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The Taming of the Shrew Education QuotesQuote #1What, would you make me mad? Am not I Christopher Sly, old Sly's son of Burtonheath, by birth a pedlar, by education a cardmaker, by transmutation a bear-herd, and now by present profession a tinker? (Induction.2.3) This passage does a lot to demonstrate the formal education divide in the play – as it is today, formal education in the play is indicative of social class and power. Its distribution between the haves and the have-nots becomes clear when Sly reveals a laundry list of low-level trade jobs.Quote #2Tranio, since for the great desire I had To see fair Padua, nursery of arts, I am arrived for fruitful Lombardy, The pleasant garden of great Italy; And by my father's love and leave am arm'd With his good will and thy good company, My trusty servant, well approved in all, Here let us breathe and haply institute. (1.1.1) Lucentio arrives in Padua with good intentions – he believes his commitment to his studies will please his family. This plan is quickly abandoned, however, when Lucentio falls in love with Bianca and decides to dress up as a "tutor," an ironic twist. Bianca, however, is the one who teaches Lucentio a lesson when she turns out not to be the silent and obedient woman Lucentio expects her to be. Quote #3Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, I pray; Or so devote to Aristotle's cheques As Ovid be an outcast quite abjured: Balk logic with acquaintance that you have And practise rhetoric in your common talk; Music and poesy use to quicken you; The mathematics and the metaphysics, Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you; No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en: In brief, sir, study what you most affect. (1.1.1.) Tranio's insistence that Lucentio study "Ovid" is actually a clever way of promoting the relevance of real–life experience – falling in love. Critics point out that Shrew tends to agree with Tranio's point of view. Formal education is often usurped by worldly learning.Quote #4LUCENTIO '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. (3.1.5) When Lucentio reads an excerpt from Ovid's Heroides and reveals his love for Bianca instead of translating the Latin lines to English, education becomes a disguise (like any other costume in play) for the act of courtship. The theme of education in this passage can also help us think about how the act of translation (turning words from one language into another while retaining the same sense or meaning) is a kind of transformation. While Lucentio's outside appearance changes (from Lucentio to "Cambio"), the person on the inside remains exactly the same. Quote #5Are you my wife and will not call me husband? My men should call me 'lord:' I am your goodman. (Induction.2.10) Sly's ignorance of the social customs of the nobility is pretty evident here, as he is upset when his "wife" calls him her "lord." It's not apparent that Sly will ever learn how to be like a nobleman, calling into question the idea that experiential learning is useful and valuable. Quote #6LUCENTIO Counsel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst; Assist me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt. TRANIO Master, it is no time to chide you now; Affection is not rated from the heart: If love have touch'd you, nought remains but so, 'Redime te captum quam queas minimo. (1.1.5) Tranio's role as advisor and mentor is unusual because elsewhere in the play, servants don't subvert the typical dynamic of power between master and servant. Tranio is helpful when it comes to Lucentio getting his way, but it's doubtful that Lucentio's father would see the servant as a good "teacher" for his son.Quote #7LUCENTIO Ah, Tranio, what a cruel father's he! But art thou not advised, he took some care To get her cunning schoolmasters to instruct her? TRANIO Ay, marry, am I, sir; and now 'tis plotted. (1.2.9) Education is aligned with deception, no doubt, but here, Tranio's pun on "plotted" also underscores the fact that Baptista's request for tutors to school his daughters unwittingly sets the sub "plot" in motion. Quote #8Why, 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. (3.1.1) Bianca's insistence that she is no mere schoolboy asserts her control over her own education and also over her relationship with men. We don't know it yet, but at this moment in the play, Bianca is aware that her "tutors" (at least Lucentio anyway) are actually suitors. Quote #9TRANIO Faith, he is gone unto the taming-school. BIANCA The taming-school! what, is there such a place? TRANIO Ay, mistress, and Petruchio is the master; That teacheth tricks eleven and twenty long, To tame a shrew and charm her chattering tongue. (4.2.9) This dialogue sets up the idea that Petruchio is some kind of master teacher. He will teach Hortensio how to control the Widow while he teaches Kate to control her "tongue." The words "tricks" and "charm" are interesting as they make Petruchio sound like a magician. We're not sure if this implies a kind of supernatural ability on Petruchio's part because the terms can also suggest that Petruchio's tactics are not real – rather, they're like the slight of hand tricks magicians use to fool audiences. This makes sense, especially given that Hortensio doesn't really learn anything thing at the so-called "taming school." The whole concept, it seems, is mere fantasy.Quote #10Young budding virgin, fair and fresh and sweet, Whither away, or where is thy abode? Happy the parents of so fair a child; Happier the man, whom favourable stars Allot