart, and certainly not as sophisticated as the Lord.

Even when we meet Lucentio and Tranio, there are notes of taming going on.  Lucentio is a teenager, being subtly pushed and influenced by not only his father, but his servant, who is supposed to be his inferior.  Even though Tranio tells him to study what makes him happy, this is a slight push in one direction.

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