극중극의 효과를 통한 극중 관객의 인식 —『말괄량이 길들이기』를 중심으로

Abstract

This study focuses on the dramatic effects of the play-within-the-play in The Taming of the Shrew. The dramatic effects are the emphasis on the meaning of the play by paralleling the actions and the confusion from the ambiguity of the boundary between the play and reality. They could extend our cognizance of reality and illusion. The taming actions repeated in The Taming of the Shrew represents the play by Lord, Petruchio, and Lucentio. Their making the play are intended to tame Sly and Kate, and Bianca. Sly and Kate becomes on-stage audiences watching the play-within-the-play. Their reactions are confusions paralleling with their actions repeated and emphasized. We could especially see Sly's confusion because of the playwright's intention caused by the effects from the play-within-the-play. Sly's confusion, unlike the embarrassment of Kate, does not distinguish the play-world from the real-world. He ignores the suggestions which he could be controlled like Kate with watching the play-within-the-play reflected on himself who he believes to be Lord. His reality made by illusion was accepted itself in spite of the fictions. He takes itself as reality. The relations to the play-world and the real-world are followed; The play is illusion representing reality, and reality could be illusion like the play. We can infer that Shakespeare used the play-within-the-play to intend to take the dramatic effects from on-stage audiences watching it. The confusion of Sly watching the play-within-the-play leads to that of theatre-audiences. Shakespeare could insert the play-within-the-play as illusion, give the play reality, arouse the confusion of on-stage audiences watching the play-within-the-play, and spread the ambiguity into the congnizance of theatre-audiences. It is thought that he implies our reality which we are congnizant of could be changed into illusion consciously and unconsciously.