thee for his lovely bed-fellow! (4.5.6) In this scene, where Petruchio breaks Katherine, we note that Kate has learned to be an actor. Here, as she pretends that Vincentio is a lovely young woman, she demonstrates his newly acquired skill and also hones her impromptu acting chops. The term "Petruchio's taming school," applies not only to Hortensio's so-called apprenticeship but also to Katherine's role as a student to Petruchio.The Taming of the Shrew Gender QuotesQuote #1But in the other's silence do I see Maid's mild behavior and sobriety. Peace, Tranio! (1.1.3) When Tranio sees Bianca for the very first time, he gives voice to the reason why men find Bianca so attractive and suitable for marriage – silence and obedience to her father make her an ideal woman and an attractive candidate for wifehood. Too bad for Lucentio that Bianca turns out to be none of these things. Quote #2By this reckoning he is more shrew than she (4.1.15). The term "shrew" is often reserved for railing women. Here, Curtis learns of Petruchio's behavior and calls him a bigger "shrew" than Kate. We know that this is Petruchio's plan. But, Curtis's choice of words raises the question of whether or not Petruchio's masculinity is compromised in any way when he rails like a woman, so to speak. Quote #3GRUMIO Katharina the curst! A title for a maid of all titles the worst. (1.2.9) Grumio's insistence that being labeled a shrew is the "worst" fate a woman can suffer is odd – we're used to hearing that being labeled a "whore" is the worst reputation for a woman in Elizabethan comedy.Quote #4Sirrah, go you to Barthol'mew my page, And see him dress'd in all suits like a lady: That done, conduct him to the drunkard's chamber; And call him 'madam,' do him obeisance. (Induction.1.11) Bart plays a very brief but important role in Shrew. The fact that it's so easy for him to pass as a woman suggests the fluidity of gender ("femininity" and "masculinity"), especially on stage. Quote #5PETRUCHIO To her, Kate! HORTENSIO To her, widow! (5.2.8) The behavior of Petruchio and Hortensio says a great deal about the way men use women as a means to interact and compete with other men in the play. The fact that Kate and the Widow fight in the last scene is also typical of the fact that there is no such thing as female companionship in the play, suggesting that women are incapable of friendship. Quote #6Why came I hither but to that intent? Think you a little din can daunt mine ears? Have I not in my time heard lions roar? Have I not heard the sea puff'd up with winds Rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat? Have I not heard great ordnance in the field, And heaven's artillery thunder in the skies? Have I not in a pitched battle heard Loud 'larums, neighing steeds, and trumpets' clang? And do you tell me of a woman's tongue, That gives not half so great a blow to hear As will a chestnut in a farmer's fire? Tush, tush! fear boys with bugs. (1.2.16) Just one of many speeches Petruchio gives to assert his shrew-taming skills, this passage reflects the way Petruchio and the other men measure their masculinity by assessing their hierarchical relationships with women. The implication: if a man can't control his woman, he's effeminate rather than masculine.Quote #7Such 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 (5.2.7) Kate compares husbands and wives to princes and subjects to assert the hierarchical power structure in marriage. Here, she implies that the home is like a mini-kingdom, which gives credence to the idea that unruly wives/subjects threaten the very fabric of the family structure and are a kind of danger to the public. Quote #8Now, for my life, Hortensio fears his widow. (5.2.8) Petruchio's comment about his friend Hortensio says a lot about the way men interact and give each other a hard time in the play. The comment is made in good fun but there's also a lot of truth in the statement, which suggests that Petruchio enjoys dominating his male friends just as much as he enjoys ruling over his wife.Quote #9Thy 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; (5.2.7) Critics point out that Kate's allusion to the male body's "painful labor" is an unusual subversion of the Genesis story, where women's bodies are subject to painful childbirth. The emphasis in this part of Kate's speech is on mutual obligation in marriage, not just one partner's obedience. On the other hand, the allusion to Eve's fall in and of itself can be seen as a reminder of women's "frailty."Quote #10Well, 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. (5.2.15) Hefty dowries aren't the only systems in which wives can be little money machines. Petruchio's wager on his wife's obedience suggests that women are always seen as cash cows.The Taming of the Shrew Marriage QuotesQuote #1BAPTISTA Faith, gentlemen, now I play a merchant's part, And venture madly on a desperate mart. TRANIO 'Twas a commodity lay fretting by you: 'Twill bring you gain, or perish on the seas. (2.1.22) Baptista's metaphor gives voice to his role as a "businessman" in negotiating the marriage of Bianca. Marrying his daughters is a precarious business venture for him, as he seems that he stands to lose more than his daughter does. Quote #2Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee, For in Baptista's keep my treasure is: He hath the jewel of my life in hold, His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca, And her withholds from me and other more. (1.2.7)Hortensio's insistence that Bianca is a "treasure" withheld from him by Baptista echoes Petruchio's earlier claims about the