Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Taming of the Shrew
    The Taming of the Shrew
    The Taming of the Shrew
    Ebook115 pages1 hour

    The Taming of the Shrew

    By William Shakespeare

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    "The Taming of the Shrew" is one Shakespeare's finest comedic efforts. It is the tale of Lucentio who is in love with Bianca, unfortunately Bianca already has two other suitors and her father will not let her marry until her older ill-tempered sister, Katherine, is married. The second problem is remedied when Petruchio comes to town in search of a wife. Only interested in her money, Petruchio marries Katherine and returns with her to his country house to "tame" her, a task that Petruchio is soon to discover is easier said than done.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDigireads.com Publishing
    Release dateJan 1, 2010
    ISBN9781596251076
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

    Read more from William Shakespeare

    Related to The Taming of the Shrew

    Related ebooks

    Performing Arts For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Graphic Adaptation Of 'Heart Of Darkness' Takes On Canonical Racism, Artfully

      Nov 10, 2019

      Artist Peter Kuper has adapted Joseph Conrad's classic Heart of Darkness in a way that undercuts Conrad's depiction of Africa as a place of existential horror, and centers the African characters.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Talking RUBBISH

      Jul 1, 2020

      “It was like a moment from a Noël Coward play. You know, the bit where the lovers meet again for the first time in many years and it’s all slightly formal and awkward. There always seems to be a moment like that in a Noël Coward play. Not that I’m

      3 min read

    • Article

      Mrs W-C Gets The BRUSH-OFF

      Jun 1, 2022

      Mrs W-C Gets The BRUSH-OFF
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Mystery Of MENSWEAR

      Jan 4, 2023

      It’s a Wednesday afternoon and I am celebrating International No Chores Day, an occasion that I invented, ooh, about two hours ago. You find me curled up with a detective story in a comfortable armchair in front of a crackling log fire. There is a m

      3 min read

    • Article

      Competition

      Aug 25, 2021

      IN COMPETITION No 270, you were invited to write a poem called The Hall. Heather Oxley began, ‘Our halls are gateways to our outside selves.’ John Oldershaw’s narrator started in medias res: ‘“It’s the hall that sells the house!”/ Said Mr Valentine,

      2 min read

    • Article

      Tomorrows

      Mar 15, 2022

      The night, as most nights, was like a dream. At ten, once I’d fed the dog the last scraps off the stove. Once I’d cursed the cat for scratching up my mama’s antique furniture, then welcomed him back into my arms. Once I’d slicked my hair into a ponyt

      26 min read

    • Article

      Rosemary Old F Lame PROOF

      Nov 4, 2020

      “It was Keats – or one of that crowd – who described autumn as the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. That’s the trouble with poets. They just can’t seem to help looking on the bright side. The rest of us are feeling the cold, and wondering w

      3 min read

    • Article

      Man of HARLECH

      Jul 26, 2023

      The directions to our friends’ house were not encouraging. ‘Turn right at the sign which says Here Be Dragons,’ he said cheerily. ‘Carry on until you reach The Middle of Nowhere, then turn left up the track by the woodshed. It’s a bit rugged, so stay

      3 min read

    • Article

      Howl Palace

      Sep 15, 2019

      Last week, I finally had to put Howl Palace up for sale. Years of poor financial planning had led to this decision, and I tried to take some comfort in my agent’s belief in a buyer who might show up with an all-cash offer. My agent is a highly organi

      25 min read

    • Article

      Roger’s PROFANISAURUS

      Aug 5, 2021

      profanisaurus@viz.co.uk aroma diffuser 1. n. A scientific device that breaks “essential oils” down into smaller molecules, dispersing them into the air for a pleasant or calming effect on the gullible. 2. n. The arsehole. Barbie’s minge sim. Somethin

      8 min read

    • Article

      Wicked AUNTIE?

