The Taming of the Shrew, Act 3, Scene 1

William Shakespeare

The story so far

Earlier in the play

Baptista refuses to marry Bianca before Katherina. Lucentio falls in love with Bianca and exchanges identities with his servant Tranio to approach her as a tutor. Hortensio also plans to court her disguised as a teacher. Petruchio agrees to woo Katherina, seeking a wealthy wife.

In the last scene: Act 2, Scene 1

Baptista accepts Lucentio as Cambio and Hortensio as Licio, his daughters’ tutors. Katherina strikes Hortensio with a lute. Petruchio announces a Sunday wedding despite her objections; Baptista approves. Tranio, posing as Lucentio, outbids Gremio for Bianca. Baptista requires his father’s guarantee before allowing the marriage; Tranio plans to find a substitute father.

SCENE I. Padua. A room in Baptista’s house.

Enter Lucentio, Hortensio and Bianca.

LUCENTIO

Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward, sir.Have you so soon forgot the entertainmentHer sister Katherine welcome’d you withal?

HORTENSIO

But, wrangling pedant, this isThe patroness of heavenly harmony:Then give me leave to have prerogative;And when in music we have spent an hour,Your lecture shall have leisure for as much.

LUCENTIO

Preposterous ass, that never read so farTo know the cause why music was ordain’d!Was it not to refresh the mind of manAfter his studies or his usual pain?Then give me leave to read philosophy,And while I pause serve in your harmony.

HORTENSIO

Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine.

BIANCA

Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong,To strive for that which resteth in my choice.I am no breeching scholar in the schools,I’ll not be tied to hours nor ’pointed times,But learn my lessons as I please myself.And, to cut off all strife, here sit we down;Take you your instrument, play you the whiles;His lecture will be done ere you have tun’d.

HORTENSIO

You’ll leave his lecture when I am in tune?

Retires.

LUCENTIO

That will be never: tune your instrument.

BIANCA

Where left we last?

LUCENTIO

Here, madam:—Hic ibat Simois; hic est Sigeia tellus;Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis.

BIANCA

Construe them.

LUCENTIO

Hic ibat, as I told you before, Simois, I am Lucentio, hic est, son unto Vincentio of Pisa, Sigeia tellus, disguised thus to get your love, Hic steterat, and that Lucentio that comes a-wooing, Priami, is my man Tranio, regia, bearing my port, celsa senis, that we might beguile the old pantaloon.

LUCENTIO

HORTENSIO.Madam, my instrument’s in tune.

BIANCA

Let’s hear.—

Hortensio plays.

BIANCA

O fie! the treble jars.

LUCENTIO

Spit in the hole, man, and tune again.

BIANCA

Now let me see if I can construe it: Hic ibat Simois, I know you not; hic est Sigeia tellus, I trust you not; Hic steterat Priami, take heed he hear us not; regia, presume not; celsa senis, despair not.

HORTENSIO

Madam, ’tis now in tune.

LUCENTIO

All but the base.

HORTENSIO

The base is right; ’tis the base knave that jars.How fiery and forward our pedant is!Now, for my life, the knave doth court my love:Pedascule, I’ll watch you better yet.

BIANCA

In time I may believe, yet I mistrust.

LUCENTIO

Mistrust it not; for sure, ÆacidesWas Ajax, call’d so from his grandfather.

BIANCA

I must believe my master; else, I promise you,I should be arguing still upon that doubt;But let it rest. Now, Licio, to you.Good master, take it not unkindly, pray,That I have been thus pleasant with you both.

HORTENSIO

You may go walk and give me leave a while;My lessons make no music in three parts.

LUCENTIO

Are you so formal, sir? Well, I must wait,And watch withal; for, but I be deceiv’d,Our fine musician groweth amorous.

HORTENSIO

Madam, before you touch the instrument,To learn the order of my fingering,I must begin with rudiments of art;To teach you gamut in a briefer sort,More pleasant, pithy, and effectual,Than hath been taught by any of my trade:And there it is in writing, fairly drawn.

BIANCA

Why, I am past my gamut long ago.

HORTENSIO

Yet read the gamut of Hortensio.

BIANCA

Gamut I am, the ground of all accord,A re, to plead Hortensio’s passion;B mi, Bianca, take him for thy lord,C fa ut, that loves with all affection:D sol re, one clef, two notes have IE la mi, show pity or I die.Call you this gamut? Tut, I like it not:Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice,To change true rules for odd inventions.

Enter a Servant.

SERVANT

Mistress, your father prays you leave your books,And help to dress your sister’s chamber up:You know tomorrow is the wedding-day.

BIANCA

Farewell, sweet masters, both: I must be gone.

Exeunt Bianca and Servant.

LUCENTIO

Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay.

Exit.

HORTENSIO

But I have cause to pry into this pedant:Methinks he looks as though he were in love.Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humbleTo cast thy wand’ring eyes on every stale,Seize thee that list: if once I find thee ranging,Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing.

Exit.

Characters

Speaking

11 speeches
11 speeches
9 speeches
Servant1 speech

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Themes

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Questions on this scene

Reading
Whom does Bianca allow to teach her first?
Reading
Reading