The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew 1623 the First Folio 1590 94 1594 The Taming of a Shrew The Winter s Tale A Winter s Tale The Comedy of Errors A Comedy of Errors 18
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Plautus Terrence Chaucer 1550 A Merry Jest of a Shrewd and Curst Wife Lapped in Morel s Skin for Her Good Behaviour 20
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1754 David Garrick Catharine and Petruchio 1611 John Fletcher The Woman s Prize, or The Tamer Tamed 24
Katharine Petruchio Baptista Bianca Lucentio Vincentio Hortensio 25 25
The Taming of the Shrew K 1 atharine, the Shrew ¹, was the eldest daughter of Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua. She was a lady of such an ungovernable spirit and fiery temper, such a loud-tongued scold², that she was known in Padua by no other name than Katharine the Shrew. It seemed very unlikely, indeed impossible, that any gentleman would ever be found who would venture to marry this lady, and therefore Baptista was much blamed for deferring³ his consent to many excellent offers that were made to her gentle sister Bianca, putting off all Bianca s suitors with this excuse that when the eldest sister was fairly off his hands, they should have free leave to address young Bianca. 1 shrew [Nru ] (n.) 2 scold [skould] (n.) 3 defer [d0}f@ r] (v.) 26
The Taming of the Shrew Kath erin ine 27
2 It happened, however, that a gentleman, named Petruchio, came to Padua, purposely to look out for a wife, who, nothing discouraged by these reports of Katharine s temper, and hearing she was rich and handsome, resolved upon marrying this famous termagant, and taming her into a meek and manageable wife. And truly none was so fit to set about this herculean labour as Petruchio, whose spirit was as high as Katharine s, and he was a witty and most happytempered humourist, and withal so wise, and of such a true judgment, that he well knew how to feign a passionate and furious deportment, when his spirits were so calm that himself could have laughed merrily at his own angry feigning, for his natural temper was careless and easy. The boisterous airs he assumed¹ when he became the husband of Katharine being but in sport, or more properly speaking, affected by his excellent discernment¹¹, as the only means to overcome, in her own way, the passionate ways of the furious Katharine. 4 termagant [}t@ rm3e3nt] (n.) 5 herculean [{h@ r}kju li 3n] (a.) 6 withal [w0}mc l] (adv.) 28
The Taming of the Shrew 7 feign [fe0n] (v.) 8 deportment [d0}pc rtm3nt] (n.) 9 boisterous [}bc0st3r3s] (a.) 10 assume [3}su m] (v.) 11 discernment [d0}s@ rnm3nt] (n.) 29
3 A courting then Petruchio went to Katharine the Shrew; and first of all he applied to Baptista her father, for leave to woo¹² his gentle daughter Katharine, as Petruchio called her, saying archly¹³, that having heard of her bashful¹ modesty and mild behaviour, he had come from Verona to solicit¹ her love. Her father, though he wished her married, was forced to confess Katharine would ill answer this character, it being soon apparent of what manner of gentleness she was composed, for her music-master rushed into the room to complain that the gentle Katharine, his pupil, had broken his head with her lute¹, for presuming¹ to find fault with her performance; which, when Petruchio heard, he said, It is a brave wench¹ ; I love her more than ever, and long to have some chat with her. And hurrying the old gentleman for a positive answer, he said, My business is in haste, Signior Baptista, I cannot come every day to woo. You knew my father: he is dead, and has left me heir to all his lands and goods. Then tell me, if I get your daughter s love, what dowry¹ you will give with her. 30
The Taming of the Shrew 12 woo [wu ] (v.) 13 archly [}A rtnli] (adv.) 14 bashful [}b$nf3l] (a.) 15 solicit [s3}l0s0t] (v.) 16 lute [lu t] (n.) 17 presume [pr0}zu m] (v.) 18 wench [wrentn] (n.) 19 dowry [}dauri] (n.) lute 31