The Taming of the Shrew

2. Characterize Kate’s relationship with her father. How do they feel about each other, and why? Kate’s father is not subtle about his preference for Bianca, the younger of the two sisters. He is critical of Kate and protective of Bianca: “For shame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit, / Why dost thou wrong her that did ne’er wrong thee?” He also does not stand up for Kate when others demean her, and Kate perceives that he holds her up for others to ridicule. Kate displays a fiery anger toward her father, but the extent that she is hurt by his favoritism is clear, too. Her fury may well be fueled by her hurt. She tells him, “Nay, now I see / [Bianca] is your treasure, she must have a husband / . . . . Talk not to me. I will go sit and weep / Till I can find occasion of revenge.”
3. In this scene, the institution of marriage is characterized mainly as a financial transaction. Describe how this idea is enforced in the dialogue between Bianca and Kate, as well as in the dialogue between Petruchio and Baptista and among Baptista, Gremio, and Tranio.

Bianca and Kate discuss Bianca’s suitors and Gremio’s wealth. Kate assumes Bianca is enticed by Gre- mio’s money: “You will have Gremio to keep you fair.” He is also older, so presumably his money would soon be Bianca’s without his company. Petruchio and Baptista discuss Kate’s dowry before Petruchio has ever set eyes on her; finding the terms of her dowry acceptable, Petruchio moves forward with his plan to woo her. Baptista is quite open about how he is playing the part of “merchant” in the match. Baptista also discusses money with Gremio and Tranio, explaining that the one who “can assure my daughter greatest dower / Shall have my Bianca’s love.” He speaks as though he is entertaining offers for a sale of goods.
4. While marriage is considered a financial transaction, how does Baptista suggest he also cares for

Kate’s well-being?

Baptista reminds Petruchio that “love” is key in winning Kate over. This suggests that Baptista feels Kate has some choice in the matter of her husband and that he understands what she might need to make her happy.

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5. When Baptista asks Petruchio how he plans to get along with Kate, Petruchio says, “where two rag- ing fires meet together / They do consume the thing that feeds their fury.” What does he mean? Petruchio is strong-willed, and as Kate is, too, he feels that they are equally matched. Neither will drown the other out, but rather their meeting of passion will temper them both.
6. What is Petruchio’s response to Kate’s abuse of Hortensio (disguised as a music teacher)? Why is it unusual? What might be motivating Petruchio to respond this way?

Rather than appear intimidated by Kate’s harsh behavior towards Hortensio, Petruchio is enticed by it: “I love her ten times more than e’er I did.” He may be attracted to the challenge Kate represents; taming her will be difficult and thus satisfying. He may genuinely be impressed by a woman who is feisty, finding that feistiness attractive.
7. As revealed in his soliloquy, how does Petruchio plan to win Kate over?

Petruchio plans to win Kate over through flattery, no matter how horribly she treats him: “Say that she rail, why then I’ll tell her plain / She sings as sweetly as a nightingale.”
8. Describe the first meeting between Petruchio and Kate. In what ways is the dialogue different from the other dialogue in the play?

The dialogue between Petruchio and Kate follows a very quick pace. For most of their exchange, each speaks just one witty line before the other responds. Though other scenes also incorporate wordplay, nowhere is it more evidenced than in the exchange between Petruchio and Kate, who seem to deftly pile pun upon pun. Clearly, each is a gifted and quick-witted linguist. In addition, the dialogue offers

a great deal of alliteration with the letters “c” and “k”; the sounds add a cacophony or roughness that enforces the verbal sparring. “Kate” is the central word and sound that does this, which makes the sound extra fitting for their battle of words.
9. Who gains the upper hand in Petruchio and Kate’s banter? Why?

Petruchio gains the upper hand. Kate has not exchanged insults with someone as quick-witted as Petruchio, and she seems frustrated by the challenge he presents. Petruchio, though he aims to flatter and indulge her through most of their dialogue, also deals with her firmly. When Kate strikes him, he says, “I swear I’ll cuff you, if you strike again.” He also makes clear what is going to happen, with or without her consent: “Setting all this chat aside, / Thus in plain terms: your father hath consented / That you shall be my wife; your dowry ’greed on, / And, will you, nill you, I will marry you.”
10. How does Petruchio explain Kate’s hostile manner toward him to the other men? Why does he do this?

Petruchio tells the other men that Kate is affectionate and loving in private, but they have agreed that in public she need not be: “’Tis bargained ’twixt us twain, being alone, / That she shall still be curst in company.” He does this so that he might maintain his credibility with the men, for he had spoken so confidently of his ability to win Kate over.

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11. Why does Kate acquiesce to the marriage? What other motivations might account for her silence? Kate is quiet after Petruchio tells his lie to the others. No matter what Kate says, the others are likely to believe Petruchio’s claim that she’s agreed in private to marry him, even though she is still argu- mentative publicly. It is possible she feels defeated and does not want to fight anymore. Finally, it is also possible that she really is attracted to Petruchio and does want to marry him.
12. With Kate’s marriage settled, Baptista turns his attention to Bianca. Which man wins the right to court Bianca, and why?

Tranio (as Lucentio) wins the right to court Bianca because he has more inheritance to offer her should he die.
13. What is the one obstacle to Tranio’s (as Lucentio) proposal to Bianca? What does it imply?

Since Lucentio’s father is still living, Tranio must show Baptista that Lucentio’s father approves of the match and that Bianca would inherit the fortune even if Lucentio should die before his father. This complication suggests that the play will involve even more lies and deceit.