importance of "wiving it wealthily" in Padua. Although Hortensio's figure of speech is not as crude as Petruchio's overt equation of wives and wealth, the metaphor treads dangerously close – especially since Hortensio accuses Baptista of hoarding his daughter. Monetary wealth may not be as important to Hortensio as it is to Petruchio, but he does equate Bianca with a commodity. Quote #3I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; If wealthily, then happily in Padua. (1.2.10)Although crude and offensive, Petruchio is completely up front and open about his fortune-seeking ways. Marriage brings happiness, not for love's sake, but because marrying a wealthy wife brings in a lot of cash, which, according to Petruchio, is happiness.Quote #4I pray you, sir, is it your will To make a stale of me amongst these mates? (1.1.1) This speech earns Kate a lot of criticism from the men in the play but Kate makes a good point about her father – Baptista does treat her like a "stale" (prostitute, laughing stock) when he offers to let Bianca's suitors have a run at Katherine. Quote #5Nay, 'tis no matter, sir, what he 'leges in Latin. (1.2.5) When Grumio (who is supposed to be an Italian character like the rest of the cast) thinks that Hortensio and Petruchio have greeting each other in Latin (they actually spoke in Italian), he reveals his lack of formal education. Makes sense, he's a servant, not an upper-middle-class character. This little joke is also directed at Shakespeare's audience, many of whom also didn't know the difference between Latin and Italian. Quote #6Of all thy suitors, here I charge thee, tell Whom thou lovest best: see thou dissemble not. (2.1.1) Contrary to what Kate says earlier in the play, it's not entirely clear that she is uninterested in matrimony. Kate's interest in Bianca's suitors and her reaction when Bianca refuses to share details suggests that Katherine really does want to get married.Quote #7Be patient, gentlemen; I choose her for myself: If she and I be pleased, what's that to you? 'Tis bargain'd 'twixt us twain, being alone, That she shall still be curst in company. I tell you, 'tis incredible to believe How much she loves me: O, the kindest Kate! (2.1.39) Petruchio obviously lies when he says Kate has agreed to marry him. His alliterative insistence that it was bargained "twixt [them] twain" underscores the fact that the marriage was bargained between Petruchio and Baptista, not between Kate and Petruchio. Quote #8HORTENSIO I promised we would be contributors And bear his charging of wooing, whatsoe'er. GREMIO And so we will, provided that he win her. (1.2.13) We know that marriages are treated like business transactions between father and son-in-law. In the play, matrimony is also a thing to be negotiated among competing suitors rather than between a man and woman exclusively. Quote #9He'll woo a thousand, 'point the day of marriage, Make feasts, invite friends, and proclaim the banns; Yet never means to wed where he hath woo'd. Now must the world point at poor Katharina, And say, 'Lo, there is mad Petruchio's wife, If it would please him come and marry he'r Katherine and she feels as though her reputation depends on the way her husband treats her in public. (2.1.1) We've seen how a wife's reputation can influence and determine her husband's reputation and credit, but here, it's clear that Katherine fears marriage is yet another institute that will cause her public embarrassment and pain.Quote #10I will be master of what is mine own: She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, My household stuff, my field, my barn, My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing; And here she stands, touch her whoever dare. (3.2.13) Petruchio's words may be delivered when he plays the "role" of a domineering husband (as a part of his wife taming scheme) but his insistence that Kate is his property echoes the very real circumstance of all Elizabethan women regardless of their husband's attitudes – once married, women had no legal rights of their own. Quote #11Come, Kate, we'll to bed. […] 'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white; And, being a winner, God give you good night! (5.2.32) Petruchio's final words in the play and his insistence that he and Kate "got to bed" is emblematic of the way comedies always end in marriage and consummation. Presumably, order has been restored to the world. Yet, Petruchio's excessive bragging before he exits may also hint that Kate's final speech was delivered ironically, leaving Petruchio a bit off-balance and feeling the need to validate his masculinity and control.The Taming of the Shrew Transformation QuotesQuote #1O monstrous beast! how like a swine he lies! Grim death, how foul and loathsome is thine image! Sirs, I will practise on this drunken man. (Induction.1.4)The Lord's decision to punish Sly, by transforming him from a "beast" to a "nobleman," anticipates the way Petruchio will force Kate to change from a "shrew" to an "obedient wife." Both of these forced metamorphoses raise Kate and Sly to more acceptable social roles, but Shakespeare calls into question whether these changes are permanent or even genuine. Quote #2I know the boy will well usurp the grace, Voice, gait and action of a gentlewoman: I long to hear him call the drunkard husband, And how my men will stay themselves from laughter When they do homage to this simple peasant. (Induction.1.11) Part of the Duke's elaborate plot to turn Sly from a "swine" into a nobleman involves the transformation of his servants (and himself) into role-playing characters, a reminder that