In Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, elements of farce are exemplified in terms of character, plot, and writing style. Although full of slapstick exaggerations, Shakespeare rises above farce and does not allow the physical abuse of Katherine that would normally appear in a pure farce such as Punch and Judy; rather, the farce is more verbal than physical. Even though Shakespeare does not develop his characters as simple farcical entities, he gives them human traits and is able to make the audience sympathize with Katherine. The Taming of the Shrew, set as a play within a play, staged for the characters in the Induction, was intended to be performed as a farce or feel-good comedy, but if performed today I believe it would be widely recognized as a comedy. romantic comedy. The stereotypical characters in The Taming of the Shrew are typical of a farce. Katherine is an outstanding example of a slapstick character. Although stereotyped as a rowdy shrew, Katherine can be portrayed as someone in need of sympathy due to Baptista's favoritism. During a conversation with her father Battista, regarding Bianca, she observes: “She is your treasure, she must have a husband: I must dance barefoot on her wedding day” (II.i.36-37). This makes it obvious that she believes Baptista prefers Bianca over herself. During the intro scenes, we get a taste of what to expect during the rest of the show. The Induction focuses on how the Lord decides to portray the drunkard Christopher Sly as a wealthy nobleman. The idea comes to mind that the entire play is, in fact, a farce to poke fun at the social roles between men and women. The sly being found and transformed from a drunk into a nobleman symbolizes Petruchio transforming Catherine from a whore...... middle of paper ...... The moon? The sun. There is no moon now. Pet. I say it's the moon that shines so bright. Kat. I know it's the sun shining so brightly. Pet. Now, for my mother's son, and it is I myself, it will be the moon, or star, or what I list, or before I go to your father's house. - Go ahead, and bring our horses back - Always crossed, crossed, only crossed! Hor. Say what he says, or we'll never go. Kat. Come on, please, since we've come this far, and so be it. moon, or sun, or whatever you prefer; and if you want to call it a candlestick, Petruchio's strange behaviors, when disgusted by his meal, show the use of action comedy. The comedy of physical appearance is exemplified when Petruchio arrives at his wedding late and dressed stupidly. These three literary elements demonstrate that Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is a farce.