At last, though long, our jarring notes agree:
And time it is when raging war is done,
To smile at ’scapes and perils overblown.
My fair Bianca, bid my father welcome,
While I with self-same kindness welcome thine.
Brother Petruchio, sister Katherina,
And thou, Hortensio, with thy loving widow,
Feast with the best, and welcome to my house:
My banquet is to close our stomachs up,
After our great good cheer. Pray you, sit down;
For now we sit to chat as well as eat.
At last, though long, our jarring notes agree: And time it is when raging war is done, To smile at ’scapes and perils overblown. My fair Bianca, bid m...
At last, though long, our jarring notes agree: And time it is when raging war is done, To smile at ’...
At last, though long, our jarring notes agree: And time it is when raging war...
Nothing but sit and sit, and eat and eat!
Nothing but sit and sit, and eat and eat!
Nothing but sit and sit, and eat and eat!
Nothing but sit and sit, and eat and eat!
Padua affords this kindness, son Petruchio.
Padua affords this kindness, son Petruchio.
Padua affords this kindness, son Petruchio.
Padua affords this kindness, son Petruchio.
Padua affords nothing but what is kind.
Padua affords nothing but what is kind.
Padua affords nothing but what is kind.
Padua affords nothing but what is kind.
For both our sakes I would that word were true.
For both our sakes I would that word were true.
For both our sakes I would that word were true.
For both our sakes I would that word were true.
Now, for my life, Hortensio fears his widow.
Now, for my life, Hortensio fears his widow.
Now, for my life, Hortensio fears his widow.
Now, for my life, Hortensio fears his widow.
Then never trust me if I be afeard.
Then never trust me if I be afeard.
Then never trust me if I be afeard.
Then never trust me if I be afeard.
You are very sensible, and yet you miss my sense:
I mean Hortensio is afeard of you.
You are very sensible, and yet you miss my sense: I mean Hortensio is afeard of you.
You are very sensible, and yet you miss my sense: I mean Hortensio is afeard of you.
You are very sensible, and yet you miss my sense: I mean Hortensio is afeard of you.
He that is giddy thinks the world turns round.
He that is giddy thinks the world turns round.
He that is giddy thinks the world turns round.
He that is giddy thinks the world turns round.
Roundly replied.
Roundly replied.
Roundly replied.
Roundly replied.
Mistress, how mean you that?
Mistress, how mean you that?
Mistress, how mean you that?
Mistress, how mean you that?
Thus I conceive by him.
Thus I conceive by him.
Thus I conceive by him.
Thus I conceive by him.
Conceives by me! How likes Hortensio that?
Conceives by me! How likes Hortensio that?
Conceives by me! How likes Hortensio that?
Conceives by me! How likes Hortensio that?
My widow says thus she conceives her tale.
My widow says thus she conceives her tale.
My widow says thus she conceives her tale.
My widow says thus she conceives her tale.
Very well mended. Kiss him for that, good widow.
Very well mended. Kiss him for that, good widow.
Very well mended. Kiss him for that, good widow.
Very well mended. Kiss him for that, good widow.
’He that is giddy thinks the world turns round’:
I pray you tell me what you meant by that.
’He that is giddy thinks the world turns round’: I pray you tell me what you meant by that.
’He that is giddy thinks the world turns round’: I pray you tell me what you meant by that.
’He that is giddy thinks the world turns round’: I pray you tell me what you meant by that.
Your husband, being troubled with a shrew,
Measures my husband’s sorrow by his woe;
And now you know my meaning.
Your husband, being troubled with a shrew, Measures my husband’s sorrow by his woe; And now you know my meaning.
Your husband, being troubled with a shrew, Measures my husband’s sorrow by his woe; And now you know...
Your husband, being troubled with a shrew, Measures my husband’s sorrow by his woe; And now you know my meaning.
A very mean meaning.
A very mean meaning.
A very mean meaning.
A very mean meaning.
Right, I mean you.
Right, I mean you.
Right, I mean you.
Right, I mean you.
And I am mean, indeed, respecting you.
And I am mean, indeed, respecting you.
And I am mean, indeed, respecting you.
And I am mean, indeed, respecting you.
To her, Kate!
To her, Kate!
To her, Kate!
To her, Kate!
To her, widow!
To her, widow!
To her, widow!
To her, widow!
A hundred marks, my Kate does put her down.
A hundred marks, my Kate does put her down.
A hundred marks, my Kate does put her down.
A hundred marks, my Kate does put her down.
That’s my office.
