The Taming of the Shrew study guide
by William Shakespeare · 1623 · 14 scenes · the whole book: 1 h 37 min to read
Exam set text for Pearson Edexcel A level English Literature
The Taming of the Shrew follows Petruchio's courtship and control of Katherina alongside Lucentio's disguised pursuit of Bianca, which ends in marriage as false identities unravel. Its themes of marriage, money, deception, and obedience come together when Katherina, whom Petruchio deprives of food and sleep, answers his summons and defends a wife's duty during a wager.
The story in brief
After an alehouse quarrel, a lord makes the sleeping Sly the subject of a prank: servants persuade him he is noble, and a page plays his wife. In Padua, Baptista refuses to let Bianca marry before her older sister Katherina. Lucentio plans to approach Bianca as a teacher while Tranio assumes his identity. Petruchio seeks a rich wife and agrees to court Katherina, overriding her protests. While Bianca receives secret declarations during lessons, Tranio makes marriage promises he cannot yet guarantee.
Petruchio arrives at his wedding in rags and takes the protesting Katherina away before dinner. He then plans to deny her food and sleep. Meanwhile, Tranio tricks a schoolteacher into playing a wealthy father. Katherina eventually agrees with Petruchio during a dispute about daylight. The impersonations unravel when Vincentio faces arrest and Lucentio returns married to Bianca. Katherina agrees to kiss Petruchio in public. At the final wager, she alone answers her husband's summons and delivers a speech defending obedience. Read the 15-minute summary.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of La Mégère apprivoisée, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Quick answers
What is The Taming of the Shrew about?
The play follows Petruchio's courtship and control of Katherina alongside Lucentio's pursuit of Bianca while disguised as a teacher. Their marriage plans involve money, false identities, and disputes over whether wives must obey their husbands.
Where is The Taming of the Shrew set?
The opening moves from an alehouse on a heath to the Lord's House, where servants persuade Sly that he is noble. The courtship story centers on Padua, and the final gathering takes place at Lucentio's house.
Why does Petruchio marry Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew?
Petruchio seeks a rich wife and agrees to court Katherina, making money central to his marriage plans. He overrides her protests, and Baptista later rewards him with another dowry after seeing Katherina's obedience.
Who does Bianca marry in The Taming of the Shrew?
Bianca marries Lucentio, who approaches her disguised as a teacher while his servant Tranio assumes his identity. Their marriage is revealed as the impersonations unravel, but Bianca later refuses Lucentio's summons during the obedience wager.
How does Petruchio treat Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew?
Petruchio overrides Katherina's protests, arrives at their wedding in rags, and takes her away before dinner. He deprives her of food and sleep, and she eventually agrees with him during a dispute about daylight.
What are the main themes of The Taming of the Shrew?
Marriage and money are linked through Petruchio's search for wealth and Tranio's marriage bargaining, while impersonations connect identity with performance. Katherina's protests and eventual compliance, contrasted with Bianca's refusal to answer her husband, raise questions about control, consent, and obedience.
How does The Taming of the Shrew end?
At the final gathering in Lucentio's house, the husbands wager on whether their wives will answer their summons. Katherina alone comes when called and delivers a speech defending obedience, while Bianca and Hortensio's wife refuse to come.
Act and scene summaries
- 1A lord stages a false identityAfter an alehouse quarrel, a sleeping drunk becomes the subject of an elaborate household prank.
- 2Sly accepts a borrowed identityServants persuade a pot mender that he is noble, and a disguised page poses as his wife.
- 1.1Lucentio trades study for courtshipBaptista blocks Bianca’s suitors, while a newcomer plans to reach her disguised as a teacher.
- 1.2Petruchio agrees to court KatherinaBianca’s rivals support a wealthy newcomer’s marriage plan while disguises offer secret access to her.
- 2.1Marriage bargains and a disputed engagementPetruchio overrides Katherina’s protests, while Tranio wins a bidding contest with promises he cannot yet guarantee.
- 3.1Rival teachers turn lessons into courtshipBianca controls her studies, receives secret declarations, and leaves to prepare for her sister’s wedding.
All 14 scenes
- 3.2Petruchio disrupts his own weddingAn overdue groom arrives in rags, shocks the church, and takes his protesting bride away before dinner.
- 4.1Petruchio begins his household campaignA muddy arrival leads to a ruined supper and a declared plan to deny Katherina food and sleep.
- 4.2A rival withdraws and a stranger agreesHortensio abandons Bianca, while Tranio tricks a visiting schoolteacher into playing a wealthy father.
- 4.3Petruchio controls food, clothes, and timeKatherina demands a voice as her husband rejects fashionable gifts and cancels their journey.
- 4.4A false father clears the wayBaptista accepts marriage terms while Biondello urges Lucentio to take Bianca secretly to church.
- 4.5Katherina agrees and Vincentio arrivesA dispute over daylight gives way to a strange greeting and news of a marriage.
- 5.1False identities unravel at the doorVincentio faces arrest until his son returns married; Katherina agrees to kiss Petruchio in public.
- 5.2Katherina wins the obedience wagerThree husbands summon their wives, but only one receives the response he expects.
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months freeCharacters
Katherina
Katherina is Baptista's older daughter, who objects to public humiliation and protests Petruchio's engagement claims. She demands a voice under his control, yet finally answers his summons and gives a speech defending obedience.
Key scenes: 1.1, 2.1, 4.3, 5.2
Petruchio
Petruchio seeks a rich wife and agrees to court Katherina, making money central to his marriage plans.
