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The Taming of the Shrew | Appearance versus Reality in Taming of the Shrew
A selection of critical excerpts exploring the contradiction between appearance and reality, which constitutes a central issue in The Taming of the Shrew and figure in many discussions of the play's other themes and of the development of its characters.
Contradictions between appearance and reality constitute a central issue in The Taming of the Shrew and figure in many discussions of the play's other themes and of the development of its characters. In 1963, Cecil C. Seronsy, in an essay excerpted below, asserted that its structural unity derives from the playwright's ingenious development of the theme of "supposes." Petruchio, the critic contended, succeeds in transforming Katherina by "supposing" that her appearance of shrewishness does not represent her "real" nature. Seronsy links this theme of transformation in the...
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- The Taming of the Shrew: Introduction
- The Taming of the Shrew: Summary
- The Taming of the Shrew: William Shakespeare Biography
- The Taming of the Shrew: Reading Shakespeare
- The Taming of the Shrew: List of Characters
- The Taming of the Shrew: Historical Background
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The Taming of the Shrew: Summary and Analysis
- Introduction Summary
- The Induction, Scene 1 Summary and Analysis
- The Induction, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 1 Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Scene 1 Summary and Analysis
- Act III, Scenes 1 and 2 Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scenes 1 and 2 Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scenes 3 and 4 Summary and Analysis
- Act IV, Scene 5 Summary and Analysis
- Act V, Scene 1 and 2 Summary and Analysis
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The Taming of the Shrew: Quizzes
- The Induction, Scene 1 Questions and Answers
- The Induction, Scene 2 Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 1 Questions and Answers
- Act I, Scene 2 Questions and Answers
- Act II, Scene 1 Questions and Answers
- Act III, Scenes 1 and 2 Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scenes 1 and 2 Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scenes 3 and 4 Questions and Answers
- Act IV, Scene 5 Questions and Answers
- Act V, Scene 1 and 2 Questions and Answers
- The Taming of the Shrew: Themes
- The Taming of the Shrew: Character Analysis
- The Taming of the Shrew: Principal Topics
- The Taming of the Shrew: Essays
- The Taming of the Shrew: Criticism
- The Taming of the Shrew: Suggested Essay Topics
- The Taming of the Shrew: Sample Essay Outlines
- The Taming of the Shrew: Modern Connections
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