The Mistaken Identities, Disguises and Reveals of The Taming of the Shrew
Disguises along with cross-dressing were integral to the storyline of The Taming of the Shrew. This play uses many dramatic functions that break the barriers between social classes and gender, which was unseen before the 16th century when the play was first put on. The transformation that so many characters endured was significant to portraying the lengths they were willing to go for love, and comedic relief and showed Shakespeare’s dedication to constructing a comedic play. There are not only voluntary changes but also forced changes to characters too. Shakespeare found enjoyment in creating unrealistic plays that involved mistaken identity and allowed for his audience to relax and laugh along.
The first look into the play begins with the induction scenes. Many times these scenes are removed and deemed unimportant, however, they are significant to showing the countless disguises and cross-dressing that is devised in Shakespeare’s play. This is a metadramatic play and these scenes consist of a plot within the storyline. It makes for a different play and therefore the addition of these connects the ideas of disguise, forced change and mistaken identity together. In the opening scenes, the first real moment that transformation happens is when the Lord decides to trick Christopher Sly into believing he is also a Lord and no longer a drunken lower-class man. The transformation does not only involve Sly, yet several servants undergo makeovers and costume changes in order to make the whole of the trick feel real to him. The first huntsman indicates this by saying, “My lord, I warrant you we will play our part (Shakespeare, 1, 66, pg.413).” He is speaking to the Lord that devised and planned this trick to fool Sly and let’s him know that they are willing participants in selling this act for him. Since this was a Victorian production men or prepubescent boys played female roles as well as men’s roles since they were seen as the same as young boys. The servant Bartholomew was disguised, as Sly’s lady or wife; he had no understanding of how to portray female emotion or action. The Lord who devised this joke offered the suggestion of an onion to help his act be more convincing. The Lord says to the player Bartholomew, “To rain a shower or commanded tears / an onion will do well for such a shift (Shakespeare, 1, 121-122, pg. 415).” His role as Sly’s wife is to captivate sly with tears of joy and the audience with his tremendous and humorous display of comedy. Even with this idea of the onion, it is very simplistic in mind and still does not, in reality, give the full effect of female emotion, love, joy and so forth. This opening scene presents the indication of cross-dressing for the first time since once Sly becomes a Lord. From this practical joke he changes his speech subconsciously from prose speech to verse as people who are of the higher class are considered to talk with more poetic speech. He makes this change to his character because he takes the embodiment of being a Lord and embraces his new character fully, believing he has always been this person. By being surrounded whole-heartedly by servants, his lady and upper-class objects and housing he is surrounded by what he believes is truly his. In this situation, one could say this is mistaken identity and forced identity since it was brought on by the trick of a Lord. Sly has transgressed behavior due to his situation because he is changing his true nature and becoming someone new as a result of the Lord’s practical joke. It is a simple use of comedy to trade clothes as a way to trade class and the stage was the only place that this type of change in society could appear along with the only place where a lower class and upper class could change roles. If this cross-dressing were not done on an English stage there would be consequences to these actions as they are breaking the rules of hierarchy. During the Victorian era there was things called Sumptuary Laws involving clothing and were derived well beyond this time, however, the idea remained present. These laws required people to remain within their class and to dress accordingly. If people tried to cross-dress into someone that was of a higher class than them, they would face consequences. This was considered not a legal act and people of lower-ranking do not have the authority to pretend to be one of their upperclassmen. An example of this would be Traino and Lucentio, a servant trading places with his master or lord. Lucentio solidifies this by saying, “And not a jot of Traino in your mouth / Traino is now changed into Lucentio (Shakespeare, 3, 231-232, pg. 425).”The Taming of the Shrew in itself is a comedy, however, some moments have a lot of drama and are poking fun at the idea of class structure and society’s hierarchy. If it were done outside of the English stage it would be the same as stepping out of line and your designated class.
