The Shrew By William Shakespeare - 2139 Words

This paper will explore the deception of two characters created by Shakespeare in his plays The taming of The Shrew and As You Like it. Changing outwardly from one gender to another is less difficult than changing from one class to another. Sly is the first character, a drunken tinker who suddenly wakes up as a lord, in the play The Taming Of The Shrew. The second character is Rosalind, who changed her name and appearance and became Ganymede in the play As You Like It. Shakespeare is using similar circumstances with both characters; Christopher Sly has a transformation brought upon him by others while Rosalind undergoes self-transformation.. Sly’s language and habits ultimately betray him and make his transformation less believable while†¦show more content†¦Then suddenly the lord who conceived this trick had Sly brought to his home. Upon waking up, Sly was treated with deference by the slaves. He was given high class reception, offered champagne and had several wor kers at his bay. He initially thought that he was dreaming, having woke up in unfamiliar environment. The servants were ready for Sly to give him whatever he desired. â€Å"Persuade him that he hath been lunatic. And when he says he is , say that dreams, For he is nothing that but a mightly lord† (1.1.357). He was convinced that he was insane for seven years. The lord hatched a plan in secret to make fun of the poor beggar by confusing him to believe that he was mentally unstable for seven years and that he was the right full owner of the throne. Sly doubted himself even after he was assured by the lord that the entire kingdom was his own. Rosalind’s character is at the center of almost everything that happens in As You Like It. Rosalind’s importance is emphasized by the fact that she has more lines that any other character of Shakespeare plays. Rosalind made the choice to dress as a man. She wanted to look like a man. ‘The complexity of her role is enhanced by the fact that for much of four acts she dresses like a man and successfully passes for one† (1617). She feels comfortable dressing like a man with the power that entails. Rosalind initially dresses like a man to protect herself in the forest, but as she continues in this guise she becomes more powerful