      Jan 5, 2022

      Wicked AUNTIE?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      May 1, 2020

      When my father calls my grandfather, he becomes a son.He calls me to become, again, a father. My son would have made me a father and my fathera grandfather. The expectation: this would continue, one long trail of names passed like a candle.I carry th

      3 min read

    • Article

      Tessa Castro

      May 3, 2023

      IN COMPETITION No 292 you were invited to write a poem called The Walk. How good and numerous were your entries. Congratulations to those printed below, each of whom wins £25, with the bonus prize of The Chambers Dictionary going to Anthony Young. I'

      2 min read

    • Article

      THREE’S A Crowd

      Feb 19, 2020

      “There are times when I wonder whether this page should contain a health warning for those of a delicate disposition. You might be flicking through Woman’s Weekly in the doctor’s waiting room, and a sudden onset of high blood pressure or a racing pul

      3 min read

    • Article

      Out Of The FRYING PAN

      Dec 23, 2019

      “We never had these when I was young,’ said the man in bright red trousers, who was eating his second sausage-wrapped-in-bacon on a stick. ‘We did have cheese and pineapple on a stick, although most people ate the pineapple and left the cheese on the

      3 min read

    • Article

      Chocs AWAY!

      Feb 7, 2024

      ‘One hundred and twenty-one… one hundred and twenty-two… one hundred and twenty-three,’ said Mr Dear. ‘I’m off then, love,’ I said, popping my head around the kitchen door. ‘Sorry? I… D’oh! Now I’ve lost count’. Mr Dear is counting sweets, and not ju

      3 min read

    • Article

      Competition

      Mar 8, 2023

      IN COMPETITION No 290 you were invited to write a poem, Spring Cleaning, as an acrostic with the first letter of each line spelling out the title. I don't know if the extra requirement made the poems better, but rhyme and metre usually do. Tony Bartl

      2 min read

    • Article

      Romance and MR D

      Apr 20, 2022

      Romance and MR D
      3 min read

    • Article

      Flower POWER

      Jan 2, 2020

      “New year is a time to make changes, and at the charity shop we are doing our bit by recruiting a new volunteer. She’s called Grace, and she’s already proving rather a hit with our gentleman customers. To be honest, you have only to clap eyes on Gra

      3 min read

    • Article

      Seven Poems

      May 1, 2022

      Seven Poems
      2 min read

    • Article

      Bard In The Woods

      Nov 30, 2020

      Bard In The Woods
      4 min read

    • Article

      In Praise Of Pubs

      Apr 14, 2023

      WHAT A TIME to get back into the long walk. I’ve been treated to all kinds of weather in the space of a few weeks, like Mother Nature is saying welcome back to the outdoors – look at all the weather I can do: I can do snowstorms, howling wind and glo

      2 min read

    • Article

      A Gap In The Market

      Mar 26, 2020

      We all heard, this winter, about Gwyneth Paltrow’s marketing of a candle claimed to smell like her – well – her private parts. Ms Paltrow is a seasoned huckster in the ‘wellness’ business, and has since admitted she only made that claim because it wa

      2 min read

    • Article

      Daughter’s DILEMMA

      Dec 29, 2021

      Daughter’s DILEMMA
      3 min read

    • Article

      Press-ganged!

      Jun 13, 2019

      Press-ganged!
      3 min read

    • Article

      I’ve Seen The Light

      Aug 10, 2018

      I’ve Seen The Light
      9 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Aug 30, 2019