That’s my office.
That’s my office.
That’s my office.
Spoke like an officer: ha’ to thee, lad.
Spoke like an officer: ha’ to thee, lad.
Spoke like an officer: ha’ to thee, lad.
Spoke like an officer: ha’ to thee, lad.
How likes Gremio these quick-witted folks?
How likes Gremio these quick-witted folks?
How likes Gremio these quick-witted folks?
How likes Gremio these quick-witted folks?
Believe me, sir, they butt together well.
Believe me, sir, they butt together well.
Believe me, sir, they butt together well.
Believe me, sir, they butt together well.
Head and butt! An hasty-witted body
Would say your head and butt were head and horn.
Head and butt! An hasty-witted body Would say your head and butt were head and horn.
Head and butt! An hasty-witted body Would say your head and butt were head and horn.
Head and butt! An hasty-witted body Would say your head and butt were head and horn.
Ay, mistress bride, hath that awaken’d you?
Ay, mistress bride, hath that awaken’d you?
Ay, mistress bride, hath that awaken’d you?
Ay, mistress bride, hath that awaken’d you?
Ay, but not frighted me; therefore I’ll sleep again.
Ay, but not frighted me; therefore I’ll sleep again.
Ay, but not frighted me; therefore I’ll sleep again.
Ay, but not frighted me; therefore I’ll sleep again.
Nay, that you shall not; since you have begun,
Have at you for a bitter jest or two.
Nay, that you shall not; since you have begun, Have at you for a bitter jest or two.
Nay, that you shall not; since you have begun, Have at you for a bitter jest or two.
Nay, that you shall not; since you have begun, Have at you for a bitter jest or two.
Am I your bird? I mean to shift my bush,
And then pursue me as you draw your bow.
You are welcome all.
Am I your bird? I mean to shift my bush, And then pursue me as you draw your bow. You are welcome all.
Am I your bird? I mean to shift my bush, And then pursue me as you draw your bow. You are welcome al...
Am I your bird? I mean to shift my bush, And then pursue me as...
Katherina's speech is the play's crisis. It can be read as sincere acceptance of hierarchy (she's genuinely transformed by Petruchio's method), or as brilliant performance (she's learned to play the role of obedient wife so perfectly that she fools everyone, including her husband). The text supports both readings: her instant obedience to every command suggests transformation, but her eloquence and the precision of her argument suggest rehearsed performance. The play ends without resolving this ambiguity. Lucentio's final line—'It's a wonder she could be tamed so'—keeps the door open: is the wonder that she's actually changed, or that she's such a perfect actress? Modern productions must choose; the play itself refuses to.
She hath prevented me. Here, Signior Tranio;
This bird you aim’d at, though you hit her not:
Therefore a health to all that shot and miss’d.
She hath prevented me. Here, Signior Tranio; This bird you aim’d at, though you hit her not: Therefore a health to all that shot and miss’d.
She hath prevented me. Here, Signior Tranio; This bird you aim’d at, though you hit her not: Therefo...
She hath prevented me. Here, Signior Tranio; This bird you aim’d at, though you hit...
O, sir! Lucentio slipp’d me like his greyhound,
Which runs himself, and catches for his master.
O, sir! Lucentio slipp’d me like his greyhound, Which runs himself, and catches for his master.
O, sir! Lucentio slipp’d me like his greyhound, Which runs himself, and catches for his master.
O, sir! Lucentio slipp’d me like his greyhound, Which runs himself, and catches for his master.
A good swift simile, but something currish.
A good swift simile, but something currish.
A good swift simile, but something currish.
A good swift simile, but something currish.
’Tis well, sir, that you hunted for yourself:
’Tis thought your deer does hold you at a bay.
’Tis well, sir, that you hunted for yourself: ’Tis thought your deer does hold you at a bay.
’Tis well, sir, that you hunted for yourself: ’Tis thought your deer does hold you at a bay.
’Tis well, sir, that you hunted for yourself: ’Tis thought your deer does hold you at a bay.
O ho, Petruchio! Tranio hits you now.
O ho, Petruchio! Tranio hits you now.
O ho, Petruchio! Tranio hits you now.
O ho, Petruchio! Tranio hits you now.
I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio.
I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio.
I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio.
I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio.
Confess, confess; hath he not hit you here?
Confess, confess; hath he not hit you here?
Confess, confess; hath he not hit you here?
Confess, confess; hath he not hit you here?
A has a little gall’d me, I confess;
And as the jest did glance away from me,
’Tis ten to one it maim’d you two outright.
A has a little gall’d me, I confess; And as the jest did glance away from me, ’Tis ten to one it maim’d you two outright.
A has a little gall’d me, I confess; And as the jest did glance away from me, ’Tis ten to one it mai...
A has a little gall’d me, I confess; And as the jest did glance away...
Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio,
I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all.
Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio, I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all.
Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio, I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all.
Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio, I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all.
Well, I say no; and therefore, for assurance,
Let’s each one send unto his wife,
And he whose wife is most obedient,
To come at first when he doth send for her,
Shall win the wager which we will propose.
Well, I say no; and therefore, for assurance, Let’s each one send unto his wife, And he whose wife is most obedient, To come at first when he doth sen...
Well, I say no; and therefore, for assurance, Let’s each one send unto his wife, And he whose wife i...
Well, I say no; and therefore, for assurance, Let’s each one send unto his wife,...
Content. What’s the wager?
Content. What’s the wager?
Content. What’s the wager?
Content. What’s the wager?
Twenty crowns.
Twenty crowns.
Twenty crowns.
Twenty crowns.
Twenty crowns!
I’ll venture so much of my hawk or hound,
But twenty times so much upon my wife.
Twenty crowns! I’ll venture so much of my hawk or hound, But twenty times so much upon my wife.
Twenty crowns! I’ll venture so much of my hawk or hound, But twenty times so much upon my wife.
Twenty crowns! I’ll venture so much of my hawk or hound, But twenty times so much upon my wife.
A hundred then.
A hundred then.
A hundred then.
A hundred then.
Content.
Content.
Content.
Content.
A match! ’tis done.
A match! ’tis done.
A match! ’tis done.
A match! ’tis done.
Who shall begin?
Who shall begin?
Who shall begin?
Who shall begin?
That will I.
Go, Biondello, bid your mistress come to me.
That will I. Go, Biondello, bid your mistress come to me.
That will I. Go, Biondello, bid your mistress come to me.
That will I. Go, Biondello, bid your mistress come to me.
I go.
I go.
I go.
I go.
Son, I’ll be your half, Bianca comes.
Son, I’ll be your half, Bianca comes.
Son, I’ll be your half, Bianca comes.
Son, I’ll be your half, Bianca comes.
I’ll have no halves; I’ll bear it all myself.
I’ll have no halves; I’ll bear it all myself.
I’ll have no halves; I’ll bear it all myself.
I’ll have no halves; I’ll bear it all myself.
Sir, my mistress sends you word
That she is busy and she cannot come.
Sir, my mistress sends you word That she is busy and she cannot come.
Sir, my mistress sends you word That she is busy and she cannot come.
Sir, my mistress sends you word That she is busy and she cannot come.
How! She’s busy, and she cannot come!
Is that an answer?
How! She’s busy, and she cannot come! Is that an answer?
How! She’s busy, and she cannot come! Is that an answer?
How! She’s busy, and she cannot come! Is that an answer?
Ay, and a kind one too:
Pray God, sir, your wife send you not a worse.
Ay, and a kind one too: Pray God, sir, your wife send you not a worse.
Ay, and a kind one too: Pray God, sir, your wife send you not a worse.
Ay, and a kind one too: Pray God, sir, your wife send you not a worse.
I hope better.
I hope better.
I hope better.
I hope better.
Sirrah Biondello, go and entreat my wife
To come to me forthwith.
Sirrah Biondello, go and entreat my wife To come to me forthwith.
Sirrah Biondello, go and entreat my wife To come to me forthwith.
Sirrah Biondello, go and entreat my wife To come to me forthwith.
O, ho! entreat her!
Nay, then she must needs come.
O, ho! entreat her! Nay, then she must needs come.
O, ho! entreat her! Nay, then she must needs come.
O, ho! entreat her! Nay, then she must needs come.
I am afraid, sir,
Do what you can, yours will not be entreated.
I am afraid, sir, Do what you can, yours will not be entreated.
I am afraid, sir, Do what you can, yours will not be entreated.
I am afraid, sir, Do what you can, yours will not be entreated.
She says you have some goodly jest in hand:
She will not come; she bids you come to her.
She says you have some goodly jest in hand: She will not come; she bids you come to her.
She says you have some goodly jest in hand: She will not come; she bids you come to her.
She says you have some goodly jest in hand: She will not come; she bids you come to her.
Worse and worse; she will not come! O vile,
Intolerable, not to be endur’d!
Sirrah Grumio, go to your mistress,
Say I command her come to me.
Worse and worse; she will not come! O vile, Intolerable, not to be endur’d! Sirrah Grumio, go to your mistress, Say I command her come to me.
Worse and worse; she will not come! O vile, Intolerable, not to be endur’d! Sirrah Grumio, go to you...
Worse and worse; she will not come! O vile, Intolerable, not to be endur’d! Sirrah...
I know her answer.
I know her answer.
I know her answer.
I know her answer.
The wager scene is structurally essential: it proves Petruchio's method works by testing all three wives, and the order of refusal (Bianca, then the Widow, then Katherina's obedience) shows a hierarchy of submission. But it also reveals that the only wife who obeys is the one who was forcibly broken. Bianca and the Widow refuse, asserting their will, yet society celebrates Katherina's submission. The wager itself is the problem: the men are betting property (money, status) on women's bodies and wills. When Katherina wins the wager for Petruchio, she's winning in a game where women's obedience is the commodity. The fact that everyone celebrates her obedience as a victory—for her, for Petruchio, for marriage itself—is the play's darkest joke.
What?
What?
What?
What?
She will not.
She will not.
She will not.
She will not.
The fouler fortune mine, and there an end.
The fouler fortune mine, and there an end.
The fouler fortune mine, and there an end.
The fouler fortune mine, and there an end.
Now, by my holidame, here comes Katherina!
Now, by my holidame, here comes Katherina!
Now, by my holidame, here comes Katherina!
Now, by my holidame, here comes Katherina!
What is your will sir, that you send for me?
What is your will sir, that you send for me?
What is your will sir, that you send for me?
What is your will sir, that you send for me?
Where is your sister, and Hortensio’s wife?
Where is your sister, and Hortensio’s wife?
Where is your sister, and Hortensio’s wife?
Where is your sister, and Hortensio’s wife?
They sit conferring by the parlour fire.
They sit conferring by the parlour fire.
They sit conferring by the parlour fire.
They sit conferring by the parlour fire.
Go fetch them hither; if they deny to come,
Swinge me them soundly forth unto their husbands.
Away, I say, and bring them hither straight.
Go fetch them hither; if they deny to come, Swinge me them soundly forth unto their husbands. Away, I say, and bring them hither straight.
Go fetch them hither; if they deny to come, Swinge me them soundly forth unto their husbands. Away, ...
Go fetch them hither; if they deny to come, Swinge me them soundly forth unto...
Here is a wonder, if you talk of a wonder.
Here is a wonder, if you talk of a wonder.
Here is a wonder, if you talk of a wonder.
Here is a wonder, if you talk of a wonder.
And so it is. I wonder what it bodes.
And so it is. I wonder what it bodes.
And so it is. I wonder what it bodes.
And so it is. I wonder what it bodes.
Marry, peace it bodes, and love, and quiet life,
An awful rule, and right supremacy;
And, to be short, what not that’s sweet and happy.
Marry, peace it bodes, and love, and quiet life, An awful rule, and right supremacy; And, to be short, what not that’s sweet and happy.
Marry, peace it bodes, and love, and quiet life, An awful rule, and right supremacy; And, to be shor...
Marry, peace it bodes, and love, and quiet life, An awful rule, and right supremacy;...
Now fair befall thee, good Petruchio!
The wager thou hast won; and I will add
Unto their losses twenty thousand crowns;
Another dowry to another daughter,
For she is chang’d, as she had never been.
Now fair befall thee, good Petruchio! The wager thou hast won; and I will add Unto their losses twenty thousand crowns; Another dowry to another daugh...
Now fair befall thee, good Petruchio! The wager thou hast won; and I will add Unto their losses twen...
Now fair befall thee, good Petruchio! The wager thou hast won; and I will add...
Nay, I will win my wager better yet,
And show more sign of her obedience,
Her new-built virtue and obedience.
See where she comes, and brings your froward wives
As prisoners to her womanly persuasion.
Nay, I will win my wager better yet, And show more sign of her obedience, Her new-built virtue and obedience. See where she comes, and brings your fro...
Nay, I will win my wager better yet, And show more sign of her obedience, Her new-built virtue and o...
Nay, I will win my wager better yet, And show more sign of her obedience,...
Lord, let me never have a cause to sigh
Till I be brought to such a silly pass!
Lord, let me never have a cause to sigh Till I be brought to such a silly pass!
Lord, let me never have a cause to sigh Till I be brought to such a silly pass!