all actors (including Shakespeare) undergo transformations each time they set foot on stage. Quote #3And you are well met, Signior Hortensio. Trow you whither I am going? To Baptista Minola. I promised to inquire carefully About a schoolmaster for the fair Bianca: And by good fortune I have lighted well On this young man, for learning and behavior Fit for her turn, well read in poetry And other books, good ones, I warrant ye. (1.2.3) Gremio has no idea that the tutor he hired for Bianca is really Lucentio, a young man who has fallen in love Bianca. In the play, physical disguises are modes of deception that suggest all forms of transformation are temporary and not to be taken at face value.Quote #4I pray you, sir, let him go while the humour lasts. O' my word, an she knew him as well as I do, she would think scolding would do little good upon him: (1.2.8) When Grumio notes that Katherine doesn't have a chance against Petruchio, he lets on that perhaps Petruchio's (future) transformation from an average guy to a domineering bully, who is more of a "shrew" than Kate, is more common than Petruchio lets on. It seems that P has played this game before. Quote #5I'll tell you what sir, an she stand him but a little, he will throw a figure in her face and so disfigure her with it that she shall have no more eyes to see withal than a cat. You know him not, sir. (1.2.8) When Grumio assures Hortensio that Petruchio will beat Kate in a verbal battle of wits, he suggests that Petruchio's words, his "figures" of speech, have the power to physically alter Kate's appearance. (Like acid might burn and transform a person's face.) This anticipates Kate's transformation from railing shrew to an obedient wife. And though Petruchio never lays a hand on Kate, his taming tactics – starvation, forced sleep deprivation, etc. – do cause Kate to physically suffer, just as acid would. Quote #6Young budding virgin, fair and fresh and sweet, Whither away, or where is thy abode? Happy the parents of so fair a child; Happier the man, whom favourable stars Allot thee for his lovely bed-fellow! (4.5.6) It's no surprise that the moment of Kate's so-called "transformation" (the moment Petruchio breaks her will and tames her) occurs when she and Petruchio transform an old man into a "budding virgin." Part of what makes Kate a new kind of person is her ability to pretend, just like an actor.Quote #7BAPTISTA Why, tell me, is not this my Cambio? BIANCA Cambio is changed into Lucentio. LUCENTIO Love wrought these miracles. Bianca's love Made me exchange my state with Tranio, While he did bear my countenance in the town. (5.1.6) Change and disguise are central to the Bianca plot, as just about all of her suitors don disguises to win her love. Here, Bianca cleverly puns on the word cambio, meaning "change" in Italian. We're also interested in the way Lucentio blames his bad behavior (playing dress-up and lying to everyone) on "love." Sounds like a lame copout for sure, but he might be telling the truth. In his opening speech in Act 1, Lucentio seems hell-bent on studying and making his family proud of his "virtuousness." The moment he sees Bianca, however, he transforms into a man without scruples. Perhaps it's true that love really does change a man, but not necessarily for the better.Quote #8BAPTISTA How likes Gremio these quick-witted folks? GREMIO Believe me, sir, they butt together well. BIANCA Head, and butt! an hasty-witted body Would say your head and butt were head and horn. (5.2.3) Baptista and Lucentio are in for quite a surprise when they learn that Bianca is not as sweet and silent as she appeared to be. Here, Bianca plays off of Gremio's comment that the wedding guests are butting heads (bickering and insulting one another). Bianca jumps in and calls Gremio a horned animal (that's code for "cuckold" – a man who is cheated on by his wife). It turns out, though, that Bianca's husband is the chump because he's married to a shrew. In a way, Kate is vindicated. On the other hand, the overall assertion doesn't change – any woman who talks like a man is a "shrew." Quote #9HORTENSIO Confess, confess, hath he not hit you here? PETRUCHIO 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. (5.2.14) Here again a character implies that painful words and insults have the ability to physically transform one's appearance. In this case, the thing that "maims" Hortensio and Lucentio is an accusation that their wives are disobedient and unruly. Petruchio implies that a wife's behavior has the ability to alter her husband's reputation or street cred. (It certainly leaves him open to insults from other guys and business associates.) Petruchio also alludes to the idea that Hortensio and Lucentio have married castrating women. Ouch.Quote #10Now, fair befal 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 changed, as she had never been. (5.2.7) Baptista describes Kate's outward transformation from shrew to ideal wife as though the change in his daughter's behavior is so dramatic that she is unrecognizable. We're reminded of the fact that Baptista never really knew his daughter at all, which hardly places him in a position to judge her so-called transformation. The fact that Baptista believes outward behavior is the thing that defines one's identity gets him into trouble throughout the play. His inability to look beyond appearances leaves him open to being deceived by Bianca, Lucentio, and Tranio. (Tip: This is also a great quote to consider of you're interested in the theme of "Marriage" and dowries.) ................
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