The Taming of the Shrew

Petruchio agrees to court Katherina for her wealth despite Hortensio’s warnings about her temper. Hortensio arranges for Petruchio to present him to Baptista as a music tutor, while Gremio brings the disguised Lucentio as another teacher. Posing as Lucentio, Tranio declares his intention to court Bianca and joins the other suitors in supporting Petruchio’s pursuit of Katherina.

Katherina ties Bianca’s hands and strikes her while demanding to know which suitor she favours, until Baptista intervenes. After settling financial terms with Baptista and sparring verbally with Katherina, Petruchio falsely claims her agreement to marry him on Sunday. Tranio promises greater wealth than Gremio, winning Baptista’s conditional consent provided Lucentio’s father guarantees the settlement.

During a Latin lesson, Lucentio reveals his identity and love through a pretended translation, and Bianca gives him a cautious response. Bianca dismisses Hortensio’s musical declaration of love, leaving him suspicious that she prefers his fellow tutor.

After his lateness humiliates Katherina, Petruchio arrives absurdly dressed and refuses to change before the wedding. Gremio reports that Petruchio swears, strikes the priest and behaves outrageously during the marriage ceremony. Despite Katherina’s wish to stay for the feast, Petruchio claims authority over her and takes her away immediately.

Grumio reports that Katherina fell beneath her horse during the journey and that Petruchio beat him rather than help her. Petruchio abuses the servants and throws away the meal, claiming that the meat is burnt and unsuitable for Katherina. Petruchio explains that he will deny Katherina food and sleep under the pretence of caring for her.

After watching Bianca favour Lucentio in his tutor’s disguise, Hortensio renounces her and resolves to marry a wealthy widow. Tranio frightens a visiting pedant with a false warning against Mantuans in Padua and persuades him to impersonate Vincentio.

After Grumio torments the hungry Katherina with offers of food, Petruchio brings meat but insists that she thank him before eating. Petruchio rejects the cap and gown prepared for Katherina despite her protests that she likes them. When Katherina disputes his assertion about the time, Petruchio refuses to leave for Baptista’s until she accepts his version of the hour.

The pedant, posing as Vincentio, guarantees the marriage settlement, and Baptista agrees to Bianca’s marriage to the supposed Lucentio. Biondello explains the opportunity created by the household’s arrangements and urges Lucentio to marry Bianca secretly at Saint Luke’s.

To continue their journey, Katherina agrees to call the sun the moon and then changes her answer when Petruchio contradicts her. At Petruchio’s prompting, Katherina addresses the elderly Vincentio as a young woman before correcting herself when Petruchio reverses his claim. Learning that the traveller is Lucentio’s father, Petruchio tells him of the intended marriage to Bianca and joins him on the road to Padua.

At Lucentio’s lodging, Vincentio encounters the pedant claiming his identity, while Biondello and Tranio deny knowing their real master. Lucentio and Bianca return married, and Lucentio reveals the disguises and asks the fathers to pardon their deception. After initially resisting a kiss in the street, Katherina kisses Petruchio so that they can join the others.

At Lucentio’s banquet, Petruchio, Lucentio and Hortensio wager on whose wife will come most readily when summoned. After Bianca and the widow refuse to come, Katherina appears promptly and fetches the other wives at Petruchio’s command. Katherina delivers a speech advocating wives’ obedience to their husbands and offers to place her hand beneath Petruchio’s foot.