William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew showcases how he is a literary genius, providing the reader with an entertaining story that has two plots interwoven together. The frame story is a vital aspect of The Taming of the Shrew, and is worth critics and filmmakers’ attention. The themes illusion and disguise are established within the frame story and then Shakespeare uses these established themes to build his inner frame. The inner frame is capable of standing on its own, as the audience and reader do not require the frame story known as the induction to understand the play. However, Shakespeare has written the induction scene—the only one in all of his works—therefore, I assert that the induction is vital to the overall play. Although I cannot know for certain what Shakespeare’s intentions were, I can speculate that Shakespeare has the introduction carry forward the essential themes: illusion and disguise.
