Taming of the Shrew
Lecture Notes
This play is, without a doubt, the most controversial Shakespeare play.
The play has three stories:
- The drunken tinker (framework)
o Misbehaves, falls asleep, is tricked in thinking he is a lord and married
o A group of players enter, and they play:
- The taming of the shrew (main story)
o The main story.
o The story is interrupted only a few times by the tinker.
- The winning of Bianca: disguises (secondary sources)
o How to woo Bianca, the younger sister
Characters:
- Framework
o Sly
o Nobleman
o Servant
o Hunters
o Actors
- Taming
o Petruchio
o Grumio
o Baptista Minola
o Katherina
o Servants
o Hatter, tailor
- Disguises
o Lucentio
o Tranio
o Etc.
The stories of Bianca and Katherina are separate, you can leave either one out and the play still
stands.
Summary
Introduction Scene 1
Christopher Shy, a beggar, is drunk and gets into an altercation with the hostess. A Lord returns from
his hunting trip, together with his buddies. They discuss the hunting dogs and notice Sly. They decide
to prank him into fooling him he is a lord. They dress Sly in fancy clothes, move him to a fancy room.
Players enter and offer their services to the Lord. The Lord orders one of his servants, Bartholomew,
to dress like a woman and pretend to be Sly’s wife.
, Introduction Scene 2
Sly is confused everyone calls him ‘Honour’ and ‘Lordship’ and states that he is but Christopher Sly,
by birth a peddler, by education a card maker and currently a tinker. The real lord is dressed up as a
servant and tells Sly that he is a lord, but that he has been ill for fifteen years. Sly is thoroughly
confused but believes that he is a lord indeed. The page dressed as Sly’s wife enters, and Sly
immediately wants to go to bed with him. The page refuses, saying that the physicians warned to
wait a bit more. Sly says he does not know if he will fall back in his dreams so they should take the
opportunities now, but a messenger comes to announce players that will cause merriment to
increase Sly’s health.
Act 1 Scene 1
Lucentio enters in Padua, with his servant Tranio. They meet Baptista with his two daughters,
Katherine and Bianca. Baptista is talking to Gremio and Hortensio, telling them that he will not let
them marry Bianca until Katherine is married. Baptista asks for schoolmasters to teach Bianca to be
sent to his house. He and his daughters leave, and Hortensio and Gremio discuss how they need to
find a husband for the terrible Katherine before either of them is allowed to marry Bianca. They
leave. Lucentio and Tranio have seen all this, and Lucentio is head over heels with Bianca. Tranio
advises Lucentio to pretend to be a schoolteacher and Lucentio proposes that Tranio will in the
meantime pretend to be Lucentio since no one knows them anyway.
The play is interrupted by a servant of Sly, who asks if Sly likes the play. Sly says he does, and wonder
if there comes more of it. His ‘wife’ says that the play has just begun.
Act 1 Scene 2
Petruchio, who has just arrived in Padua, goes with his servant Grumio to see Hortensio. When
Petruchio tells Grumio to knock on the gate, Grumio misunderstands it and thinks Petruchio wants
Grumio to hit him, but the quarrel is broken up by Hortensio. Petruchio explains his father passed
away and says he is now looking for a wife. Hortensio says he can get Petruchio a very rich wife, but
she is a bitch. Petruchio says that doesn’t matter, as long as she is rich. Hortensio is referring to
Katherine, and he explains that he cannot marry Bianca until Katherine is married. Lucentio, dressed
as a schoolmaster named Cambio, enters. Gremio brags that he has found a tutor for Bianca,
unaware that Lucentio intents to woo Bianca himself. Tranio disguised as Lucentio enters, asking for
directions to Baptista’s house, suggesting he wants to woo one of the daughters. Gremio and
Hortensio become angry because they fear there will now be three people trying to woo Bianca.
Tranio says that they should not be enemies, and offers to buy them all drinks.
Act 2 Scene 1
Katherine and Bianca, with her hands tied, enter. Katherine asks Bianca which of her suitors Bianca
likes most, but Bianca refuses to tell. She begs Katherine to untie her hands, but Katherine hits her.
Baptista enters to a crying Bianca and unties her hands. He curses at Katherine. Katherine and Bianca
exit.
Lucentio, Petruchio, Hortensio (disguised as Litio) and Tranio enter. Petruchio announces he has a
tutor for Katherine and puts forward Hortensio/Litio. Gremio presents Lucentio has a teacher for
Bianca. Tranio announces his intentions to woo Bianca. Petruchio asks what Katherine’s dowry is,
and Baptista tells him it is half his lands and twenty thousand crowns. Petruchio announces his
intentions to woo Katherine. Hortensio re-enters and announces that Katherine will never be a
musician, and he says that she broke the instruments he gave her.
Petruchio is left alone on stage and Katherine enters. They have a sass-off. Katherine hits Petruchio,
and after more sass Petruchio announces that Baptista agreed on him marrying her. Baptista re-
Lecture Notes
This play is, without a doubt, the most controversial Shakespeare play.
