The Taming of the Shrew
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Summary
A prank in pulled on a beggar, Christopher Sly; he is brought to a
wealthy house, dressed in rich clothing and told that he
was only dreaming that he was a beggar. A page
is dressed up as a woman and presented as Sly’s wife. They sit down to watch a
play, and they show up only once after the beginning of the play.
A young student, Lucentio, and
his servant, Tranio arrive in Padua, Italy, so that Lucentio can study in the
city. On their way to his new house they witness a scene between Baptista, his
two daughter, Katherine and Bianca, and Bianca’s suitors. Baptista exclaims
that neither of them could woo Bianca until Katherine, the elder, is husbanded,
and until then no man, except a scholar to teach his daughters will be allowed
in the house. Katherine is a feisty, fiery girl who unleashes her tongue on
anyone who annoys her. Germio and Hortensio (Bianca’s suitors) tell Baptista
that no man in his right mind would wed her so they leave. The girls are sent
inside and Lucentio falls in love with Bianca.
To get close to her he and Tranio
switch clothes since no one in the city knows them yet. Lucentio tells Tranio
that he will pretend to be a scholar in Latin in order to woo Bianca, and that
Tranio should pretend to be he and go to Baptista and win him over.
Hortensio meets up with Petruchio,
his friend from Verona, rich, loud and seeking a wealthy wife. Hortensio tells
Petruchio of how he loves Bianca and of the dilemma he was in. Petruchio wanted
to meet Katherine, because he was intrigued by the stories of her, so he set off
to woo Katherine with Hortensio dressed as a scholar of music, calling himself
Litio. They meet up with Tranio as Lucentio, Lucentio as Cambio and Germio.
Petruchio gains permission to woo
Katherine, and he tries too, but she flings back insults when he praises her. It
doesn’t matter to Petruchio, he tells Baptista that they have planned to wed
on Sunday, and that they have also agreed that Katherine will pretend to not
want the marriage in public, but secretly she loves him. Lucentio/Cambio and
Hortensio/Litio are accepted as tutors for Bianca and Katherine.
Tranio/Lucentio and Germio battle
it out with Baptista of who will marry Bianca. Tranio/Lucentio wins, if he
brings his father to meet Baptista, so Tranio goes out searching for someone to
pose as Lucentio’s father, Vincentio.
At the wedding Petruchio shows up
late and dressed in rags. He is loud and disruptive during the service, and
afterwards at the wedding feast he declares that he has to leave, Katherine
tells him to stay, so he latterly carries her out the door and to the horses. At
his house he yells at the servants and throws away all the food, telling
Katherine that it is for her best. He then deprives her of sleep; he “kills
her with kindness”.
Lucentio/Cambio and Bianca fall
in love and marry in secret, while Tranio finds someone to be Lucentio’s
father, and the wedding date is set. Hortensio and Germio decide that they don’t want to
have anything to do with Bianca anymore so Hortensio marries a rich widow.
Tranio and Lucentio’s plan was going well, until, right before Lucentio and
Bianca’s “wedding” Lucentio’s real father shows up. The truth is told
and Baptista and Vincentio forgive Bianca and Lucentio for getting married in
secret and they throw a feast for everyone.
Petruchio
deprives Katherine of nice clothing for the trip to her father’s because she
disagreed with him when he said the dress was horrible. Soon, by the end of
their journey he has her agreeing with him that the sun is the moon.
At
the end of the feast when the women go off to talk the men make a bet, whoever
can make his wife come to him the quickest will win.
Lucentio sends for Bianca, but she sends back word that she was busy and
she won’t come. Hortensio sends for his wife, who also refuses. Petruchio
sends for Katherine and she comes at once, then gets Bianca and Hortensio’s
wife and tells them that they have a duty to their husbands, to be obedient to
him always. Everyone is astounded at how much Petruchio had tamed Katherine.