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Act Three, Scene One


Vocabulary
chamber: archaic a private room conster: to translate

forbear: to hold back from something gamut: the musical scale

jars: quarrels
knave: archaic a dishonest or unscrupulous man ordained: created

pedant: a schoolmaster

pedascule: a little pedant (see definition for pedant, above)
pithy: brief and to the point prays: archaic requests

stale: a decoy, a false lover (in context)

withal: archaic with


1. What is the relationship between Lucentio and Hortensio? How do they interact with each other? Lucentio and Hortensio are rivals for Bianca’s attention, and their attempts to get each other out of the way are comical. When Hortensio tries to get a guarantee of Bianca’s time, he asks her, “You’ll leave his lecture when I am in tune?” Lucentio quickly replies, “That will be never. Tune your instru- ment.” Lucentio then continually tells Hortensio his instrument is out of tune.
2. Through what means do Bianca and Lucentio flirt? What is Bianca’s response to Lucentio’s interest in her?

Bianca and Lucentio pretend they are interpreting the lines of a famous work (Ovid’s Heroides) as Lucentio indicates his interest in Bianca. Bianca, in turn, neither rejects Lucentio nor accepts him. In between the lines they are supposedly studying, she says, “presume not . . . despair not.” She is being coy and flirtatious.
3. Contrast Bianca’s behavior in this scene with that of previous scenes. How does she seem different? In previous scenes, Bianca’s behavior is subdued and compliant; instead of acting, she is acted upon by others. She is obedient to her father and distressed by her sister’s treatment of her. In this scene, how-

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ever, Bianca asserts herself and expresses her own opinions. As the two “tutors” try to override each other in proclaiming what Bianca should study, she reminds them that the decision is hers, not theirs: “Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong / To strive for that which resteth in my choice.” She clearly sees through the men’s disguises, and she is direct in her response to Hortensio’s proclamation of love: “Tut, I like it not,” Bianca says. In this scene, Bianca is independent, strong, and clever; she assumes control, something she has not done previously.
4. Hortensio claims he will no longer seek to court Bianca if she would stoop to flirt with her tutor.

“If once I find thee ranging, / Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing.” Other than his snobbery, what other reason might Hortensio have for rejecting Bianca?

Bianca has rejected Hortensio’s proclamation of love, albeit indirectly since it was given to her by a disguised Hortensio. Hortensio may be trying to save his ego and his credibility by rejecting Bianca before she can reject him in a more straightforward manner.
5. What is the overall mood of this scene?

The mood is light and amusing. The scene moves quickly, full of funny banter between Bianca’s suitors and flirtation between Bianca and Lucentio.
6. Describe the role of disguise and pretense in this scene.

Disguise and pretense play a large role, as nothing actually is what it appears to be. Lucentio, disguised as Cambio, communicates with Bianca through pretending to study Ovid. Hortensio is disguised as Litio; he communicates with Bianca through a written accounting of the scales. Bianca, too, engages in pretense, as she knows both men’s true identities yet plays along with their assumed identities.

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Act Three, Scene Two


Vocabulary
accoutrements: clothes
armoury: a place where arms (weapons) are kept caparisoned: to be decked out in ornamental coverings carouse: to drink plentiful amounts of alcohol clamorous: noisily insistent

digress: to leave the main subject temporarily forsooth: archaic in truth

jerkin: a close-fitting jacket lackey: a servant

prodigy: a person endowed with exceptional abilities at a young age quoth: archaic said

staggers: noun a disease of farm animals characterized by loss of balance tedious: tiresome because of dullness or length

turned: turned inside out to be made usable for a longer period (in context)

vex: to irritate or annoy


1. Why is Kate distraught over the thought that Petruchio may not show up for their wedding, given that she was opposed to the wedding from the beginning?

Though Kate does not want to marry Petruchio, it is now public knowledge that she will marry him, and she fears being humiliated: “Now must the world point at poor Katherine, / And say, ‘Lo, there is mad Petruchio’s wife, / If it would please him come and marry her.’”
2. Describe Petruchio’s appearance for his wedding day. Why does his attire upset Baptista? How does Baptista express his anger?

Petruchio is dressed in old, worn clothes; he rides a lame horse and wears jewels bearing another woman’s initials. His attire expresses a lack of respect for the importance of the wedding and a lack

of respect for Baptista, the father of the bride who has planned and undoubtedly funded the wedding. Baptista tells Petruchio, “Fie, doff this habit, shame to your estate, / An eyesore to our solemn festival!”
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3. How does Petruchio respond in regard to his lateness and his clothing? What might his intent be? Petruchio is evasive about his attire and his tardiness, changing the focus of the conversation to Kate and proclaiming that he would like to kiss her. He brushes off any suggestion that his clothes convey disrespect: “To me she’s married not unto my clothes.” Petruchio’s rudeness may be contrived in order to insult Kate, and thus bring her self-esteem down so that he might better control her.
4. What recounting does Gremio offer of the wedding ceremony? Why might Shakespeare have decided to relay the events through Gremio rather than stage the scene for the audience? Gremio explains to Tranio and Lucentio that Petruchio behaved horribly during the wedding cer-

emony, making Kate seem like a lamb in comparison. Petruchio cursed, causing the priest to drop the Bible he was using in the ceremony. When the priest bent down to pick up the Bible, Petruchio struck him. Finally, when the time came for Petruchio to kiss his bride, he was vulgar in how loudly he kissed her, “with such a clamorous smack / That at the parting all the church did echo.” Explaining the scene through a witness saves time and keeps the action moving, as the witness can summarize the events.

It also makes Petruchio’s actions seem all the more terrible, for even Gremio, who has been so critical of Katherine, feels she is tame compared to Petruchio.