About the Play: Taming of the Shrew
by William Shakespeare
Setting: the play takes place in Padua, then moves to Verona, and then back to Padua
Characters:
Baptista- father of Bianca and Katherine
Katherine- the shrew daughter
Bianca- the fair daughter
Petruchio- woos, marries, and tames Katherine
Lucentio- woos and marries Bianca, also pretends to be Cambio and Tranio
Hortensio- woos Bianca, pretends to be Litio
Litio- the music teacher
Tranio- servant of Lucentio
Cambio- - the Latin tutor
Grumio- Petruchio’s main servant
Summary
In the play, Baptista wishes to marry off his two daughters. However, one of the daughters, Katherine, is a shrew, and no one wishes to marry her. Baptista devises a plan to encourage people to woo the shrew. The rich Baptista offers a large dowry, and half of his fortune to the one who marries Katherine. Plus, no one can marry Bianca until Katherine is wed. In the meantime, Baptista figures he will have more luck if he makes Bianca stay in the house, that way Katherine won’t have to compete with her sister. To make the idea acceptable to Bianca, Baptista offers to hire her some tutors.
Now all of Bianca’s suitors are trying to find someone to take Baptista up on his offer so they can woo the fair Bianca. When Petruchio comes to Padua to see his friend, Hortensio, he is told about Baptista’s offer. Petruchio, who came to town to marry a rich wife, quickly decides to woo Katherine. Petruchio doesn’t mind if she is a shrew so long as she is rich. Meanwhile, anyone who is trying to marry Bianca is disguised as her tutor so they can woo her.
Petruchio marries Katherine, and takes her to his home in Verona. Petruchio tries to tame Katherine through starvation, sleep deprivation, and lots of compliments. In the end, Katherine is tamed.
Lucentio marries Bianca. Petruchio and Katerine are present for the celebration banquet. While at banquet the men wager on who has the most obedient wife. The men take turns summoning their wives, and all but one refuses. Katherine comes right away went her husband calls. Petruchio asks Katherine to gather all of the other wives and she does. Convinced of Katherine’s obedience, then men agree that Petruchio wins the wager.
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