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Taming of the Shrew

    3.5/5

    1,698 ratings25 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This may be my favorite Shakespeare, but I haven't read them all yet. This is my favorite so far. I love the way the man keeps pushing in on Kate until she receives his love.
    • 2/5
      It's bawdy and crass; juvenile humor. I guess this explains why I enjoyed it in high school, but didn't enjoy it as much as an adult.
    • 3/5
      Lluchthartige komedie. Over hoe de hevige Katherine trouwt met Petruccio en daardoor haar plaats in de maatschappij vindt waardoor haar rebels karakter “getemd” wordt; verschillende verhaallijnen, nogal rommelig, met typische rolomkeringen; thema van de ideale vrouw, nogal dubieus aangebracht. -brutaal optreden om Katherine te breken-vaders die hun dochters als koopwaar verhandelen-betekenis van de inleiding is duister-onverklaarbare wendingenUiteenlopende interpretaties over het optreden van Petruccio. Die gedraagt zich brutaal om Katherine uit evenwicht te brengen (“being mad herself, she is madly mated”), in act IV.1 licht hij zijn motieven toe. Bekende slotscène: uitval Katherine tegen ongehoorzame vrouwen (niet duidelijk wat het doel is): “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper/Thy head, thy sovereign”
    • 3/5
      What can I say...I love Shakespeare's poetic language, wit and his insight into the human condition. But, I must be honest and tell you that I had to force myself to finish this book because I'm an independent, liberated, modern woman and I don't think there's anything funny about the way Pet. mentally abused Kate. Here we have a lying rouge who is cast as a hero as he uses psychological war-fare, humiliation and starvation to bend the will of a wealthy woman, just to get her money. This is the kind of thing we read about in the news; some wealthy woman being taken-in by a playboy that she met on an internet dating site. It wasn't funny back in the day and it isn't funny now.Good thing he didn't try that with Lorena Bobbitt...SMILE!!!
    • 3/5
      Well, Toto, we're a long way from Beatrice and Benedick here, that's for sure! This is among the plays that are Much better watched than read, if only because directors and actors can make subtle adaptations and add nuance to situations and characters who are, as written, fairly brutal and unattractive. Done “right,” this is a very entertaining play – I particularly enjoyed the BBC's “Shakespeare Retold” version, starring Shirley Henderson and Rufus Sewell. As with “Much Ado About Nothing,” though, “The Taming of the Shrew” features one interesting couple and one dull one. Bianca and her swain actually spend very little time together, but it's plenty. Katherine and Petruchio may or may not be suited to each other, but we'll never know because Petruchio has all the power and no qualms about using it. What “saves” the play is Katherine's own sheer nastiness, as evidenced by her unwarranted brutality to both her sister and her tutor. She's been bullying her family and servants, so we don't feel terribly sorry for her when she receives the same treatment from her new husband. The clowns in “Shrew” are irritating rather than witty, and the framing device adds little. Still, it's Shakespeare, and there are some clever wordplays, images, and amusing bits of dialog. And Katherine and Petruchio do seem to have arranged an amicable detente by the end, where we can feasibly imagine them going along for several years before one of them murders the other.
    • 4/5
      It sounds like an extreme and ludicrous statement, but I don't actually know that Shakespeare has a more interpretable play. It all comes down to that moment at the end: Katherine's gonna come out and deliver her closing speech (and for those who still somehow see this as straight-up misogyny, consider all the past versions that haven't done so, and that the ultimate power of meaningmaking is here in Kate's hands--okay, and those of her director--which is easy enough to see as a definitive repudiation of Petruchio's efforts to take away her reality and signifying power with all the no-no-the-sun-is-the-moon stuff earlier). And I mean, relations between the sexes? A friend of mine says about class relations (which are also, naturally, at play here, and what is Kate from one perspective but another tinker, an overturner of the social order? A hero?), he says, "of course it's complicated, it's a gas, baby, you dig?" You can play the speech totally straight--but even then, like, what does Shakespeare think about it? Has Kate found strong manlove or been broken by a sadist?--and you can play it ironically, in about a billion permutations.So well done, Shakespeare. (You're suuuuuch a good writer. I'm sooooo impressed.) But here's what came to me watching this guy the other day at Bard on the Beach, not about that director's interpretation--which was basically "two stong-willed eccentrics find each other, embrace, and turn their rapier tongues on the rest of the world"--not about any interpretation at all, but about what the last scene says about real life. Because you can have your single simple reading of a play if you wanna and walk away and not have any problems come of it, but when you do that with real life there's that certain excess that'll always trip you up and mug you and leave you unsure where it all went wrong.So what came out at me was the way both things are true. Petruchio can king-of-the-castle Katherine around all he wants and it will always be repulsive, to our sensibilities as well as (it has been convincingly argued) those of the Elizabethans. That doesn't mean it's the whole story here. In that final scene, when Kate is the only obedient wife, what we see is a dark shadow over the future of these marriages--and leaving aside for the moment whether that includes Kate and Petruchio's and what the implications of that are, think about the others. Lucentio's marriage to Bianca and Hortensio's to the Widow may be under threat because the wives are not obedient--or maybe they're just gonna make their husbands into buffoons and that's in the