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The Taming of the Shrew is a performance that raises a number of issues concerning appearance versus reality. The assumption that many characters in the play are persuaded to be what they are not ignores the evident fact that each character chooses the role that they are to play. The culturally constructed hierarchy of power causes the actors to perform certain roles to avoid the constricting norms in society and retain their identities. Despite the …

…obvious, as each of these characters manipulate it in order to empower themselves. The play is a performance, an illusion, and the actors freely change and choose their roles to avoid the restrictions of society. The question of where the power lies varies between readers. Each character achieves what they set out to attain, therefore one contests that the power lies in the knowledge of these characters, and exists as an illusion in the patriarchy.