The play has three stories:
- The drunken tinker (framework)
o Misbehaves, falls asleep, is tricked in thinking he is a lord and married
o A group of players enter, and they play:
- The taming of the shrew (main story)
o The main story.
o The story is interrupted only a few times by the tinker.
- The winning of Bianca: disguises (secondary sources)
o How to woo Bianca, the younger sister
Characters:
- Framework
o Sly
o Nobleman
o Servant
o Hunters
o Actors
- Taming
o Petruchio
o Grumio
o Baptista Minola
o Katherina
o Servants
o Hatter, tailor
- Disguises
o Lucentio
o Tranio
o Etc.
The stories of Bianca and Katherina are separate, you can leave either one out and the play still
stands.
Summary
Introduction Scene 1
Christopher Shy, a beggar, is drunk and gets into an altercation with the hostess. A Lord returns from
his hunting trip, together with his buddies. They discuss the hunting dogs and notice Sly. They decide
to prank him into fooling him he is a lord. They dress Sly in fancy clothes, move him to a fancy room.
Players enter and offer their services to the Lord. The Lord orders one of his servants, Bartholomew,
to dress like a woman and pretend to be Sly’s wife.
, Introduction Scene 2
Sly is confused everyone calls him ‘Honour’ and ‘Lordship’ and states that he is but Christopher Sly,
by birth a peddler, by education a card maker and currently a tinker. The real lord is dressed up as a
servant and tells Sly that he is a lord, but that he has been ill for fifteen years. Sly is thoroughly
confused but believes that he is a lord indeed. The page dressed as Sly’s wife enters, and Sly
immediately wants to go to bed with him. The page refuses, saying that the physicians warned to
wait a bit more. Sly says he does not know if he will fall back in his dreams so they should take the
opportunities now, but a messenger comes to announce players that will cause merriment to
increase Sly’s health.
Act 1 Scene 1
Lucentio enters in Padua, with his servant Tranio. They meet Baptista with his two daughters,
Katherine and Bianca. Baptista is talking to Gremio and Hortensio, telling them that he will not let
them marry Bianca until Katherine is married. Baptista asks for schoolmasters to teach Bianca to be
sent to his house. He and his daughters leave, and Hortensio and Gremio discuss how they need to
find a husband for the terrible Katherine before either of them is allowed to marry Bianca. They
leave. Lucentio and Tranio have seen all this, and Lucentio is head over heels with Bianca. Tranio
advises Lucentio to pretend to be a schoolteacher and Lucentio proposes that Tranio will in the
meantime pretend to be Lucentio since no one knows them anyway.
The play is interrupted by a servant of Sly, who asks if Sly likes the play. Sly says he does, and wonder
if there comes more of it. His ‘wife’ says that the play has just begun.
Act 1 Scene 2
Petruchio, who has just arrived in Padua, goes with his servant Grumio to see Hortensio. When
Petruchio tells Grumio to knock on the gate, Grumio misunderstands it and thinks Petruchio wants
Grumio to hit him, but the quarrel is broken up by Hortensio. Petruchio explains his father passed
away and says he is now looking for a wife. Hortensio says he can get Petruchio a very rich wife, but
she is a bitch. Petruchio says that doesn’t matter, as long as she is rich. Hortensio is referring to
Katherine, and he explains that he cannot marry Bianca until Katherine is married. Lucentio, dressed
as a schoolmaster named Cambio, enters. Gremio brags that he has found a tutor for Bianca,
unaware that Lucentio intents to woo Bianca himself. Tranio disguised as Lucentio enters, asking for
directions to Baptista’s house, suggesting he wants to woo one of the daughters. Gremio and
Hortensio become angry because they fear there will now be three people trying to woo Bianca.
Tranio says that they should not be enemies, and offers to buy them all drinks.
Act 2 Scene 1
Katherine and Bianca, with her hands tied, enter. Katherine asks Bianca which of her suitors Bianca
likes most, but Bianca refuses to tell. She begs Katherine to untie her hands, but Katherine hits her.
Baptista enters to a crying Bianca and unties her hands. He curses at Katherine. Katherine and Bianca
exit.
Lucentio, Petruchio, Hortensio (disguised as Litio) and Tranio enter. Petruchio announces he has a
tutor for Katherine and puts forward Hortensio/Litio. Gremio presents Lucentio has a teacher for
Bianca. Tranio announces his intentions to woo Bianca. Petruchio asks what Katherine’s dowry is,
and Baptista tells him it is half his lands and twenty thousand crowns. Petruchio announces his
intentions to woo Katherine. Hortensio re-enters and announces that Katherine will never be a
musician, and he says that she broke the instruments he gave her.
Petruchio is left alone on stage and Katherine enters. They have a sass-off. Katherine hits Petruchio,
and after more sass Petruchio announces that Baptista agreed on him marrying her. Baptista re-
