The Characters of Shakespeare's The Taming of
the Shrew
Christopher Sly: A poor vagrant who falls asleep
drunk in front of a tavern at the beginning of the
Induction. A Lord returning from hunting finds Sly asleep and plays a trick on him,
carrying Sly to the Lord's house and ordering the servants to treat Sly like a lord when
he wakes up. A group of actors who visit the Lord's house perform The Taming of the
Shrew for Sly, which takes up the rest of the play. Sly is cantankerous and
quarrelsome, more interested in drinking the beer and eating the beef jerky he is used
to than in accepting the role of aristocrat. However, when he finds out that in his role as
a lord he has a wife (actually the Page in disguise), he quickly changes his mind,
anxious to get alone with her and kiss her.
Lord: A very wealthy nobleman whose practical joke on Sly dominates the Induction
and provides the set-up for the rest of the play. As the Lord carries out his joke, making
Sly think that Sly is really a lord and doesn't remember it, we get to see all of the
luxuries that an aristocrat of Shakespeare's day would enjoy--a pack of hunting dogs,
numerous servants, a grand house, artwork, imported wines and perfumes, preserved
fruits, and so on.
Hostess: The proprietress of a tavern who gets in an argument with Sly in the first lines
of the play.
Page: A boy servant to the Lord. The Lord has the Page dress as a lady and play the
part of Sly's wife.
Players: A troupe of traveling actors who arrive at the Lord's house offering to perform,
and who help the Lord carry out his joke on Sly. They perform The Taming of the
Shrew.
The Play
Katherine: The shrew of the play's title, and the oldest daughter of Baptista Minola and
sister of Bianca. Katherine, who is also called Katherina or Kate, is extremely strongwilled. She insists upon saying whatever she thinks and expressing whatever she feels.
Her words are abusive and angry, and her actions are often violent. In Shakespeare's
time, women like Katherine were called shrews, and they were strongly disapproved of
as the worst possible kind of women. Petruchio undertakes the challenge of taming her,
turning her into an obedient and pleasant wife.
Petruchio: A wealthy gentleman from Verona. Loud, boisterous, eccentric, and quickwitted, Petruchio comes to Padua to increase his fortune by marrying rich. All he wants
is a bride with an enormous dowry, and Katherine fits the bill. Though everyone else
warns him against trying to marry Katherine, he sets out to tame her by pitting his own
violent temper against hers.
Baptista Minola: A wealthy citizen of Padua, and the father of Katherine and Bianca.
Though many men want to marry Bianca, Baptista refuses to allow Bianca to marry
before Katherine, whom no one wants to mary. Baptista is goodhearted and generous
toward his two daughters, lavishing expensive books and lessons upon them, but he is
completely at a loss for how to deal with the strong-willed Katherine.
Bianca: The younger daughter of Baptista. The opposite of her sister Katherine, Bianca
is soft-spoken, sweet, and unassuming, as well as beautiful. Because of her large
dowry and her mild behavior, several men compete for her hand.
Lucentio: A young nobleman from Pisa who comes to Padua to study at the city's
renowned university, but who is immediately sidetracked when he falls in love with
Bianca at first sight. Good-natured and intrepid, Lucentio is the most sympathetic of
Bianca's suitors. He disguises himself as a classics instructor named Cambio so he can
gain access to Bianca and win her love.
Tranio: Lucentio's servant, who accompanies Lucentio from Pisa. Wily and comical,
Tranio plays an important part in Lucentio's charade by pretending to be Lucentio and
bargaining with Baptista for Bianca's hand.
Gremio and Hortensio: Two older gentlemen of Padua who want to marry Bianca.
Although they are rivals, they become allies because of their mutual frustration with and
rejection by Bianca. Hortensio is an old friend of Petruchio's, and he suggest Katherine
as a possible wife for Petruchio. He then dresses up as a music instructor to court
Bianca. Hortensio and Gremio are both thwarted by Lucentio in their efforts to win
Bianca.
Grumio: Petruchio's servant and the fool of the play. He provides comic relief by
pretending to misunderstand Petruchio and getting into ridiculous arguments with him.
Biondello: Lucentio's second servant, who assists his master and Tranio in carrying out
their plot.
Curtis, Nathaniel, Phillip, Joseph, Nicholas, Peter: Servants in Petruchio's household.
Tailor, Haberdasher: The dress-maker and hat-maker hired by Petruchio to dress
Katherine. Petruchio criticizes their work and sends them away, as part of his scheme
to tame Katherine.
Widow: A wealthy widow of Padua whom Hortensio marries after abandoning his
attempt to marry Bianca.
Merchant: A merchant recently from Mantua, whom Lucentio tricks into pretending to be
Lucentio's father.
Induction Scene 1 of Shakespeareʼs The Taming of the Shrew
*1. Why is the hostess threatening to throw Sly in the stocks?
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2. What are stocks?
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*3. What evidence proves that Sly has had too much drink?
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*4. After hunting, the Lord comes upon who and what does the Lord decide to do?
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5. What does the word "Sirrah" mean: "Sirrah, go see what trumpet 'tis that
sounds" (Ind.1 72).
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*6. A group of players arrive at the Lord's house. What does the Lord ask the players to
do for him?
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*7. Who is Barthol'mew, and what does the Lord want him to do?
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8. What does the word "anon" mean: "Anon I'll give thee more instructions"(Ind. 1 129).
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*9. If the page, Barhol'mew, has difficulty at a woman's gift for weeping at will, what
does the Lord suggest Barhol'mew do to make himself cry and act like a woman to fool
Sly?
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*10. When Sly awakens, he is very confused as the Lord and his servants try to
persuade him that he is a Lord who is of a noble family with much wealth and influence.
What is Sly's reply to all of this?
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11*. The servants who are trying to convince Sly that he really is a Lord tell him he is
confused and not remembering the events of his life well as he has been in and out of
conscienceless and asleep for how long?
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12*. When Sly meets his "wife," who is really the Page pretending to be a woman, Sly
wants to dine with her, but his "wife" tells Sly that she cannot be with him tonight
because why?
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13*. Why do the doctors want Sly to watch the play?
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Act 1.1 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1. What is the setting of the play within the play?
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The setting occurs in Padua, Italy, and the time period is around the 1600's.
2*. Why has Lucentio come to Padua, Italy?
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3. Read the following metaphor stated by Lucentio and explain it: "And am I to Padua
come, as he that leaves/ A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep/ And with satiety
seeks to quench his thirst" (I.122-24).
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4*. Tranio tells Lucentio that he should study hard, but he also cautions him about what
in regards to studying?
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5. Explain the following metaphor spoken by Tranio: "Fall to them as you find your
stomach serves you" (I.1 38).
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6. As soon as Lucentio arrives in Pauda, whom does he see in Pauda?
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7*. When Baptista tells Germio and Hortensio that his younger daughter cannot marry
until the elder one does, he asks them if either of them is partial to Katherina, for he will
let them court her. What is Germio's response?
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8*. When Hortensio and Gremio tell Kate that they are not her suitors, what is Kate's
reply to where her interest in them lies?
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9. Review the following lines and identify their structure and meaning: To comb your
noodle with a three-legged stool/ And paint your face and use you like a fool" (I.i.64-65).
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10. What is an aside?
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11. What does Kate think of her younger sister, Bianca, during act 1 scene 1?
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12*. Shakespeare often uses allusions to Greek and Roman mythology in his plays.
What goddess does Lucentio compare Bianca to and why?
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13*. Who does Gremio blame for Bianca being locked away?
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14*. Because Baptista is "mewing" up Bianca until someone becomes interested in
Kate, what does Baptista plan to do to help Bianca with her love of music and poetry?
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15*. To prove his love and devotion to Bianca, what does Gremio plan to do?
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16*. What plan does Hortensio come up with so that he and Gremio may once again
pursue the fair Bianca?
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17. What does the word tush mean: "Tush, Gremio, though it pass your
patience/"(I.i125)?
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18*. After Gremio and Hortensio devise a plan to find a man for Kate, what does
Lucentio tell Tranio?
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19. Tranio tells Lucentio that there is no reasoning with the heart, and if he is in love, he
is in love. Tranio's advise is from the Eunuchus of Terence, "Redime te captum, cam
queers minimo." What does this mean?
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20. Why does Tranio decide to go along with Lucentio's plan of Tranio pretending to be
Lucentio and Lucentio pretending to be Tranio?