normal way of things--but what is it that makes either of those eventualities a problem? It's that they're weaklings. And calling them out on that doesn't make Petruchio any less of a bully. But forget the bully thing for a second: he's also a man who knows what he wants and won't settle for any less. And in this milieu, Katherine doesn't have the same privilege--she has to be a shrew or a possession. But are the other wives much happier with their carping men? Not at all. The men still have all the power on paper, but their sense of manhood depends on a submission they're not going to be able to secure.And I hope we've left all the submission stuff behind. What we need in our relationships is to be responsible for ourselves. Kate's paradox is that in submitting completely to her husband she has total freedom to move--he kisses her hand rather than step on it. It's repulsive. But they're strong people who (perhaps? depending on your interpretation?) respect each other. And I think there's something to be said for a partner who just rides out your storms, who has themself enough in hand to make their expectations clear (thankfully, today this is a mutual process). And I have spent a lot of time trying to please people I was with and needing to protect them to feel okay myself, and that that's emotional brinksmanship and will never actually help them feel better, and then I'll feel distress too. The great thing about The Taming of the Shrew is to see a marriage without any tally of needs and catalogue of fears and litany of resentments and haunting cloud of failures--where whatever anyone does it'll be laughed off in the end. The question it leaves me with is whether the only way to have that is for marriage to be something even worse--a chattel relationship instead of one between messy, needy, hypersensitive equals.
    • 2/5
      What an odd, misogynistic play. Most interesting was the induction with Christopher Sly, a drunkard who is tricked into believing he is a rich lord. This plot line, included to set up the whole identity switch storyline, is never resolved in my text. I know Shakespeare is considered a master playwright of the English language and I do truly appreciate his work, but isn't he a bit unoriginal at times? There's the whole "borrowing" stories from other authors and then the fact that many of his stories feature the same motifs--funny servants, identity mixups, instalove followed by marriages, rich Italians in search of dowries and hot wives, mean fathers. I guess the Elizabethan theatre-going crowd had a specific niche, and Shakespeare knew how to work within it. Which, if you think about it, isn't that different from our generation being obsessed with vampires and paranormal romances. In 5 centuries, will our descendants look back at our reading tastes and wonder why it all seems the same?
    • 4/5
      The introductory scenes with Sly were a surprise to me! I was also somewhat surprised by how much of the musical Kiss Me Kate is directly from the play.
    • 3/5
      A better play to see than read. There's room for a lot of physical comedy here, and I think it shows that WS was better at tragedy than broad farce. Still, it's noted as having been read four times. "Kiss Me, Kate!" is more fun.
    • 5/5
      My favorite Shakespeare comedy, and a personaly favorite in classical literature.
    • 5/5
      Unlike any other Shakespeare's plays, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW has an induction, which lives up to its name in the sense that the prologue scene does indeed lead into the play that follows. It seems likely that Shakespeare had adopted the device from medieval narrative poetry, where it was extensively used to introduce a story in the form of a dream. In the induction, far more is involved than the mere setting of a scene and the informing to audience. In fact, Christopher Sly seems to have lapse into a dream as he is forced to adopt a new identity. The brief yet vigorous altercation between Sly and the hostess with which the induction begins is a curtain raiser for the dramatic struggle between Petruchio and Katherina that is to follow. Equally as significant is the Lord's instructions to his servant-boy as to the behavior he is to assume when he appears disguised as Sly's wife forebode the main theme of the play. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW has a powerful appeal for the Elizabethan audience at the time it opened because the struggle for mastery in a marriage remained a fact of existence and hot topics for writers. A true-to-life domestic scene opens the play and instantly grasps attention: Signor Baptista forbids all suitors to court his younger daughter Bianca until he finds a husband for the ill-tempered, difficult, and waspish elder daughter Katherina. She is notorious for her hot temper, foul tongue, and caprice. Out of jealousy and the qualm not remaining single, she often vents out her anger on her sister. Suitors of the younger sister, who decide to put aside their rivalry, contrive to find a match for Katherina. Gremio and Hortensio bear the cost of Petruchio's courting Katherina while Lucentio, who is madly in love with Bianca, and his crafty servant Tranio cunningly switch role to infiltrate the Baptista house. What inevitably follows is a facetious pursuit of love and a farcical melodrama that culminate in a riotously funny final scene in which Lucentio's real father, who has no clue of his son's betrothal, confronts the pedant-disguised impostor who reverse-accuses him of a charlatan. Equally as clueless of the entire crafty scheme is Baptista whom the suitors have tricked and outmaneuvered. He is consistently mistaken about everything and everybody, so that he does not even understand why Bianca later asks for his forgiveness. He and Vincentio are merely the butts for all the intrigues that go on throughout the play. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW maintains an irresistible appeal among the comedies owing to the intriguing trickery with which characters rival for courtship. Just as suspenseful and entertaining is Petruchio's calculated, punctilious campaign to tame his wife. His line of attack is psychological, although persuasive words carefully planned for each step accompany his actions. He somehow outsmarts his wife and deliberately outdoes her in his perversity and bad temper. The quintessential spleen of tantrum flourishes in the scenes in which Petruchio abuses his servants and tailor. His being abusive, tyrannical, violent, and capricious functions more than a reflection - it is evident of a caricature of Katherina through an exaggerated parody of her wild behavior. His evaluation of her mind is confirmed by her softening and surrender for she welcomes the opportunity of meeting an antagonist who will put up a good fight. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW is highly rhetorical (even more so than AS YOU LIKE IT). Whether it is Petruchio's aggressive, vituperative taming or the milder courting of Bianca, the play never lacks an elite style with which Shakespeare exploited language to a linguistic virtuosity. For example, Petruchio's taming distinguishes from the usual method that might involve violence. What differentiate his campaign are the subtlety, the sophistication, and the ingenuity of his conceiving of Katherina's mind. His perspicacious mind justifies the use of highly rhetorical, puny, and literary discourse that somehow alienates the ordinary speech in the play and paradoxically brings in a fuller, more intimate possession of his witty scheme.
    • 2/5
      I had to read this one when I was in high school for an AP Lit course (man, I hated that course). Lit teachers have so many opportunities to choose some really amazing, relevant lit, and while I think Shakespeare is still relevant today, the way this book was taught was miserable. There were moments when the discussions in class were interesting, but it wasn't any thanks to the instructor or the play itself, I don't think. Of course, in high school fashion we watched the movie afterwards, and I found I enjoyed it better (and actually understood the play better, too). It was okay, but not one of my favorites among the Shakespeare pile of plays.
    • 4/5
      As always, a great edition from the Arden publishers.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyable, funny and entertaining Bacon was a gifted writer.
    • 3/5
      Really funny. Although, yes, it is technically sexist. When I heard that last speech performed live, there was no real mutual respect it seemed, and maybe it was a little dull. But when the mutual respect is clear, you realize it isn't just Kate who has changed, but her husband as well. Thus it becomes clear that they respect each other, and truly, while it appears that she is 'beneath him' and always agreeing with everything he says, there is an air that she is only learning to not be contrary and she thus becomes able to be in a relationship, in a partnership.
    • 3/5
      I bet every older sister secretly likes this play.
    • 2/5
      I'm sure we could argue the feminist interpretation for ages, but though full of Shakespeare's usual wit I couldn't figure out what he was going for here and it ended up just being a frustrating read.
    • 5/5
      My second review (check out my review of The Count of Monte Cristo) and this book is an amazing play. I had to read this for school and I thought this was going to be boring and non-entertaining but, to my surprise, It is hilarious! This book is a clever comedy in which Shakespeare shows two very different sisters and a plot so complex and difficult It is interesting. Some people may think Shakespeare is dull and I can see why but, this is a book i recommend from middle school to the rest of your life. You see Bianca (the innocent, boy fanatic girl who is very vain) and Kate (a feminist who is more reserved to herself and never wants to marry). Kate is very strong and has her dignity. This play is a page turner for sure. I have also seen the movie and the TV series (now gone) and none of them compare to the humorous English vernacular of Shakespeare. (Even though Elizabeth Taylor plays one hell of a Kate!)- Paulina
    • 4/5
      This is a clever play. However, it revolves massively around the directors interpretation of Bianca (sweet and innocent, or scheming and bitchy) and more importantly on the dynamic between Petruchio and Katherine (does he break her, or does she finally understand him and willing go along with it). I really wanted it to be the later but, as a feminist, I couldn't understand how a free minded woman would say the things said in Kate's last speech.And one MAJOR nit pick; where did Sly go? He's there at the beginning, but not anywhere else.
    • 5/5
      I recently read this in my tenth grade English class. Of course, the play itself was at it always is: hilarious and incredible. Every time I read something by Shakespeare, I marvel at his creativity, originality, and skill for crafting puns and witty wordplay.The version of this book that I read included many other sections relating to Shakespeare's works: his life, his writings, and how his plays were shown, plus a section entitled "A Modern Perspective," which was somewhat of an overview of the themes in the play and revealed many things people in my English class missed while reading the text (not that they actually looked at the extra stuff: that's like watching Lord of the Rings without the bonus footage). I found all of the extra details quite interesting and it gave me enough background to participate fully in class discussions where most of my peers were left behind. Thank you, Folger Library!
    • 2/5
      Read this twice, once for high school and once for college, and both times I despised it. I don't remember why, but I think it was some feminist outrage that I had...
    • 4/5
      I read this play when I was in the sixth grade and at that time I did not completely understand the meaning of "male ego" or "abusive relationships". As the message hidden in this play depicts that women of those times had to succumb dutifully to their "chauvinist" husbands, years later I came to realize how the society of that era looked down upon the uprising and independent women of all times.