Bianca is the woman many men want to marry, including Lucentio and Hortensio. These two men will undergo a series of disguises in order to infiltrate her life and sweep her off her feet. These men have to change their identities to get close to her in the interest of her father. Since she cannot have suitors until her older sister marries first they had to endure a struggle to meet her. The major character change we see outside the induction scenes are with Lucentio and Traino. This clothing swap comes with a change in identity that ultimately leads to a few disguises in order for Lucentio to win the heart of the woman he loves, Bianca. Lucentio has to have the physical appearance of someone in the middle class or lower class to pull of the persona of a schoolmaster. For instance, there is a moment Lucentio says, “let me be a slave, achieve that maid (Shakespeare, 3, 209, pg. 425).” It is a comical line that rhymes and portrays that they have made the switch of clothes to begin their mission. This is his first attempt; he swiftly and quite soon after develops a new disguise as Cambio, Bianca’s tutor. Hortensio follows the lead of Lucentio and approaches Bianca’s father as a music teacher. They both undergo changes to appeal to the father’s wishes whilst satisfying their own needs too. Near the end of the play Lucentio changes back into his own clothing and reveals his true identity saying, “Love wrought these miracles. Bianca’s love / Made me exchange my state with Traino (Shakespeare, 15, 97-98, pg. 470).” His explanation to his disguise and costume change was all due to his love for Bianca and that his love was so deep he was willing to go the distance for her. In all these scenes of people using disguises to get what they want they have to have someone on the inside that is helping them to achieve this fake reality so that their counterparts will believe it. For example, Biondello who is another of Lucentio’s servants is aware and agreed to help the pair with their plan. Lucentio explains by saying, “When I am alone, why then I am Traino, but in all places / else, your master Lucentio (Shakespeare, 3, 231-233, pg. 425).” There has to be an accomplice to these people in order to keep up appearances, exchange clothing, and assist with information. For example, when Traino and Lucentio switch clothing they are solidifying each other’s alibis and have assists to help a fabricated disguise appear real. Another example of this is when Lucentio says, “Tis hatched and shall be so (Shakespeare, 3, 196, pg. 424).” Love is one of the most important concepts to this play because it is what influences all the men to undergo changes and gives them an opportunity to be someone new.
Shakespeare’s take on this comedy was to assert comedic relief not only to his audience but to the actors in the play as well. The changing of the clothes and makeup in this play allows for an increase in humor, and drama and gives off a more intense theatric effect. The Taming of the Shrew has given off the idea that the play indicates a male fantasy and that the ideas in the play are ones of satisfying male needs and wants while subjecting women to their desires. This idea of male supremacy or fantasy can be seen between the characters Petruccio and Katherine. This is also a look into forced identity. Petruccio is forcing Katherine to be the ideal woman that he wants and is pushing her to change herself into a completely different person than who her character is created to be. Katherine is a cold and odd woman to men and not one that men want to marry. For instance, Gremio says, “She’s too rough for me” (Shakespeare, 3, 55, 421) along with Hortensio says “No mates for you / Unless you were of gentler, milder mouth (Shakespeare, 3, 59-60, 421).” Petruccio saw Katherine as a challenge, someone to be tamed or fixed. He and Katherine are constantly witty and bantering with each other but ultimately Petruccio’s main goal is to make her conform to the role of an obedient wife and to societal norms as well, which can be considered transgressed behavior. Katherine is considered a shrew in this play, which can also mean an animal, such as a rodent or small mouse. Petruccio and Katherine are personified in these non-physical costumes of a lion and a lion tamer. Shakespeare gave these characters non-physical identities in order to elevate his play and add depth to the pair’s act. He sought out to tame her because it made him feel strong and he was taken over by this lion tamer persona that he would use by any means necessary to mold her into the person he wanted. Petruccio is portrayed as dominating over Katherine and in a constant state of trying to manage her and tame her outspoken behavior. In a way he was trying to puppeteer her and be the one watching over her and dominating her (pg.461). His acts are mimicked by that of an animal tamer, he wants her to submit to his ways and ideals yet she is ferocious and a fighter to her mindset and does not want to be caged by how other people view her. However, she can be tamed as long as she endures the constant embarrassment and humiliation from Petruccio. He aims to make her submissive by depriving her of food and water as well as sleep, publicly humiliating her and degrading her to an animal status at their wedding in front of their guests and her father. Katherine gives a glimpse of this when she says, “The more my wrong, the more his spite appears / what did he marry me to famish me (Shakespeare, 11, 2-3, pg. 459)?” He brutalizes Katherine in more ways than one by trying to tame her in a ‘charitable way’ and forcing her in a position that teaches her to play the part of an obedient wife. Petruccio makes this clear when he says to himself, “He that knows better how to tame a shrew / now let him speak, T’is charity to show (Shakespeare, 9,179-180, pg.455).” Katherine does eventually let herself become tamed by her husband Petruccio. He wanted the control of Katherine for he was a nasty man not only to her but to anyone who did not do things according to how he wanted such as servants, friends and even her father. The relationship between these two characters was meant to be a complicated one, with more of a take then give. Not all disguises and changes are physical in this play.
The Taming of the Shrew is not only a comedic play but also one that endures many twists and encases lots of comedy for the audience. This play has many dramatic elements such as mistaken identity, forced identity, cross-dressing, love, and disguises. The characters in this play are willing to go beyond to do what it takes to be with the person they love and to mold people into their own ideals. Beginning from the induction scenes until Katherine’s final speech there are countless thematic elements that are intricate to the breaking of boundaries and normalcy in social class’ structure and gender.
