Taming of the Shrew Pd. 3 DD Paula Ferrara
1st post!!! 
Ok guys, so I think we can all say the first two acts are a bit confusing….so to clear things up:
Lucentio, a student from Pisa, and his servant Tranio are on the road to Padua where Lucentio is to study when they come across an argument between Baptista, a wealthy local man and his daughter Bianca’s two suitors, Gremio and Hortensio. Gremio and Hortensio, despite their efforts, are turned down by Baptista due to the fact that he wants Bianca’s older sister Katherine to marry before her. Lucentio falls in love with Bianca upon first seeing her and, in order to woo her, switches places with Tranio and becomes a tutor to Bianca and Katherine. Hortensio not to be left out of Lucentio’s plan also masquerades as a teacher for the girls. During all of this, it is revealed that Katherine is a short-tempered, violence-prone woman who constantly bullies her well-meaning and soft-spoken sister.
Meanwhile, Hortensio and Gremio, rivals to the same cause, agree to help each other in hopes of finding a husband for Katherine so that Bianca is free to be courted. At the same time Petruchio, an arrogant, wealthy man from Verona and a friend of Hortensio, is visiting Padua in order to find a wife with a wealthy dowry. Hortensio, seeing his chance, immediately tells him about Kate and expresses all her qualities, good and bad. Fortunately Petruchio doesn’t care whether his bride is a shrew, as Kate is described, as long as she’s wealthy and decides to propose to her. The next day after a heated battle of words, where Katherine continually mocks Petruchio and he in return avaids them, the date is set for their marraige.
There is also a subplot to this story. As a form of amusement, Christopher Sly, an old drunkard who has fallen asleep at a pub, is taken by a local lord and his men to the lord’s estate where he is treated as a king. Upon waking in a lavish bed where servants wait on him hand and foot, he is entertained by a troupe of actors who put on a play for him, the main story, The Taming of the Shrew.
After reading these first two acts, answer these questions:
1. The whole ‘love at first sight’ thing is reminisent of Romeo and Juliet. Do you think Lutentio and Bianca’s ending will be the same as the star-crossed lovers’ fate or will they have a happier ending?
2. After reading about Bianca’s many suitors, which one do you think truly loves her the most? Which do you think is her best match? Which do you think will get her?
3. Do you think Petruchio and Katherine are a good match? He is arrogant and sees her only for money. She is strong-willed and resists him. Will opposites attract and will the two balance each other out? Or will they totally kill each other in the end?
4. Finally, the subplot. Why do you think Shakespeare stuck the story of Christopher Sly in this play? Is it more comic relief or is there a real connection between the two plots? If there is a connection, what is it?
Use details from the story to support your answers.
Category: Discussion Director 4 comments »
May 10th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
1. I am positive that this will have a happier ending for one reason: this is a comedy, not a tragedy. In a tragedy, we can almost always expect it to end with death. But in a comedy the purpose is entirely different; the audience simply needs to be entertained. So i believe that the ending, although perhaps different than we now expect, will be a happy one.
2. As one of the main characters, Lucentio is described much more in depth than Gremio or Hortensio are, and i believe that he is really the one who loves Bianca. Lucentio is a very calm, mild, poetic man; the opposite of Petruchio. This is similar to the contrast in personality between Bianca and Katherine.
3. I do not think that the two are opposites, no, they fir each other very well. Petruchio is not interested in love, just money. He despises Katherine. Katherine is also uninterested by love and absolutely loathes Petruchio as well. If these two can ever stop being so hard-headed and look just a little beyond themselves, than i think that they would make a good match.
4. At this point, i do not see any connection between this subplot and the play, so i would say that it is probably just for some more humor. Perhaps we will learn more about it as the play progresses.
-Ditz
May 10th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
1. Well considereing that this play is a comedy and not a tragedy I am going to have to go with a happier ending. But Shakespeare could be doing a spoof off of Romeo & Juliet, that would be hilarious. haha.
2. I believe that Lucentio loves Bianca more, although it is hard to tell, since we have not heard very much about him. But from what I have gathered, Lucentio wants to pretend to be a tutor just so that he can still see Bianca while she is locked up. Now that my friends is love.
3.I think that Kate and Pet suit each other. They are very much alike. But some say that opposites attract? Where did we get that from? THIS IS A COMEDY, no one is going to die. And if they do, they will probably just like fall and crack there skull, nothing dramatic.
4. I believe that it is just humor. We haven’t heard much about the play, maybe as we read on connections can be made.
-Abbey
May 10th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
1. I think they will have a happy ending. Like Shaun said, this is a comedy and not a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet had a lot of things going against their relationship: the family rivalry, the murder of Tybalt, which made Romeo enemy number one to the Capulets, the short span of time they had together, and Juliet’s arranged marriage ar just a few. In Bianca and Lucentio’s relationship there are no hardships or obstacles; they are free to love each other.
2. Lucentio has already won Baptista’s bid for his daughter in promising that he will give her a better life than the other two. Also, seeing as he is described so much fore in depth than Hortensio and Gremio, it seems that he will be the one to sweep Bianca off her feet.
3. I think the ‘opposites attract’ rule will work for these two. They share similar qualities in how they argue to no end, but where Petruchio is quick-witted and funny, Kate is insulting and cold-hearted. They complete each other.
4. I do think there is a connection between the plot and subplot, we just haven’t figured it out yet. The connection will probably surface as we read more into the play, but for now, it just serves as more comic relief.
-Paula
May 10th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
1. Well like the other two said, it is a comedy so I believe that it will be a better ending then taking poison and stabbing themselves. Plus these two characters don’t seem like head cases. (That would be Kate and Pet.)
2. I believe that it will be Lutencio that wins Bianca’s hand because as Shaun said he was willing to pretend to be a tutor so he could see Bianca while she was locked up.
3. I believe that opposites will attract and Pet and Kate will complete eachother. But I also think that they will teach eachother a lesson. I believe that they will show eachother that sometimes a person needs to be quick witted but also they sometimes need to be cold. And seriously I know its been hard this week with two deaths within Cedar Crest but IT’S A COMEDY!!!!!!!
4. I don’t think there is any connection wetween the subplot and the story.
-Kody
4.