Key scenes: 1.2, 4.1, 5.2
Bianca
Bianca is Baptista's younger daughter, whose marriage depends on Katherina marrying first, but she controls her own lessons. She marries Lucentio, then refuses his summons and calls him foolish for betting on her obedience.
Key scenes: 1.1, 3.1, 5.1, 5.2
Lucentio
Lucentio arrives in Padua to study but plans to court Bianca disguised as her teacher. He succeeds in marrying her, yet his loss in the obedience wager shows that marriage does not guarantee the response he expects.
Key scenes: 1.1, 5.1, 5.2
Tranio
Tranio is Lucentio's servant, but he assumes his master's clothes and identity to support the courtship. His success depends on further invention, as unsupported marriage promises lead him to recruit a schoolteacher as a wealthy father.
Key scenes: 1.1, 2.1, 4.2
Baptista
Baptista controls his daughters' marriage opportunities by requiring Katherina to marry before Bianca. He accepts terms negotiated with a false father and later rewards Petruchio with another dowry after seeing Katherina's obedience.
Key scenes: 1.1, 4.4, 5.2
Hortensio
Hortensio pursues Bianca and proposes cooperation with Gremio to make her marriage possible, but eventually abandons that courtship. At the wager, his own wife reverses his demand by refusing to come and summoning him instead.
Key scenes: 1.1, 4.2, 5.2
Themes
Marriage and Money
Petruchio's search for a wealthy wife and Tranio's bidding contest show marriage working as a financial bargain rather than simply a romantic choice. Baptista's additional dowry after Katherina's display of obedience suggests that money also rewards the marital behavior he values.
Where it shows: scenes 1.2, 2.1, 5.2
Identity and Performance
Sly's borrowed nobility and Tranio's assumed identity show how other people's behavior can make an invented social role seem convincing. The schoolteacher's negotiation as Vincentio extends this pattern, suggesting that apparent rank and authority can rest on a successful performance.
Where it shows: scenes 2, 1.1, 4.4
Control and Consent
Petruchio's dismissal of Katherina's protests shows a courtship in which agreement is not treated as necessary.
Where it shows: scenes 2.1, 4.1, 4.3
Obedience and Choice
Bianca's control of her lessons and later refusal contrast with Katherina's agreement about daylight and response to the final summons. Katherina's defense of obedience makes outward compliance central to the ending, while the contrasting responses suggest that a husband's command cannot guarantee agreement.
Where it shows: scenes 3.1, 4.5, 5.2
Symbols
Exchanged clothes
Tranio's exchange of clothes accompanies his assumption of Lucentio's identity. Clothing works as a visible sign of rank that can be transferred rather than an unquestionable proof of who someone is.
Scene 1.1
Wedding rags
Petruchio's rags turn his wedding appearance into a disruption. They work as a visible rejection of expected ceremony, alongside his decision to remove his protesting bride before dinner.
Scene 3.2
Food
The ruined supper and withheld food make ordinary household care a means of control. Food works as a concrete measure of Katherina's dependence while she demands a voice.
Scenes 4.1, 4.3
Famous lines explained
Lucentio, Scene 1.1. Lucentio speaks as he arranges for Tranio to assume his identity. The line shows love redirecting his plans and making disguise a practical tool of courtship.
Petruchio, Scene 1.2. Petruchio announces his financial goal as he agrees to court Katherina. His directness shows that wealth is not incidental to his marriage plans but a stated purpose.
Petruchio, Scene 4.1. Petruchio explains his household campaign after the ruined supper.
Katherina, Scene 5.2. Katherina speaks after answering Petruchio's summons during the wager.
Setting
The opening moves from an alehouse on a heath to the Lord's House, where Sly receives a borrowed noble identity. The courtship story centers on Padua, where Lucentio arrives as a student. Lucentio's house becomes the setting for the final gathering and obedience wager.
Questions for discussion
- What does Katherina's final speech establish about her behavior, and what does it leave uncertain about her beliefs?
- How does Petruchio's language of kindness affect your judgment of his treatment of Katherina?
- How does Bianca's behavior during her lessons prepare you for her refusal at the final wager?
- What do Sly's borrowed nobility and Tranio's disguise suggest about how people recognize social rank?
- How does the additional dowry change the meaning of Petruchio's success at the end?
Essay topics
- Performed Identity. Compare Sly's invented nobility with Tranio's impersonation of Lucentio. How do clothes, social behavior, and belief support these performances?
- Marital Control. Trace how Petruchio's dismissal of Katherina's protests develops into household control. What does her demand for a voice reveal about their conflict?
- Marriage Bargains. Examine how financial promises and false identities work together in the marriage negotiations. What makes an agreement appear trustworthy?
- Final Obedience. Compare Bianca's control of her lessons with Katherina's final obedience. How does the wager shape the meaning of choice in marriage?
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 10Score 0
Who does the lord choose to impersonate Sly’s wife?
How does the Page avoid sharing Sly’s bed?
Why do Gremio and Hortensio agree to cooperate?
What condition does Baptista attach to accepting Tranio’s offer for Bianca?
How does Lucentio reveal his identity to Bianca?
Why does Petruchio plan to find faults with the bed?
Why does the schoolteacher agree to impersonate Vincentio?
Why does Petruchio cancel the journey to Katherina’s father?
Why does Vincentio travel to Padua?
What makes the false identities collapse?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of La Mégère apprivoisée, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months freeMore study guides: Wuthering Heights · The Odyssey · Hamlet · All study guides
