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1. What is an “induction”? What is the subject of the Induction in The Taming of the Shrew?

The play has a complex structure. It begins with a two-scene "Induction" or introductory segment, which concerns an elaborate practical joke played by a nobleman on a drunken tinker. At the end of the Induction, the various characters settle down to watch a play.

2. Who is Christopher Sly? What events surround him in Scene I of the Induction?

Christopher Sly, a drunken tinker, is expelled from a tavern and falls asleep on the ground. He is discovered by a Lord and his huntsmen. The Lord orders his men to dress Sly in fine clothes and put him to bed in the best chamber. The Lord conspires to convince Sly that he is really a nobleman.

3. How does the theme of gender roles apply in the Induction of The Taming of the Shrew?

The relationship between the play's main plot, subplot, and Induction affects its depictions of gender roles. A struggle for power between men and women is introduced as an issue from the beginning of the play when a woman, the Hostess, ejects Christopher Sly from the tavern.

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