Taming of the Shrew

Roles

• Katherine - Young Adult (20-35), Adult (36-50), Female

About this piece

Katherine gives a speech on the duties wives have towards their husbands

Summary

The play is about Lucentio, a young man who goes to Padua with his two servants Tranio and Biondello to study at the university. As soon as he arrives he falls in love with a sweet and beautiful young woman, Bianca. The problems that he encounters to win her heart are her other two suitors, Gremio and Hortensio, and her father Baptista who has decided nobody will be able to court Bianca until her ill-tempered older sister Katherine finds an husband. He disguises himself as her tutor to court her. Eventually Hortensio's friend Petruccio manages to win Katherine's heart and Hortensio ends up marrying a wealthy widow. Bianca falls in love with Lucentio and Baptista agrees to the marriage. The final scene of the play takes place after Hortensio's marriage. Everybody is surprised about how mellow and obedient Katherine has become. They stage a contest to see which of their wives is the most obedient. They send servants to summon them and Katherine is the first to obey while Bianca and the widow say they are busy. In this monologue, in ACT V, Scene 2, Katherine reprimands the other wives and tells them that wives have duties towards their husbands.

Tone

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