The
way Petruchio “tames” Katherine seems really harsh, and it seems a shame
that Kate was “cured” of her high sprits and now is submissive, but it might
go both ways. Kate tamed Petruchio, he isn’t as rowdy anymore, he spends his
time on/with his wife, now he is tied to home more often “Petruchio is Kated”(3.2,
line 252). Kate and Petruchio have a mild liking for each other, which
eventually will turn to love. Kate learns to love him and he cannot help ending
up loving her. The love story is so much richer, because these two people needed
each other and had to grow to love one another, more like how marriages were,
unlike the sappy love story between Bianca and Lucentio. Their “fairy tale”
romance is nothing in the end when Bianca will not go to Lucentio when he bids
her to. Katherine’s speech in the end on the roles of husband and wife tends
to go overboard. The story could almost do without it nowadays, but Kate seems
to be teasing her husband. By coming when he bids showed him that she had
learned, and her speech was saying just that, a bit extreme.
Character
Development
Bianca
– (1.1, lines 169 – 172) “Lucentio: O yes, I saw sweet beauty in
her face, such as the daughter of Agenor had, that made great Jove to humble him
to her hand when with his knees he kissed the Cretan strand.” – many other
passages like these talk about Bianca’s beauty
(1.2,
lines 119-123) “Hortensio: For in Baptista’s keep my treasure is. He
hath the jewel of my life in hold, his youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca, and
withholds from me other more, suitors to her and rivals of my love . . .” -
How Bianca can throw a man head over heels for her.
(4.2,
lines 41-43) “Hortensio: Kindness in women, not their beauteous looks,
shall win my love, and so I take my leave, in resolution as I swore before.”
– This is after Hortensio finds out that Bianca is in love with Lucentio/Cambio,
it is a good resolution to come to and it shows how Bianca’s looks can make
men forget that there is more than beauty to think about.
Katherine, Katerina - (1.1, line 107) “Devil’s dam”– The devil’s mother thought as worse than the devil.
(1.2,
lines 129 – 131) “ Hortensio: . . . Till Katherine the crust have got
a husband. Gurmio: 'Katherine
the crust,' a title for a maid, of all titles the worst”
Katharine
and Petruchio - (3.2, lines157 & 158)
“Germo: Why, he’s a devil, a devil, a very fiend. Tranio/Lucentio: Why,
she’s a devil, a devil, the devil’s dam.”
(3.2,
lines 249 – 252) “Tranio/Lucentio: Of all mad matches never was the
like. Lucentio/Cambio: Mistress, what’s your opinion of you sister?
Bianca: That being mad herself, she’s madly mated. German: I warrant
him, Petruchio is Kated”
Petruchio
- (1.2, line 35) “two-and-thirty, a pip
out” – out of his head - Gurmio
(1.2, lines79 -83) “Gurmio: Why, give him gold enough and marry him to a puppet or an aglet-baby, or an old trot with ne’er a tooth in her head, though she have as many diseases as two-and-fifty horses. Why, nothing comes amiss, so money comes withal.” – money matters to P, if her dowry is big enough he’ll marry anyone.
Tranio
- (1.1, lines 163 -187) “Tranio : Master, you looked so longly on the
maid, / perhaps you marked not the pith of all. Lucentio : O yes, I saw
sweet beauty in her face . . . “ - In this Tranio needs to explain to Lucentio
the situation of Baptista’s daughters, he is Lucentio’s reason when his
brain is fogged by love.
Germio
- (1.1) – called a “pantaloon” – a
ridiculous old man, stock character in Italian comedy - in the stage directions
Word
Play
(1.1,
lines 55 -61) “Germio: to
cart her rather. She’s too rough for me . . . Katherine: I
pray you, sir, is it your will to make me a stale of me amongst these mates? Hortensio:
“Mates,” maid? How mean you that? No mates for you, unless you were of
gentler, milder mold.” Cart – women who were of a shamed nature or
profession were humiliated by being driven in an open cart through the streets.
Stale – a joke or a prostitute (they were some of the women who were carted)
(1.2, lines 5-18) “Petruchio: Here, sirrah Gurmio, knock, I say. Gurmio: Knock, sir? Whom shall I knock? Is there any man has rebused your Worship? Petruchio: Villain, I say, knock me here soundly. Gurmio: Knock you here, sir? Why, sir, what am I, sir, that I should knock you here sir? . . . Petruchio: Faith, sirrah, an you’ll not knock, I’ll ring it. I’ll try how you can sol, fa, and sing it.” And he rings Gurmio’s ears – Petruchio means “knock” as in knocking on a door, and his servant Gurmio understands it as “strike me”. Then Petruchio mocks him with a pretend misunderstanding of “ring”, ringing the bell and ringing his servant’s ears.
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