Characters
The titular Shrew of the play.
Katherine / Kate
"And I have thrust myself into this maze, / Happily to wive and thrive, as best I may" (1.2.56-57).
Petruchio
Where is the play set?
BONUS 100: where does Lucentio come from? Petruchio?
Play: Padua
Lucentio: Pisa
Petruchio: Verona
Who is disguised as Lucentio for most of the play?
Tranio
The father of Bianca and Katherine
Baptista Minola
"Youngling, thou canst not love so dear as I / ...'Tis age that nourisheth" (2.1.356; 359).
Gremio
Why can't anyone marry Bianca at the beginning of the play?
Because her father Baptista Minola wants his eldest daughter Katherine to be married first.
Why do Lucentio and Hortensio disguise themselves as tutors?
To get closer to Bianca and try to win her over.
Both of Lucentio's servants
Tranio and Biondello
"No shame but mine. I must, forsooth, be forced / To give my hand, opposed against my heart, / Unto a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen, / Who wooed in haste and means to wed at leisure" (3.2.8-11).
Katherine
Identify three ill-mannered actions Petruchio takes on his wedding day.
1. He's late.
2. He's dressed inappropriately.
3. He curses in church.
4. He splashes the priest with dregs of wine.
5. He lays down some extra PDA.
6. He skips out on the reception and steals Kate away against her will.
What names do Lucentio and Hortensio take as "tutors"?
Cambio and Litio
Ironically, the two characters at the end of the play who remain 'untamed', exposing the ridiculousness of it all.
Bianca and the Widow
"Faith, gentlemen, now I play a merchant's part / And venture madly on a desperate mart."
Baptista Minola
Order the following events chronologically:
A. Hortensio gives up on Bianca and decides to marry a wealthy widow instead.
B. Kate smashes a guitar on Hortensio's head.
C. Tranio [as Lucentio] and Gremio bid for Bianca's hand.
D. Tranio and Lucentio tell Biondello that they're disguised because Lucentio had to kill a man in self-defense.
D. Tranio and Lucentio tell Biondello that they're disguised because Lucentio had to kill a man in self-defense.
B. Kate smashes a guitar on Hortensio's head.
C. Tranio [as Lucentio] and Gremio bid for Bianca's hand.
A. Hortensio gives up on Bianca and decides to marry a wealthy widow instead.
How does Petruchio "disguise" himself to Baptista Minola at the beginning of the play?
He acts charming and well-mannered; above all, he flatters Kate in ways they both know not to be true.
Katherine's nickname at the beginning of the play, according to Hortensio and then reiterated by Petruchio.
Kate the Curst
"Your husband being troubled with a shrew / Measures my husband's sorrow by his woe. / And now you know my meaning."
Hortensio's Widow
Order the following events chronologically:
A. Hortensio warns Petruchio about Kate but Petruchio insists he only cares about her wealth.
B. Kate agrees to Petruchio's lies and contradictions.
C. Petruchio wins the 'bet' since Kate 'obeyed' first.
D. Petruchio takes Kate to his country house and begins to 'tame' her.
A. Hortensio warns Petruchio about Kate but Petruchio insists he only cares about her wealth.
D. Petruchio takes Kate to his country house and begins to 'tame' her.
B. Kate agrees to Petruchio's lies and contradictions.
C. Petruchio wins the 'bet' since Kate 'obeyed' first.
Who does the merchant from Mantua impersonate, and why does he agree to do so? (4.2.86)
Lucentio's father Vincentio; Tranio and Biondello trick him into thinking his life is in danger "For private quarrel 'twixt your duke [of Mantua] and [the Duke of Padua]" (4.2.89).
Does Katherine believe her speech at the play's end? Explain your reasoning.