Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward, sir.
Have you so soon forgot the entertainment
Her sister Katherine welcome’d you withal?
Musician, wait. You're overstepping yourself, sir. Have you already forgotten how Katherine welcomed you?
Hey, hold on. You're getting ahead of yourself. Did you forget how badly Katherine treated you?
chill out. u forget how katherine treated u
But, wrangling pedant, this is
The patroness of heavenly harmony:
Then give me leave to have prerogative;
And when in music we have spent an hour,
Your lecture shall have leisure for as much.
Listen, arguing tutor, this is Bianca, the one who loves harmony and beauty. Let me have the first chance. After we spend an hour on music, then you can have your turn for an hour of teaching.
Look, you argumentative tutor, Bianca is clearly interested in music. Let me go first. After I teach her music for an hour, you can have your turn.
she loves music. let me go first then u get ur hour
Preposterous ass, that never read so far
To know the cause why music was ordain’d!
Was it not to refresh the mind of man
After his studies or his usual pain?
Then give me leave to read philosophy,
And while I pause serve in your harmony.
You ignorant fool! You don't even understand why music exists. Isn't it to refresh someone's mind after study or hard work? Let me teach philosophy, and when I take a break, I can listen to your music.
You don't even know why music exists. It's supposed to refresh the mind after hard work, not replace learning. Let me teach philosophy, and I'll listen to you during breaks.
music refreshes ur mind after work. let me teach philosophy first
Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine.
You, I won't put up with your insults.
I'm not going to stand for this kind of talk from you.
i won't take ur insults
Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong,
To strive for that which resteth in my choice.
I am no breeching scholar in the schools,
I’ll not be tied to hours nor ’pointed times,
But learn my lessons as I please myself.
And, to cut off all strife, here sit we down;
Take you your instrument, play you the whiles;
His lecture will be done ere you have tun’d.
Why, gentlemen, you're doing me a double wrong by fighting over me when I'm the one who gets to choose. I'm not some boy student in school who has to follow rules. I won't be forced to study at set times. I'll learn my lessons when I feel like it. And to end all this arguing, let's sit down here. You take your instrument and play while we wait. He'll finish his lecture before you even get your instrument tuned.
Guys, seriously, you're both wrong. I get to make the choice here, not you two fighting about it. I'm not some little school boy who has to show up on time. I'll learn when I want. Look, let's just sit down and stop this. You play your music, and we'll get through the lesson. By the time you tune up, he'll already be done with me.
you're both wrong i choose who teaches me im not a school boy i learn when i want just play your instrument ill be done before you tune it
You’ll leave his lecture when I am in tune?
Will you stop his lecture as soon as I get tuned up?
So you're going to drop his lesson the second I'm ready?
u gonna stop his lecture when i'm ready
That will be never: tune your instrument.
That will never happen. Just tune your instrument.
Never. Just get your instrument in tune already.
never. just tune it
Where left we last?
Where did we leave off last time?
Where were we last time?
where we left off
Here, madam:—
_Hic ibat Simois; hic est Sigeia tellus;
Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis._
Here, madam: 'Here flows the river Simois; here is the land of Sigeia; here stood the lofty palace of old Priam.'
Right here, madam: 'Here flows the river Simois; here is where Troy was; here stood King Priam's great palace.'
here's the ovid passage about troy
Construe them.
Construe them.
Construe them.
Construe them.
_Hic ibat_, as I told you before, _Simois_, I am Lucentio, _hic est_,
son unto Vincentio of Pisa, _Sigeia tellus_, disguised thus to get your
love, _Hic steterat_, and that Lucentio that comes a-wooing, _Priami_,
is my man Tranio, _regia_, bearing my port, _celsa senis_, that we
might beguile the old pantaloon.
HORTENSIO. [_Returning._]
Madam, my instrument’s in tune.
In translation: 'Here went,' which means I am Lucentio, 'this is'—I'm the son of Vincentio of Pisa. 'Sigeia earth'—I'm disguised like this to win your love. 'Here stood'—and that Lucentio who comes courting you—is actually my servant Tranio—pretending to be a nobleman—so we can fool the old man.
So translating: 'Here went,' meaning I'm Lucentio, and 'this is' means I'm the son of Vincentio from Pisa. 'Sigeia earth'—I'm dressed up like this because I want your love. 'Here stood'—and that guy who's supposedly Lucentio courting you? That's actually my servant Tranio pretending to be some important nobleman so we can trick your father.
im lucentio son of vincentio from pisa im disguised to get your love that other guy lucentio is my servant tranio we tricked your dad
Lucentio's ploy of using Latin lines from Ovid's Heroides as a secret message is one of Shakespeare's cleverest pieces of theatrical sleight of hand. Ovid's Heroides are love letters written from mythological heroines to their absent lovers — already a text about coded feminine desire. Lucentio recites actual Latin, then builds his declaration into the 'translation.' Bianca, who clearly knows Latin and knows Ovid, plays along with perfect composure — she recognizes the citation and recognizes the game. Her five-word response ('I know you not... despair not') shows she's read Ovid too, and isn't about to be swept away by the first person who quotes it at her. The scene is a love scene conducted entirely in classical camouflage, in front of a jealous third party who can hear every word but understand none of it.
Let’s hear.—
Let’s hear.—
Let’s hear.—
Let’s hear.—
O fie! the treble jars.
Oh no! the high notes sound off.
Ugh! the high notes are off-key.
ugh high notes r bad
Spit in the hole, man, and tune again.
Spit in the sound hole of the instrument and tune it again.
Spit in the hole and try tuning it again.
spit in the hole and retune
Now let me see if I can construe it: _Hic ibat Simois_, I know you not;
_hic est Sigeia tellus_, I trust you not; _Hic steterat Priami_, take
heed he hear us not; _regia_, presume not; _celsa senis_, despair not.
Let me decode this. 'Here went Simois'—I don't know you. 'This is Sigeia earth'—I don't trust you. 'Here stood Priami'—be careful nobody hears us. 'Royal'—don't presume too much. 'Lofty old man'—don't give up hope.
Okay, let me figure this out. 'Here went Simois'—I don't know you well. 'This is Sigeia earth'—I can't trust you yet. 'Here stood Priami'—make sure nobody's listening. 'Royal'—don't assume anything. 'Lofty old man'—but don't lose hope.
i dont know you i dont trust you yet be careful no one hears us dont presume dont give up
Madam, ’tis now in tune.
Madam, it's in tune now.
There, now it's in tune.
it's tuned now
All but the base.
Everything except the bass strings.
Pretty much everything's in tune except the bass.
everything but the bass
The base is right; ’tis the base knave that jars.
The bass is correct. It's the base scoundrel, you, who's causing trouble.
The bass is fine. It's you, you low scoundrel, who's causing all the noise.
bass is fine. u're the problem
[_Aside_] How fiery and forward our pedant is!
Now, for my life, the knave doth court my love:
Pedascule, I’ll watch you better yet.
How aggressive and forward this tutor is! By my life, the rascal is courting my love. Little teacher, I'll keep a closer eye on you.
This tutor's really pushy and bold! That rascal's trying to court my love. I'm watching you, fake scholar.
tutor's pushy / he's courting her / i'm watching
In time I may believe, yet I mistrust.
I may come to believe it eventually, but I'm still not sure right now.
Maybe I'll believe you later, but I'm doubtful.
maybe later but i doubt u
Mistrust it not; for sure, Æacides
Was Ajax, call’d so from his grandfather.
Don't mistrust it. For certain, Aeacides was Ajax, called that from his grandfather.
Don't worry, it's true. Aeacides was called Ajax after his grandfather.
trust me. aeacides was ajax named after his grandpa
I must believe my master; else, I promise you,
I should be arguing still upon that doubt;
But let it rest. Now, Licio, to you.
Good master, take it not unkindly, pray,
That I have been thus pleasant with you both.
I have to believe my tutor. Otherwise I'd still be arguing about that point. But let's drop it. Now, Licio, it's your turn. Please don't take it badly, good master, that I've been so playful with both of you.
I'll take my teacher's word for it. If I didn't, we'd be arguing forever about this. But let's move on. Licio, you're up. Master, I hope you don't mind that I've been having fun with both of you.
i trust my teacher else id argue forever lets move on sorry for playing with you both
[_To Lucentio_] You may go walk and give me leave a while;
My lessons make no music in three parts.
You can go take a walk and give me some time alone. My lessons don't work well with three people here.
Go take a walk and leave me alone for a bit. I can't teach with three of us in here.
go walk / need space / can't teach w 3
Every scene before 3-1 has presented Bianca as the passive prize: modest, submissive, locked away for her virtue. This scene dismantles all of that in under 150 lines. She decides who teaches first. She reads Hortensio's love-gamut aloud with mild irony rather than swooning over it. She translates Lucentio's coded message perfectly — and responds with her own coded conditions. She ends the scene by leaving on her father's summons, not either suitor's desire. The question the scene leaves unanswered — and that the play never fully answers — is whether Bianca's sweetness in Act 1 was ever genuine, or whether it was always a performance calculated to maximize her options. Keep watching how she behaves after she's married and has nothing to perform for.
Are you so formal, sir? Well, I must wait,
Are you being so stiff about this, sir? Well, I guess I'll wait.
Are you really going to be that formal about it? Fine, I'll wait.
really gonna be formal? fine i'll wait
[_Aside_] And watch withal; for, but I be deceiv’d,
Our fine musician groweth amorous.
And I'll keep watching too, because if I'm not mistaken, our fine musician is falling in love.
And I'll keep watching. If I'm reading this right, that musician is falling for her.
watching / if i'm right he's into her
Madam, before you touch the instrument,
To learn the order of my fingering,
I must begin with rudiments of art;
To teach you gamut in a briefer sort,
More pleasant, pithy, and effectual,
Than hath been taught by any of my trade:
And there it is in writing, fairly drawn.
Madam, before you touch the instrument, to learn the correct fingering, I must start with the basics of music. I'll teach you the musical scale in a way that's shorter, more enjoyable, more useful, and better than any other music teacher teaches it. Here it is, written out nicely.
Before you touch that instrument, I need to teach you the basics first. I've created a music scale that's faster, better, and more fun than what other teachers use. I've written it out for you.
gotta learn basics first. check out my gamut—better than others
Why, I am past my gamut long ago.
Actually, I learned the musical scale long ago.
I already know how to read music.
i know my scales already
Yet read the gamut of Hortensio.
But still, read my version of the scale.
But read my version anyway.
just read my version
_Gamut_ I am, the ground of all accord,
_A re_, to plead Hortensio’s passion;
_B mi_, Bianca, take him for thy lord,
_C fa ut_, that loves with all affection:
_D sol re_, one clef, two notes have I
_E la mi_, show pity or I die.
Call you this gamut? Tut, I like it not:
Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice,
To change true rules for odd inventions.
Gamut—I am the foundation of all harmony. A-re—to plead Hortensio's love. B-mi—Bianca, take him for your husband. C-fa-ut—he loves with complete affection. D-sol-re—one note, two meanings have I. E-la-mi—show me pity or I die. This is what you call a gamut? I don't like it. I prefer the old fashions. I'm not interested in changing real music for strange new inventions.
So you're embedding marriage proposals in music scales now? That's your great gamut? I prefer the traditional way. I'm not going to throw out real music for your weird made-up version.
ur gamut is just a marriage proposal lol. old ways are better
Mistress, your father prays you leave your books,
And help to dress your sister’s chamber up:
You know tomorrow is the wedding-day.
Mistress, your father wants you to stop studying and help prepare your sister's bedroom. You know tomorrow is the wedding day.
Your father wants you to stop with the books and help get your sister's room ready. The wedding's tomorrow, remember?
your dad wants u to help. wedding's tomorrow
Farewell, sweet masters, both: I must be gone.
Goodbye, sweet teachers, both of you. I have to go.
Goodbye, you two. I've got to leave.
bye guys i gotta go
Faith, mistress, then I have no cause to stay.
Well then, mistress, there's no reason for me to stay.
Well, if you're leaving, there's no point in me staying.
no reason for me to stick around
But I have cause to pry into this pedant:
Methinks he looks as though he were in love.
Yet if thy thoughts, Bianca, be so humble
To cast thy wand’ring eyes on every stale,
Seize thee that list: if once I find thee ranging,
Hortensio will be quit with thee by changing.
But I need to look more carefully at this tutor. I think he looks like he's in love. Yet if your mind, Bianca, is so easily distracted that you'd look at every man, then let him take you. But if I catch you looking at other men, I'll be done with you by finding myself someone else.
But this tutor guy is starting to worry me. I think he's in love with you. Look, if you're going to be flirting with every guy, then fine, go to him. But if I catch you straying, I'm out and I'll find someone else.
that tutor looks in love w u. if u cheat i'm done
The Reckoning
This is the scene where the play quietly turns Bianca's narrative upside down. She's supposed to be the compliant one, the prize, the reason everyone is scheming — but here she controls the room, schedules the tutors, and decodes Lucentio's hidden message with perfect cool. The audience gets its first real look at who Bianca actually is, and it's unsettling in the best way.
If this happened today…
Two guys both convinced they've secured a private tutoring arrangement with the same girl. One arrives to find the other already there, and they immediately start bickering about whose lesson comes first. Meanwhile the girl calmly arbitrates — 'I'll do your subject first, then yours' — and while one of them tunes his guitar in the corner, quietly has a completely different conversation with the other one in a language the guitar guy doesn't speak. She's been handling them both all along.