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21* What lie does Lucentio tell Biondello so that Biondello will not accidentally disclose
the true identity of who is Tranio and who is Lucentio?
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22. What does Lucentio ask Tranio to do beside changing identities which seems odd?
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Act 1 Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1. What are the following lines an example of and why: "Knock, sir? Whom should I
knock? Is there/ any man has rebuses your worship"(I.2.6-7).
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2. What is the following line an example of and why: "Faith, sirrah, an you'll not knock,
I'll ring it" (I.2.16).
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3. Why is Petruchio in Padua?
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4*. When Hortensio tells Petruchio that he knows of a shrewish and unpleasant woman
who is very rich and not married, what is Petruchio's reply?
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5. What type of figurative language is being demonstrated in the following lines and
why: "Tell me her father's name, and 'tis enough/ For I will board her though she chide
as loud/ As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack" (I.2.93-95).
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6. What type of figurative language is being demonstrated in the following lines and
why: "For in Baptista's keep my treasure is/ He hath the jewel of my life in hold" (I.
2.116-118).
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8*. According to Grumio, what is the worst thing you can call a young woman?
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9*. Who else besides Lucentio plans on disguising himself as a schoolmaster so that
he can be close to and woo Bianca?
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10. As Hortensio is about to go to be Bianca's "schoolmaster," he sees his rival Gremio
paying someone to be Bianca's schoolmaster and tells this man to read only books of
love to her. Who does Gremio hire?
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11. Petruchio is not worried or concerned about Kate's wicked tongue as he compares
her tongue to what in the following lines: "And do you tell me of a woman's tongue/ That
gives not half so great a blow to th' ear/ As will a chestnut in a farmer's fire"(I.
2.205-207).
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12. What does Hortensio ask Tranio (who is pretending to be Lucentio) to do for
Petruchio?
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Act 2 Scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1* At the beginning of Act Two Scene 1, Kate has tied Bianca's hands and has turned
her into a slave. What question does Kate want Bianca to answer?
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2*. Petruchio asks Baptista assuming he wins Kate's love, what dowry does she bring
into the marriage. What is Petruchio's response?
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3.* What is Petruchio's response about Kate when Hortensio returns from trying to tutor
Kate as she has broke the lute bashing it over his head?
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4*. Petruchio compares Kate to angry fire. How does he plan to "tame" her flames?
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5. What type of figurative language does the following lines demonstrate: "She sings as
sweetly as a nightingale/ Say that she frown, I'll say she looks as clear/ As morning
roses newly washed with dew" (II.1.172-174).
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6. When Petruchio tells Kate that he wishes to marry her, what does Kate call
Petruchio?
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7. The conversation between Kate and Petruchio is extremely witty and filled with puns.
As their verbal witty wars rage on, what does Kate do that causes Petruchio to warn her
that if she does that again he will cuff her?
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8*. Petruchio tells Baptista that both he and Kate have agreed that they should marry
the following Sunday. What is Kate response to what will happen on Sunday instead?
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9*. What lies does Petruchio tell Baptista, Tranio, and Gremio about his private meeting
with Kate?
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10*. Now that Kate is going to be wed, Tranio and Baptista broach the subject of
Bianca for themselves. Tranio tells Baptista that he loves Bianca more and is not an old
graybeard like Gremio; on the other hand, Germio tells Baptista that he was the first
suitor for Bianca and is not flighty in youth but aged to perfection. Hearing their
arguments, what decision does Baptista come up with that will decide who gets to marry
Bianca?
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11. Who has the larger dower, and therefore, wins Bianca's hand?
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12*. Baptista is willing to give the man with the larger dower the hand of Bianca, but he
also is requiring what else?
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13. What type of figurative language is being demonstrated in the following line, and
what is its meaning: "An old Italian fox is not so kind, my boy" (II.1.404).
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14*. What becomes the problem for Tranio at the end of Act 2 Scene 1 that Tranio will
have to produce for the fake Lucentio?
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Act III Scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. How does Lucentio, who is pretending to be Cambio, and Bianca get Hortensio,
who is pretending to be Litio, to leave them alone?
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2. When it is finally Litio's (Hortensio's) turn to "teach" Bianca, Litio desires to be alone
with her, but Cambio (Lucentio) refuses to leave them as he sees that Litio is acting way
too romantic towards her. What does Litio (Hortensio) give Bianca which is romantic
and meant to teach her?
