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Essay Questions
1. What purpose does the Induction and the story of Christopher Sly serve?
2. Compare and contrast the two Minola sisters, both at the beginning and the end of the play. What do you learn?
3. Trace the disguises assumed in The Taming of the Shrew. What makes each disguise more or less successful than another? What might Shakespeare be trying to say?
4. Examine Kate's final speech on marital duty carefully. What evidence can you fine (in that speech or elsewhere in the play) that she is delivering this passage seriously? On the other hand, what suggests that she may not believe her own words completely?
5. Shakespeare places the theme of love (platonic, romantic, and filial) at the forefront of this drama. Based on your reading, how are each of these forms of love characterized? What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the nature of each?