Lord, let me never have a cause to sigh Till I be brought to such a silly pass!
Fie! what a foolish duty call you this?
Fie! what a foolish duty call you this?
Fie! what a foolish duty call you this?
Fie! what a foolish duty call you this?
I would your duty were as foolish too;
The wisdom of your duty, fair Bianca,
Hath cost me a hundred crowns since supper-time!
I would your duty were as foolish too; The wisdom of your duty, fair Bianca, Hath cost me a hundred crowns since supper-time!
I would your duty were as foolish too; The wisdom of your duty, fair Bianca, Hath cost me a hundred ...
I would your duty were as foolish too; The wisdom of your duty, fair Bianca,...
The more fool you for laying on my duty.
The more fool you for laying on my duty.
The more fool you for laying on my duty.
The more fool you for laying on my duty.
Katherine, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women
What duty they do owe their lords and husbands.
Katherine, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women What duty they do owe their lords and husbands.
Katherine, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women What duty they do owe their lords and husbands...
Katherine, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women What duty they do owe their lords and husbands.
Come, come, you’re mocking; we will have no telling.
Come, come, you’re mocking; we will have no telling.
Come, come, you’re mocking; we will have no telling.
Come, come, you’re mocking; we will have no telling.
Come on, I say; and first begin with her.
Come on, I say; and first begin with her.
Come on, I say; and first begin with her.
Come on, I say; and first begin with her.
She shall not.
She shall not.
She shall not.
She shall not.
I say she shall: and first begin with her.
I say she shall: and first begin with her.
I say she shall: and first begin with her.
I say she shall: and first begin with her.
Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow,
And dart not scornful glances from those eyes
To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor:
It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads,
Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds,
And in no sense is meet or amiable.
A woman mov’d is like a fountain troubled,
Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty;
And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty
Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.
Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks, and true obedience;
Too little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince,
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?—
I am asham’d that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace,
Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.
Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth,
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world,
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts?
Come, come, you froward and unable worms!
My mind hath been as big as one of yours,
My heart as great, my reason haply more,
To bandy word for word and frown for frown;
But now I see our lances are but straws,
Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,
That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.
Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,
And place your hands below your husband’s foot:
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready; may it do him ease.
Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow, And dart not scornful glances from those eyes To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor: It blots thy b...
Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow, And dart not scornful glances from those eyes To woun...
Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow, And dart not scornful glances from those eyes...
Why, there’s a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.
Why, there’s a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.
Why, there’s a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.
Why, there’s a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.
Well, go thy ways, old lad, for thou shalt ha’t.
Well, go thy ways, old lad, for thou shalt ha’t.
Well, go thy ways, old lad, for thou shalt ha’t.
Well, go thy ways, old lad, for thou shalt ha’t.
’Tis a good hearing when children are toward.
’Tis a good hearing when children are toward.
’Tis a good hearing when children are toward.
’Tis a good hearing when children are toward.
But a harsh hearing when women are froward.
But a harsh hearing when women are froward.
But a harsh hearing when women are froward.
But a harsh hearing when women are froward.
Come, Kate, we’ll to bed.
We three are married, but you two are sped.
’Twas I won the wager,
Come, Kate, we’ll to bed. We three are married, but you two are sped. ’Twas I won the wager,
Come, Kate, we’ll to bed. We three are married, but you two are sped. ’Twas I won the wager,
Come, Kate, we’ll to bed. We three are married, but you two are sped. ’Twas I won the wager,
Now go thy ways; thou hast tam’d a curst shrew.
Now go thy ways; thou hast tam’d a curst shrew.
Now go thy ways; thou hast tam’d a curst shrew.
Now go thy ways; thou hast tam’d a curst shrew.
’Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tam’d so.
’Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tam’d so.
’Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tam’d so.
’Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tam’d so.
The Reckoning
This scene is the public trial and vindication of Petruchio's method. Katherina doesn't just obey — she performs obedience with such ease that she's either genuinely transformed or has become a perfect actress. Her long speech is the interpretive crux: is she endorsing submission, or performing it with bitter awareness? Either reading is defended by the text. The wager and its outcome are presented as triumph, but the audience is left to decide: has Katherina been tamed, or has she tamed herself to survive?
If this happened today…
A boss holds a meeting where he bets that one of three employees will be most responsive to his summons. Two decline the call; the third not only comes but brings the other two. Then she delivers a motivational speech about hierarchical loyalty. Everyone laughs and celebrates — the boss was right. But you're left wondering: did she change, or did she learn to play the game?