The Taming of the Shrew

Tranio!

Tranio!

Master!

Master Lucentio.

Now, in fulfilment of my great desire

To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,

I am arriv'd in fruitful Lombardy,

The pleasant garden of great Italy.

And by my father's love and leave am arm'd

With his good will and thy good company.

So shall I please my father, Lord Vincentio,

Who sent me hither from our home in Pisa,

On this, the first day of the scholar's year,

To study at the university,

And deck his fortune with my virtuous deeds.

Here let us breathe and haply institute

A course of learning and ingenious studies.

And therefore, Tranio, for the time I'll study

Virtue, and that part of philosophy

Will I apply which treats of happiness

By virtue specially to be achiev'd.

Tell me, Tranio,

Tell me thy mind, for I have Pisa left

And am to Padua come

As he that leaves

A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep,

And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.

Why then, Lucentio, gentle master mine.

I am in all affected as yourself,

Glad that you thus continue your resolve

To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.

Tranio!

But... let us not be so confined by learning

That love becomes an outcast...

quite abjur'd.

No profit grows

where is no pleasure taken. Huh?

Master?

Master?

Lucentio!

Come scholar come scholar

Tell me true

What can I teach you to do do do?

Teach me no scholarship nor no trade

Teach me to tumble thee

My little pretty maid

Lucentio? Lucentio!

Lucentio!

Lucentio!

Lucentio.

Master.

Unveil! Unveil!

Away!

Unveil! Unveil!

Who would his love bestow

On looks he may never know?

Lady unveil unveil unveil

Beauty's a thing to show

To show

O let me tell gentle maiden

Let me tell

If it be true

That thy beauty casts a spell

If true it be

Take pity and give me leave

To do for thee

All that Adam did for Eve

I'll do it well gentle maid

I'll do it well

Bianca!

Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio,

lf I achieve not that young modest girl.

Wha...

Is it possible

That love should of a sudden take such hold?

Bianca!

Haste to the house. Your sister is mad.

Out of my way, fool!

Bianca! Bianca!

- Bianca... Bianca! Bian...

- Signor Baptista...

Gentlemen, importune me no further,

For how I firmly am resolv'd you know,

Not to bestow my younger daughter Bianca

Before I have a husband for the elder.

What?

Before I have a husband for the elder!

If either of you two love Katharina,

Leave shall you have

to court her at your pleasure.

O, hideous pleasure. She's too rough for me.

I pray you, Father, is it your will

To make a whore of me among these mates?

Mates, maid, how mean you that?

No mates for you

Unless you were of milder, gentler mould.

I' faith, sir, you shall have no need to fear.

Such mating is not half way to my heart.

But if it were, doubt not my care should be

To paint your face, and use you like a fool.

And comb your noddle

with a three-legg'd stool.

That wench is stark mad...

or wonderful forward.

But in the other's silence I do see

Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety.

Let it not displease thee, good Bianca,

For I will love thee none the less... my girl.

You are my most obedient and loving daughter.

Pretty pet!

O, sister, content you in my discontent.

Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe.

My books and instruments

shall be my company,

On them to look and practise by myself.

O, Tranio, thou may'st hear a goddess speak.

Go in, Bianca.

O, no! Why, will you lock her up,

Signor Baptista, for this fiend of hell,

And make her bear the penance of her tongue?

- Gentlemen, content ye. I am resolv'd.

- But...

And for I know she taketh most delight

ln music, instruments, and poetry,

Schoolmasters will I keep within my house

Fit to instruct her youth.

If you, Hortensio, or Signor Gremio, you,

Know any such, conduct them hither;

for to schoolmasters I will be very kind.

And so farewell.

- Fiend of hell!

- Schoolmasters...

If you love the maid,

Bend thoughts and wits to achieve her.

Thus it stands:

Her elder sister is so curst and shrewd

That till the father rids his hands of her,

Master, your love must lie a maid at home.

Ah, Tranio, what a cruel father's he!

But... art thou not advis'd he took some care

To get her cunning schoolmasters

to instruct her?

I have it, Tranio.

By my hand, Master,

Both our inventions meet and jump in one.

Shh!

You will be the schoolmaster,

And undertake the teaching of the maid.

We have not yet been seen in any house,

Nor can we be distinguish'd by our faces

For man or master.

Then it follows thus:

Rhou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead,

And be in Padua here Vincentio's son.

I am content to be Lucentio,

Because so well I love Lucentio.

Keep house, and port, and servants,

as I should;

And introduce me as a schoolmaster,

Fit to instruct Baptista's youngest daughter.

'Tis hatch'd, and shall be so.

Shh.

You...!

Signor Gremio!

A truce to our enmity,

For the time it profits us better to be friends.

This matter toucheth us both.

We may yet again

have access to our fair mistress

And be happy rivals for Bianca's love,

If we labour to effect one thing especially.

- What's that, I pray?

- Marry, sir, to get a husband for her sister.

A husband? A devil.

- I say a husband.

- I say a devil.

Now thinkest thou, Hortensio,

though her father be very rich,

any man is such a fool as to be married to hell?

No!

Rush, Gremio. Though it pass your patience

and mine to endure her loud alarums,

why, man, there be good fellows in the world,

if one could but light on them,

would take her with all her faults,

for the sake of her father's fortune.

I would not do it for a mine of gold.

Help Katharina to a hus...band

and we help Bianca to become a wife.

Thine or mine?

He that runs fastest gets the ring.

How say you, Signor Gremio?

- I am agreed. There must be such a man.

- Yes.

I would give the best horse in Padua

to whoever would thoroughly woo her,

wed her, bed her, and rid the house of her.

There must be such a man.

There must be such a man.

- There must be such a man.

- Out of my path!

- O, Grumio!

- Huh?

Here, sirrah Grumio, knock, I say.

Knock, sir? Whom should I knock?

Aha!

Is there any man has rebused your worship?

Villain, I say, knock me here soundly.

Knock you where, sir?

Knock me at my friend Hortensio's gate,

And rap me well, or I'll knock your knave's pate.

Ah! My master is grown quarrelsome.

I should knock you first,

And then I know after who comes by the worst.

Sirrah, will you not knock? Or I'll ring it.

- Masters! Help, masters! My master is mad.

- Ring when I tell you.

Masters!

Hortensio. Ah!

Well met, my dearest friend, Hortensio.

Petruchio!

What's the matter?

Rise, Grumio, rise.

If this be not a lawful cause

for me to leave his service, look you, sir.

He bid me knock...

Senseless villain. Signor Hortensio,

I bade this rascal knock upon my gate,

- And could not for my heart get him to do it.

- Knock at the gate? O heavens!

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes