Introduction

Use this Real-Life Lens Plan to help students dive deep into Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and examine the play’s themes, action, and characters through the lens of deception in relationships. Which characters deceive others to benefit themselves? How does such deception work out for each character? Does getting what they want justify the deception they engage in?

Materials

  • The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
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Introduce the Lens

To activate students’ thinking, choose one or two of the following Real-Life Links to use in an engagement activity. Have students read or watch and discuss the content. Encourage students to jot down notes, or record class notes on the board for future reference.

Pose the following Big Idea Questions to the class:

Why might people want to deceive those they care about? 

Is some level of deception necessary for successful relationships?

Engagement Activity

Have students write quick initial answers to the questions. Then discuss the questions either as a class or in small groups. Prompt students to consider how lying can protect someone’s feelings or even their physical safety. Encourage students to consider what types of lies should be deal-breakers in relationships. Following discussion, give students time to revise their initial responses, and ask volunteers to share what they wrote with the class.

CCSS

Introduce the Driving Questions

Begin by having students write their own questions about the lesson topic. Encourage them to think about what they already know about deception in relationships and what they’re interested in exploring further. 

Hand out the Driving Questions Worksheet. Review the questions as a class. Students should enter initial answers to the questions as they read The Taming of the Shrew. They will revisit the questions and revise their answers following the lesson activities, classroom discussion, and completion of the text. Remind students to support their responses with text evidence. 

Integrate the Driving Questions into your classroom discussions. Use them to help guide students’ thinking about the Big Idea Questions. 

1. Why does Lucentio feel the need to disguise himself in order to win over Bianca? 

2. What feelings toward Bianca does Katherine seem to be hiding? 

3. Why does Lucentio have Tranio win Baptista over for him rather than do it himself? 

4. In what ways does Petruchio deceive Katherine throughout the play? 

5. What is the purpose of setting the play within Christopher Sly’s story? 

6. Does Petruchio love Katherine, or does he only want to marry her for her money? 

7. Which characters do not engage in deception, and why do they choose not to?

CCSS

Introduce the "Through the Lens" Activity

Activity: Personal Experience

In this activity, students will describe a time when they have been dishonest with a friend or family member.

Ask students to write a paragraph about a time when they lied to or deceived a close friend or family member. (If you feel that students might be uncomfortable writing about their own experiences, have them write about someone they know or about a character in a story or film.) In their paragraphs, students should explain what the lie was, analyze why they felt the need to deceive, explore whether the lie was effective, and decide if they would make the same decision in a similar situation now. 

Pair students and have partners share their paragraphs. Encourage pairs to return to the Big Idea Questions and consider how their experiences informed their initial answers.

Invite three or four students to share their paragraphs with the class. Prompt whole-class discussion with questions, such as: Did you tell a lie to spare someone’s feelings? Did you deceive someone to protect yourself? If you had good motivation, did you still feel guilty about what you did? Is it ever “okay” to lie? If so, when?

Before moving on, explain that students will explore Shakespeare’s treatment of deception and its powerful effect on human behavior through his use of characterization, plot, and language as they read The Taming of the Shrew.

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Present students with a light situation in which they might feel the need to lie, such as when a friend or family member asks if a particular item of clothing looks good on them. If the student does not think so, would he or she be honest with the friend or family member? Discuss students’ responses and proceed with discussion as outlined above.

Increase difficulty

Have students write another paragraph explaining what could have happened if they had chosen to be truthful instead of deceptive in the situation they described. In their paragraphs, students should either defend their decision to lie/deceive or explain why they now regret it.

Introduce the Final Project

Before moving on, introduce the final projects to the class (see below for details). Have students choose the project they will complete and encourage them to keep their project in mind as they read the text. Facilitate the formation of project groups if necessary.

Assign the Midpoint Activities

Activity 1: Make Inferences About Characters

Students will make inferences about why characters engage in deception. Students will: 

  • Create and complete a graphic organizer listing the characters’ deceptive behaviors and then making inferences about why each character chose to be deceptive.

  • Use their completed graphic organizer to better understand the characters’ decisions to be untruthful.