      While the reason for this play may or may not have been to contemplate women rights and gender equality, nothing makes it anything less than an excellent read, perhaps a minute literary classic in my say!

      First of all, notoriously famous for the dark comedy, this play in my opinion is the best Shakespearean Comedy. The play consisting of extremely comical, vivid and humorous energetic ploys never offered me a chance to put it down and stop reading.

      From the beginning of the play the readers get an entertaining idea of how terrifying a shrew, the leading character Kate is because of her amusingly foul mouth and vicious temper. Pair that with an equally determined and witty leading male character, Petruchio, who employs comical methods to shape Kate, and you get a splendid comedy. The play proceeds with an interesting insight into how Kate gradually evolves into his devoted wife and a polite woman.

      The characters and their dialogues fashion the utmost wit and brilliant excitement all through out the play. Every scene is composed of numerous hilarious and amusing acts that just grip the readers to continue being indulged in the entertaining story.

      The play also stands out because of its unique structure. Most Shakespearean plays comprise of romance, banishment, and disguise as a key theme to the plot.
      For instance, one never fails to identify the certain styles of Shakespeare; namely one method would be: Male characters in the beginning disguise themselves and they fall for the wrong women who were also disguised. However, everyone reconcile with their true one in the end after a series of farce incidents.
      Another signature style would be: Groups of high ranked men and their king are banished to the forsaken islands or forests by a nemesis. Then the noble men and their king would regain power and get invited back in the end by the strange love marriage between the children of the king and his nemesis!

