1594
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
by William Shakespeare
Dramatis Personae
Persons in the Induction
A LORD
CHRISTOPHER SLY, a tinker
HOSTESS
PAGE
PLAYERS
HUNTSMEN
SERVANTS
BAPTISTA MINOLA, a gentleman of Padua
VINCENTIO, a Merchant of Pisa
LUCENTIO, son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca
PETRUCHIO, a gentleman of Verona, a
suitor to Katherina
Suitors to Bianca
GREMIO
HORTENSIO
Servants to Lucentio
TRANIO
BIONDELLO
Servants to Petruchio
GRUMIO
CURTIS
A PEDANT
Daughters to Baptista
KATHERINA, the shrew
BIANCA
A WIDOW
Tailor, Haberdasher, and Servants attending on Baptista and
Petruchio
SCENE:
Padua, and PETRUCHIO'S house in the country
INDUCTION. SCENE I.
Before an alehouse on a heath
Enter HOSTESS and SLY
SLY. I'll pheeze you, in faith.
HOSTESS. A pair of stocks, you rogue!
SLY. Y'are a
baggage; the Slys are no rogues. Look in the
chronicles: we came in with Richard Conqueror. Therefore, paucas
pallabris; let the world slide. Sessa!
HOSTESS. You will not pay for the glasses you have burst?
SLY. No, not a denier. Go by, Saint Jeronimy, go to thy cold bed
and warm thee.
HOSTESS. I know my
remedy; I must go fetch the third-
borough.
Exit
SLY. Third, or fourth, or fifth
borough, I'll answer him by law.
I'll not budge an inch, boy; let him come, and kindly.
[Falls asleep]
Wind horns. Enter a LORD from
bunting, with his train
LORD. Huntsman, I
charge thee, tender well my hounds;
Brach Merriman, the poor cur, is emboss'd;
And couple Clowder with the deep-mouth'd brach.
Saw'st thou not, boy, how Silver made it good
At the hedge corner, in the coldest fault?
I would not lose the dog for twenty pound.
FIRST HUNTSMAN. Why, Belman is as good as he, my lord;
He cried upon it at the merest loss,
And twice to-day pick'd out the dullest scent;
Trust me, I take him for the better dog.
LORD. Thou art a fool; if Echo were as fleet,
I would
esteem him worth a dozen such.
But sup them well, and look unto them all;
To-morrow I intend to hunt again.
FIRST HUNTSMAN. I will, my lord.
LORD. What's here? One dead, or drunk?
See, doth he breathe?
SECOND HUNTSMAN. He breathes, my lord. Were he not warm'd with ale,
This were a bed but cold to sleep so soundly.
LORD. O
monstrous beast, how like a swine he lies!
Grim death, how foul and
loathsome is thine image!
Sirs, I will
practise on this
drunken man.
What think you, if he were convey'd to bed,
Wrapp'd in sweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers,
A most
deliciousbanquet by his bed,
And brave attendants near him when he wakes,
Would not the
beggar then forget himself?
FIRST HUNTSMAN. Believe me, lord, I think he cannot choose.
SECOND HUNTSMAN. It would seem strange unto him when he wak'd.
LORD. Even as a flatt'ring dream or
worthless fancy.
Then take him up, and manage well the jest:
Carry him
gently to my fairest chamber,
And hang it round with all my
wanton pictures;
Balm his foul head in warm distilled waters,
And burn sweet wood to make the
lodging sweet;
Procure me music ready when he wakes,
To make a dulcet and a
heavenly sound;
And if he chance to speak, be ready straight,
And with a low submissive reverence
Say 'What is it your honour will command?'
Let one attend him with a silver basin
Full of rose-water and bestrew'd with flowers;
Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper,
And say 'Will't please your
lordship cool your hands?'
Some one be ready with a
costly suit,
And ask him what
apparel he will wear;
Another tell him of his hounds and horse,
And that his lady mourns at his disease;
Persuade him that he hath been lunatic,
And, when he says he is, say that he dreams,
For he is nothing but a
mighty lord.
This do, and do it kindly, gentle sirs;
It will be pastime passing excellent,
If it be husbanded with modesty.