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3*. Hortensio grows suspicious of Cambio (Lucentio) as he sees Cambio looks at
Bianca with love. Hortensio declares what will happen if Bianca feels love for Litio?
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Act Three Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. Who is missing on the day of Kate's wedding?
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2*. Petruchio is arriving for his wedding to Kate, but how is he dressed?
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3*. Metaphorically speaking, why does Petruchio wear his odd and worn-looking attire
to his wedding?
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P
4*. What happens during Kate's and Petruchio's wedding?
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5*. After the vicar/priest unites Kate and Petruchio in holy wedlock, what is the next
thing that Petruchio does to the vicar/the priest after the wedding?
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6*. Petruchio does not desire stay for dinner and wants to leave. How does Kate
respond to this?
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7*. After hearing Kate's response, Petruchio states that the wedding party shall go into
the bridal dinner, and they are Kate's to command. However, how does he feel about
Kate staying for the dinner?
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Act Four Scene 1 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. As Petruchio and Kate are riding home from the wedding, Kate's horse falls with her
under it in a swampy place, and she is covered in mud. How does Petruchio react to
this situation, and how does Kate react?
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2. Read the following line and identify what type of figurative language is being
demonstrated here: "Come, Kate, sit down; I know you have a stomach"(IV.1.145).
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3*. How is Petruchio "taming" the shrew, Kate?
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4*. Read the following lines and identify what type of figurative language is being
demonstrated here and identify who is the "falcon": "My falcon now is sharp and passing
empty/ And till she stoop she must not be full-gorged/ For then she never looks upon
her lure/ Another way I have to man my haggard"(IV.1.180-1182)
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5*. What is the reason that Petruchio tells Kate not to eat the mutton(lamb) (although
honestly this is not the TRUE reason) when they arrive from their long journey?
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6*. Besides not feeding Kate, how else does Petruchio plan to "cure" Kate of her wild
and willful nature?
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Act Four Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1. Why is Hortensio so upset over Bianca's choice in husband?
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2*. Tranio makes what deal with Hortensio and why?
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3*. Who does Hortensio plan to marry now that he has given up Bianca and why?
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4*. Who runs the taming school?
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5*. Why is the Merchant of Mantua willing and wanting to pretend that he is Vincentio of
Pisa for Tranio?
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Act Four Scene 3 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. What is the only kind of meat that Petruchio feeds Kate initially?
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2*. When Hortensio comes with food, what does Petruchio order Hortensio do with the
food before Kate can eat any?
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3*. When the haberdasher shows Kate her new cap, she is delighted, but what does
Petruchio say about the cap?
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4*. Read the following lines and explain what type of figurative language is being
demonstrated: "Thou list, thou thread, thou thimble/ Thou yard, three-quarters, halfyard, quarter, nail/ Thou flea, thou nit, thou winter cricket thou/ Braved in mine own
house with a skein of thread/ Away, thou rag, thou quantity, thou remnant/ Or I shall so
bemete thee with thy yard"(IV.3.107-112).
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5. The tailor again is berated for Kate's loose-bodied gown, and Grumio tells Petruchio
and the tailor that he never ordered a "loose-bodied" gown for Kate. How is the words
"loose-bodied" gown being applied here?
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6*. Kate is told to get ready to leave for her father's even though it is two o'clock in the
morning, but Petruchio tells her it is seven o'clock in the morning. Kate disagrees with
him about the time, so what does Petruchio do and say?
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Act Four Scene 4 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. What is the Pedant (the merchant) going to do for Tranio?
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2*. What is Lucentio suppose to do while the deceiving father of a deceitful son talks
with Baptista over marriage arrangements and a counterfeit assurance for Bianca and
the other "Lucentio"?
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Act Four Scene Five of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. Why does Petruchio say it is the moon that shines when it is clearly the sun that is
shining?
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2*. Identify what kind of figurative language is being demonstrated here and what it
means: "Petruchio, go thy ways, the field is won"(IV.5.23).
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3*. Why is Petruchio addressing Vincentio as a woman?
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4*. Who does Kate and Petruchio meet on the road and where is this person going and
why?
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5*. What news does Petruchio tell Vincentio?
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6*. Read the following lines and identify what type of figurative language is being
demonstrated and explain: "Let me embrace with old Vincentio/ And wander we to see
thy honest son"(IV.5.67-68).
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7*. What has Hortensio learned from Petruchio that he is going to apply to the widow?
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Act Five Scene One of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. Who recognizes the real Vincentio in Paudua?
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2*. When Vincentio asks Biondello if he has forgotten him, what is Biondello's reply?
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3*. When Lucentio (who is really Tranio) and Pedant(pretending to be Vincentio)tell
Baptista that Vincentio is a mad lunatic and that he is after his only son and lands, what
does Vincentio believes has happened to his real son?
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4*. Tranio tries to call an officer forth to put Vincentio in jail, but who tells the officer that
Vincentio shall not go to prison and that this is the right Vincentio?
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5*. Who tells Baptista the truth and why he needs to pardon both Lucentio and Bianca?
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6*. What does Petruchio ask Kate to do that she does not want to do, and again, he
threatens to go home if she does not submit to his whims?
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Act 5 Scene 2 of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
1*. What is Petruchio's opinion of the widow's and Hortensio's marriage?
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2*. How does the widow insult Kate?
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3*. Read the following lines and explain what type of figurative language is being used
in "and catches for his master." Explain what is the catch: "O sir, Lucentio slipped me,
like his greyhound/ Which runs himself and catches for his master"(V.2.52-53).
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4*. How are Lucentio, Hortensio, and Petruchio going to put their wives to a test?
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5*. When Biondello comes back to tell Lucentio that Bianca cannot come, what is her
reason?
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6*. When Biondello comes back to tell Hortensio that the Widow cannot come, what is
her reason?
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7*. When Kate comes after being requested by her husband, what does Petruchio ask
her to do?
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8*. Because Bianca did not come when requested by her husband, and he lost the
wager, how much did it cost him?
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9*. Read the following lines of Kate's monologue and identify what type of figurative
language is being demonstrated here (there maybe more than one type) and explain the
lines:" A woman moved is like a fountain troubled/ Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of
beauty/ And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty/Will deign to sip or touch one drop of
it" (V.2.148-151).
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10*. Read the following lines of Kate's monologue and identify what type of figurative
language is being demonstrated here and explain the lines: "Such duty as the subject
owes the prince/ Even such a woman oweth to her husband/ And when she is froward,
peevish, sullen, sour/ And not obedient to his honest will/ What is she but a foul
contending rebel/And graceless traitor to her loving lord/ I am ashamed that women are
so simple/To offer war where they should kneel for peace" (V.2.161-168).
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11*. In Kate's monologue she states that women bodies are "soft and weak and
smooth" and unable to take on the "toil and trouble in the world." Kate believes what
else should match a woman's "external parts"?
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The Taming of the Shrew
Socratic Seminar
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Socratic Seminar is a strategy used to allow students to
express their thoughts after the teacher presents a debatable
question to them. The role of the teacher is to present the
question and then allow the students to discuss it, orally, in class.
The ideal setting is to have students sit in a circle. The teacher
allows the students to respond without raising their hands, as
long as they do not interrupt one another. The idea is to allow
students to debate a question using SUPPORT from a given text.
To ensure that all students participate, the teacher may ask the
students to make a tally mark every time they include their ideas
in the conversation. This also ensures that everyone will get a
chance to participate. The following are thought-provoking
questions that can be used in a Socratic Seminar session after
reading The Taming of the Shrew. Either one or all question may be presented.
1. What would women rights activists of the 21st century say about this play?
2. Was Katherine deserving of a man like Petruchio who felt she should be “tamed”?
3. Was Bianca an instigator to Katherineʼs behavior? How might she have caused
Katherine to constantly act as a shrew?
The Taming of the Shrew
Williamʼs Taxonomy
Fluency
List all of the things that Pertuchio did to “tame” Kate:
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Elaboration:
What type of person would befriend a character like Petruchio?
Kate? Draw a picture of each “friend” and describe their
personality.
Petrucioʼs Friend"
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Description
Description
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You are Katherine, and you constantly see your sister, Bianca, being wooed.
Write down your feelings in a letter to Dear Abby.
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Dear Abby,
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Sincerely,
If you were to interview Baptista about his two daughters, what questions would you ask
him? How would he respond?
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