Shakespeare’s first play, The Taming of the Shrew, begins with a prank. A group of Lords play a practical joke on a man who had passed out drunk. This man, Christopher Sly, awakens in a new life being told that he has broken an amnesiac spell that lasted for fifteen years. Immediately, Sly decides to make the most of his new situation by having sex with his wife, but she delays him and convinces him to wait for a couple days. In the meantime, they agree to watch a play. This play is the story of Kate.