Act Five Scene One Taming of the Shrew Essay Example

figure, specifically Vincentio. When engaging in dialogue with Vincentio, said character will be directed to speak with an overly precise voice, slow pace, and high pitch in order to convey his attempts to embody a man of great status while still remaining anxious underneath. The actor will be instructed to thrust his chest forward, purse his lips, and make grand gestures indicating that he is attempting to appear wealthy. This will result in comedic irony due to the stark contrast between his usual physicality and personality that was depicted earlier in the scene. The actor previously used a distinct low-quality accent, poor posture, and minimal eye contact indicating they were an insecure old man. The exaggerated act of portraying a man of wealth would then be compared, resulting in a comical response. The audience will find humor in witnessing the merchant's failed attempt to embody an ideal representation of himself.When Vincentio sees Tranio, who is pretending to be his son Lucentio, he is shocked and believes that Tranio has murdered his actual son and taken over his personality. To convey the comic effect to a modern audience, I direct Vincentio to hold his hand up to his head in an exaggerated manner and faint in a slapstick style. Vincentio's dumbstruck state is shown by trembling voice, overtly high pitch, and grasping his mouth with his hand. Sly's character seated among the audience on stage will also jump out of their seat to highlight the farcical aspect of the play. The traditional style where Sly sits in the audience maintains its old-fashioned charm.

To create comedic effect in the inset play, I would guide Vincentio to

fall to the floor clutching his stomach, slapping the ground and gasping for breath as he laughs uncontrollably. Despite Vincentio's concern, the audience should not feel sympathetic, but instead, a sly laugh would remind them that it is only a play within a play. Through Vincentio and Sly's use of exaggerated slapstick, the audience will experience comedy due to the dramatic irony of Vincentio losing his composure over a non-real situation.
Moreover, when Tranio enters the stage pretending to be Lucentio, I will direct him to act comically by poorly interpreting Lucentio, whom audiences have seen before in the play. The actor portraying Tranio will walk on stage slowly with exaggerated hand gestures resembling waltz movements. The intention is to convey that Tranio is overplaying his role as Lucentio of higher status. Sometimes he will accidentally hit himself in the face while gesturing, indicating that Tranio is not accustomed to exaggerated acting and adding comedy.

To generate comedy and make Tranio appear nervous, I will ask him to over-enunciate and adopt Lucentio's Italian accent; his genuine voice should occasionally break through. During his utterance of the word "my," I will instruct the actor portraying Tranio to wink while using intonation. He should then shrug and smile, implying that he believes he has deceived everyone, which will elicit laughter from the audience. The humor arises because of Tranio's flawed imitation and his overconfidence in its plausibility. In keeping with Elizabethan traditions, Katherina and Petruchio will dash onto the stage in Act 5 Scene 1. However, to create a more authentic character that today's spectators can relate to, Katherina should be played by a female performer.

To enhance

the farcical nature of the scene, I would instruct the actress playing Katherina to display exaggerated nervousness while directing the actor playing Petruchio to demand she "kiss me kate" harshly. After a pause filled with anticipation from the audience, I would direct the actress to unexpectedly exclaim "Nay I will give thee a kiss!" with a loud voice, while dramatically pulling Petruchio to the ground. She would then hold his face and kiss him passionately all over, displaying her surprising dominance and defying gender stereotypes of that era. The scene would also be comical due to her small physique and ability to overpower him, creating laughter and further surprising the audience with her sudden shift in behavior.