FIRST HUNTSMAN. My lord, I
warrant you we will play our part
As he shall think by our true diligence
He is no less than what we say he is.
LORD. Take him up
gently, and to bed with him;
And each one to his office when he wakes.
[SLY is carried out. A
trumpet sounds]
Sirrah, go see what
trumpet 'tis that sounds-
Exit SERVANT
Belike some noble gentleman that means,
Travelling some journey, to
repose him here.
Re-enter a SERVINGMAN
How now! who is it?
SERVANT. An't please your honour, players
That offer service to your
lordship.
LORD. Bid them come near.
Enter PLAYERS
Now, fellows, you are
welcome.
PLAYERS. We thank your honour.
LORD. Do you intend to stay with me to-night?
PLAYER. So please your
lordship to accept our duty.
LORD. With all my heart. This fellow I remember
Since once he play'd a farmer's
eldest son;
'Twas where you woo'd the
gentlewoman so well.
I have forgot your name; but, sure, that part
Was aptly fitted and naturally perform'd.
PLAYER. I think 'twas Soto that your honour means.
LORD. 'Tis very true; thou didst it excellent.
Well, you are come to me in happy time,
The rather for I have some sport in hand
Wherein your
cunning can
assist me much.
There is a lord will hear you play to-night;
But I am
doubtful of your modesties,
Lest, over-eying of his odd behaviour,
For yet his honour never heard a play,
You break into some merry passion
And so
offend him; for I tell you, sirs,
If you should smile, he grows impatient.
PLAYER. Fear not, my lord; we can
contain ourselves,
Were he the veriest antic in the world.
LORD. Go, sirrah, take them to the buttery,
And give them friendly
welcome every one;
Let them want nothing that my house affords.
Exit one with the PLAYERS
Sirrah, go you to Bartholomew my page,
And see him dress'd in all suits like a lady;
That done, conduct him to the
drunkard's chamber,
And call him 'madam,' do him obeisance.
Tell him from me- as he will win my love-
He bear himself with
honourable action,
Such as he hath observ'd in noble ladies
Unto their lords, by them accomplished;
Such duty to the
drunkard let him do,
With soft low tongue and lowly courtesy,
And say 'What is't your honour will command,
Wherein your lady and your
humble wife
May show her duty and make known her love?'
And then with kind embracements,
tempting kisses,
And with declining head into his bosom,
Bid him shed tears, as being overjoyed
To see her noble lord restor'd to health,
Who for this seven years hath
esteemed him
No better than a poor and
loathsomebeggar.
And if the boy have not a woman's gift
To rain a
shower of commanded tears,
An onion will do well for such a shift,
Which, in a
napkin being close convey'd,
Shall in
despiteenforce a
watery eye.
See this dispatch'd with all the haste thou canst;
Anon I'll give thee more instructions. Exit a SERVINGMAN
I know the boy will well usurp the grace,
Voice, gait, and action, of a
gentlewoman;
I long to hear him call the
drunkard 'husband';
And how my men will stay themselves from laughter
When they do
homage to this simple peasant.
I'll in to
counsel them; haply my presence
May well abate the over-merry spleen,
Which
otherwise would grow into extremes. Exeunt
SCENE II.
A bedchamber in the LORD'S house
Enter aloft SLY, with ATTENDANTS; some with
apparel, basin
and ewer, and other appurtenances; and LORD
SLY. For God's sake, a pot of small ale.
FIRST SERVANT. Will't please your
lordship drink a cup of sack?
SECOND SERVANT. Will't please your honour taste of these conserves?
THIRD SERVANT. What
raiment will your honour wear to-day?
SLY. I am Christophero Sly; call not me 'honour' nor '
lordship.' I
ne'er drank sack in my life; and if you give me any conserves,
give me conserves of beef. Ne'er ask me what
raiment I'll wear,
for I have no more doublets than backs, no more stockings than
legs, nor no more shoes than feet- nay,
sometime more feet than
shoes, or such shoes as my toes look through the overleather.
LORD. Heaven cease this idle
humour in your honour!
O, that a
mighty man of such descent,
Of such possessions, and so high
esteem,
Should be infused with so foul a spirit!
SLY. What, would you make me mad? Am not I Christopher Sly, old