      To a great relief this play consisted of none of those techniques which therefore was a remarkably fresh way of journeying through a wonderful Shakespeare comedy.
    • 2/5
      I had to give it a second star because some of the jokes were funny but really, this is just horrible. I'm not saying it should never be performed because it's a part of our cultural heritage and significant for influencing a lot of later works but I really think it's unsuitable for casual performance, for entertainment of general audiences. I saw it performed at a summer park show and Petruccio's player kept stopping to apologize out of character because the audience was booing him so loudly.
    • 5/5
      This is honestly mu favorite work by Shakespeare. I love the humor within it. I have read this for classes I have performed Katherine's final Monologue. I know people find that this plays has become a past idea of thinking of how women should behave since we are in a modern day world that that works for men and women to be equal without bowing down. However, at the time this play was written, that was not yet the thinking. No matter what, this is and always will be a favorite of mine.
    • 3/5
      Amazing.....

    Book preview

    The Taming of the Shrew - William Shakespeare

    THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

    By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

    A Digireads.com Book

    Digireads.com Publishing

    Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-2618-7

    Ebook ISBN 13: 9781596251076

    This edition copyright © 2012

    Please visit www.digireads.com

    CONTENTS

    DRAMATIS PERSONAE

    INDUCTION.

    SCENE I. Before an alehouse on a heath.

    SCENE II. A bedchamber in the LORD's house.

    ACT I.

    SCENE I. Padua. A public place.

    SCENE II. Padua. Before HORTENSIO's house.

    ACT II.

    SCENE I. Padua. A room in BAPTISTA's house.

    ACT III.

    SCENE I. Padua. BAPTISTA's house.

    SCENE II. Padua. Before BAPTISTA's house.

    ACT IV.

    SCENE I. PETRUCHIO's country house.

    SCENE II. Padua. Before BAPTISTA's house.

    SCENE III. A room in PETRUCHIO's house.

    SCENE IV. Padua. Before BAPTISTA's house.

    SCENE V. A public road.

    ACT V.

    SCENE I. Padua. Before LUCENTIO's house.

    SCENE II. Padua. LUCENTIO's house.

    DRAMATIS PERSONAE

    Persons in the Induction

    A LORD, a person in the Induction.

    CHRISTOPHER SLY, a tinker, a person in the Induction.

    HOSTESS, a person in the Induction.

    PAGE, a person in the Induction.

    PLAYERS, a person in the Induction.

    HUNTSMEN, a person in the Induction.

    SERVANTS, a person in the Induction.

    BAPTISTA MINOLA, a rich gentleman of Padua.

    VINCENTIO, an old gentleman of Pisa.

    LUCENTIO, son to Vincentio; in love with Bianca.

    PETRUCHIO, a gentleman of Verona; suitor to Katherine.

    GREMIO, suitor to Bianca.

    HORTENSIO, suitor to Bianca.

    TRANIO, servant to Lucentio.

    BIONDELLO, servant to Lucentio.

    GRUMIO, servant to Petruchio.

    CURTIS, servant to Petruchio.

    PEDANT, set up to personate Vincentio.

    KATHERINE, the shrew, daughter to Baptista.

    BIANCA, daughter to Baptista.

    WIDOW

    Tailor, Haberdasher, An Officer, and Servants attending on Baptista and Petruchio.

    INDUCTION.

    SCENE I. Before an alehouse on a heath.

    [Enter HOSTESS and SLY.]

    SLY. I'll pheeze you, in faith.

    HOSTESS. A pair of stocks, you rogue!

    SLY. Ye are a baggage: the Slys are no rogues; look in the chronicles; we came in with Richard Conqueror. Therefore paucas pallabris; let the world slide: sessa!

    HOSTESS. You will not pay for the glasses you have burst?

    SLY. No, not a denier. Go by, Jeronimy: go to thy cold bed, and warm thee.

    HOSTESS. I know my remedy; I must go fetch the third—borough.

    [Exit.]

    SLY. Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer him by law: I'll not budge an inch, boy: let him come, and kindly.

    [Falls asleep.]

    [Horns winded. Enter a LORD from hunting, with his train.]

    LORD. Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds:

    Brach Merriman, the poor cur is emboss'd;

    And couple Clowder with the deep—mouth'd brach.

    Saw'st thou not, boy, how Silver made it good

    At the hedge-corner, in the coldest fault?

    I would not lose the dog for twenty pound.

    FIRST HUNTSMAN. Why, Belman is as good as he, my lord;

    He cried upon it at the merest loss

    And twice to-day pick'd out the dullest scent:

    Trust me, I take him for the better dog.

    LORD. Thou art a fool: if Echo were as fleet,

    I would esteem him worth a dozen such.

    But sup them well and look unto them all:

    To-morrow I intend to hunt again.

    FIRST HUNTSMAN. I will, my lord.

    LORD. [seeing SLY.] What's here? one dead, or drunk?

    See, doth he breathe?

    SECOND HUNTSMAN. He breathes, my lord.

    Were he not warm'd with ale,

    This were a bed but cold to sleep so soundly.

    LORD. O monstrous beast! how like a swine he lies!

    Grim death, how foul and loathsome is thine image!

    Sirs, I will practise on this drunken man.

    What think you, if he were convey'd to bed,

    Wrapp'd in sweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers,

    A most delicious banquet by his bed,

    And brave attendants near him when he wakes,

    Would not the beggar then forget himself?

    FIRST HUNTSMAN. Believe me, lord, I think he cannot choose.

    SECOND HUNTSMAN. It would seem strange unto him when he waked.

    LORD. Even as a flattering dream or worthless fancy.

    Then take him up and manage well the jest:

    Carry him gently to my fairest chamber

    And hang it round with all my wanton pictures:

    Balm his foul head in warm distilled waters

    And burn sweet wood to make the lodging sweet:

    Procure me music ready when he wakes,

    To make a dulcet and a heavenly sound;

    And if he chance to speak, be ready straight

    And with a low submissive reverence

    Say 'What is it your honour will command?'

    Let one attend him with a silver basin

    Full of rose-water and bestrew'd with flowers,

    Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper,

    And say 'Will't please your lordship cool your hands?'

    Some one be ready with a costly suit

    And ask him what apparel he will wear;

    Another tell him of his hounds and horse,

    And that his lady mourns at his disease:

    Persuade him that he hath been lunatic;

    And when he says he is, say that he dreams,

    For he is nothing but a mighty lord.

    This do and do it kindly, gentle sirs:

    It will be pastime passing excellent,

    If it be husbanded with modesty.

    FIRST HUNTSMAN. My lord, I warrant you we will play our part,

    As he shall think by our true diligence

    He is no less than what we say he is.

    LORD. Take him up gently and to bed with him;

    And each one to his office when he wakes.

    [Some bear out SLY. A trumpet sounds.]

    Sirrah, go see what trumpet 'tis that sounds:

    [Exit SERVINGMAN.]

    Belike, some noble gentleman that means,

    Travelling some journey, to repose him here.

    [Re-enter SERVINGMAN.]

    How now! who is it?

    SERVANT. An't please your honour, players

    That offer service to your lordship.

    LORD. Bid them come near.

    [Enter PLAYERS.]

    Now, fellows, you are welcome.

    PLAYERS. We thank your honour.

    LORD. Do you intend to stay with me tonight?

    A PLAYER. So please your lordship to accept our duty.

    LORD. With all my heart. This fellow I remember,

    Since once he play'd a farmer's eldest son:

    'Twas where you woo'd the gentlewoman so well:

    I have forgot your name; but, sure, that part

    Was aptly fitted and naturally perform'd.

    A PLAYER. I think 'twas Soto that your honour means.

    LORD. 'Tis very true: thou didst it excellent.

    Well, you are come to me in a happy time;

    The rather for I have some sport in hand

    Wherein your cunning can assist me much.

    There is a lord will hear you play to-night:

    But I am doubtful of your modesties;

    Lest over-eyeing of his odd behavior,—

    For yet his honour never heard a play—

    You break into some merry passion

    And so offend him; for I tell you, sirs,

    If you should smile he grows impatient.

    A PLAYER. Fear not, my lord: we can contain ourselves,

    Were he the

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1