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conventions of the Elizabethan stage.

a. The play-within-a-play--A play performed as part of the story for some dramatic purpose. For example, in Hamlet, Hamlet asks a group of players to perform a play with a plot similar to what he suspects are the actual events of his father's murder. The main action of The Taming of the Shrew is a play-within-a-play.

b. The use of disguises-A character puts on a disguise to hide, trick, or spy on others. Shakespeare's audience accepted the fact that none of the other characters ever recognized the person disguised. Students can look for examples of this in the play.

c. Love at first sight-This is a common device in romantic comedies.
Lucentio falls head over heels the minute he sees Bianca. Students may be
asked to look for other examples in the play.

d. Fluid action-Shakespeare's stage used little in the way of set or props; everything was portable. Modern critics called Shakespeare's plays filmic, since the action can move quickly from one locale to another in much the same way a movie script can. The action of this play shifts between various locations in Padua and Petruchio's house.

e. Asides-Shakespeare's characters often make comments to each other or to the audience the other characters never hear. These asides usually comment on the action.

courtesy of kq productions and http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,82544_1_10,00.html