Act 1 Scene 1 of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare Act 1 contains two parts, including the induction. None of Shakespeare's other plays begin with this, in which a complete five-act play is performed within another play. The induction is a separate story, but shows relevance in introducing the main themes that Shakespeare uses in the rest of the play. The style of the structure is to give the reader insight into the rest of the story by creating context. The introduction provides themes of relationships, transformation, deception, manipulation, and comedy that establish them for the rest of the play. The theme of relationship is shown through Sly and the Landlady, The Lord and Sly, and The Lord and the Hunters. Sly and the Hostess show a conflictual relationship through power. The landlady is richer but Sly feels he has more power because he is the male. He tries to emphasize it with his language, he uses strong, aggressive, arrogant language, "The Sly's are no rouges", "Y'are a bag..." We know he is poorly educated because he uses colloquial language and makes mistakes in his language. topics, "We came in with Richard the Conqueror" and "So paucas pallabris, let the world slide. Sessa"! Paucas pallabris is the corruption of the Spanish bucas Palabras, and Sly mixes William the Conqueror with Richard Coeur-de-lion. It deepens Sly's character, as we know he has a bad attitude towards women, is a drunk, and does not have a high status in society. The tone changes from this lighthearted bickering to a more serious tone as the Lord and his train come into play. They show an image of hunting, representing wealth and respect: "Hunter, please keep my dogs well." The lord displays an equal relationship with his hunters, as he speaks to them as equals. The lord makes a long speech showing his importance and power: "Bring him gently into my most beautiful chamber." He jokes about transformation and uses cunning as entertainment: "I'm going to practice with this drunk man." The gentleman's practical joke on Sly reinforces one of the central themes of the main work. Sly is used as entertainment, as the show is supposed to be entertainment for the audience. Shakespeare uses the structural technique of binary oppositions to show the characteristics of Sly and the Lord. Their relationship emphasizes power relations later in the play.