Instruct students to create a three-column chart in their notebooks. In the first column, students should list the following characters from the play: Katherine, Lucentio, Petruchio, Tranio, Hortensio, Lord, and Biondello. They should then label the second column “Deceptive Behavior” and the third column “My Inferences.”

Have students review what they have read of the play thus far and record the deceptive behaviors of the characters, citing relevant lines from the text. Then tell students to write a one- to two-sentence inference about why they think the character chose to be dishonest.

Once students have filled out the graphic organizer, have them write a paragraph answering the question: What message is Shakespeare sending by having so many characters trick people instead of presenting themselves as they truly are?

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Have students work in small groups to complete their graphic organizers. Prompt them with questions about each character’s actions to help them make inferences to understand the characters more deeply. For example, ask, “How do you think Katherine feels about the fact that Baptista treats Bianca better? Why doesn’t she tell Bianca how she feels?” Proceed with discussion as outlined above.

Increase difficulty

Have students write a well-organized essay analyzing their findings from the graphic organizer. Students should explain what each character’s deception reveals about him or her and compare and contrast the characters’ reasons for engaging in deception.

Activity 2: Text Structure

Students will analyze how the structure of the text contributes to the theme of deception. Pass out the Text Structure Worksheet. Students will:

  • Understand what a frame story is and how this text structure is used in The Taming of the Shrew. 

  • Complete a diagram showing how the main actions of The Taming of the Shrew are contained within a different story, that of Christopher Sly. 

  • Write an essay explaining how setting the story within a different story builds on the theme of deceiving others. 


Before students begin working on their worksheets, discuss what a frame story is (a story set within another story) to ensure comprehension. Students can complete this worksheet in pairs or small groups before writing their essays individually.

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Rather than writing an essay, have students engage in a small-group discussion about how using a frame story helps them understand the theme of deception in the play.

Increase difficulty

In their essays, ask students to also write about what Christopher Sly, the Lord, and all the others in that portion of the story might learn from the events of The Taming of the Shrew.

Final Projects

Students will work on their final projects after they have finished reading the complete text of The Taming of the Shrew. Project 1 can be completed by students working individually, while Project 2 calls for small groups.

Final Project 1: Katherine’s Monologue

Students will argue whether Katherine is being genuine in her final monologue of the play. Students will: 

  • Write an argumentative essay about whether Katherine means what she says in her final monologue or she is just saying what Petruchio wants to hear. 

  • Use evidence from the text to support their claims. 


First, have students read the monologue again silently. Then read it together as a class, giving each student a turn to read. Ask students: Do you believe Katherine is being genuine? Discuss students’ opinions as a class, prompting them to refer to the text as often as possible. Then outline the essay assignment, ensuring all students understand the prompt.

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Set a page limit for the essay based on your students’ current writing levels.

Increase difficulty

Have students do multiple drafts of their essays, exchanging work with several partners for feedback before submitting final drafts.

Final Project 2: Petruchio On Trial

Students will work in small groups to conduct a debate about whether Petruchio was justified in his deception of Katherine. Divide students into four groups: two groups of prosecutors and two groups of defenders. Students will: 

  • Work together to gather evidence from the text to support their stance according to their assigned role. 

  • Work with their group members to develop cohesive arguments against or for Petruchio, focusing on whether his deception benefited Katherine. 


Once students are prepared, have one group of prosecutors and one group of defenders debate Petruchio’s guilt or innocence. While these groups debate, have the other two groups act as the jury and decide which side wins the debate. 

After the first debate, have groups switch positions and repeat the process.

CCSS

Differentiated Instruction

This activity can be modified to help all students access learning.
Decrease difficulty

Scaffold the assignment by discussing and structuring at least one argument for each side together as a class before groups begin work.

Increase difficulty

Have students research marriage and gender roles in Elizabethan times and use this information in their side of the debate.

Assess the Assignments

Use the Rubric for Student Assessment to evaluate student work on the lesson assignments. 

Distribute the Student Reflection Worksheet. Guide students through the self-assessment and reflection questions.

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