The Taming of the Shrew 1.1 - Bianca cannot wed until Katharina does

The Taming of the Shrew

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ACT I SCENE I	Padua. A public place.
[Enter LUCENTIO and his man TRANIO]
LUCENTIO	Tranio, 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	5
	With his good will and thy good company,
	My trusty servant, well approved in all,
	Here let us breathe and haply institute
	A course of learning and ingenious studies.
	Pisa renown'd for grave citizens	10
	Gave me my being and my father first,
	A merchant of great traffic through the world,
	Vincetino come of Bentivolii.
	Vincetino's son brought up in Florence
	It shall become to serve all hopes conceived,	15
	To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds:
	And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,
	Virtue and that part of philosophy
	Will I apply that treats of happiness
	By virtue specially to be achieved.	20
	Tell me thy mind; for I have Pisa left
	And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
	A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep
	And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.
TRANIO	Mi perdonato, gentle master mine,	25
	I am in all affected as yourself;
	Glad that you thus continue your resolve
	To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.
	Only, good master, while we do admire
	This virtue and this moral discipline,	30
	Let'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;	35
	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.	40
LUCENTIO	Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise.
	If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore,
	We could at once put us in readiness,
	And take a lodging fit to entertain
	Such friends as time in Padua shall beget.	45
	But stay a while: what company is this?
TRANIO	Master, some show to welcome us to town.
[ Enter BAPTISTA, KATHARINA, BIANCA, GREMIO, and HORTENSIO. LUCENTIO and TRANIO stand by ]
BAPTISTA	Gentlemen, importune me no farther,
	For how I firmly am resolved you know;
	That is, not bestow my youngest daughter	50
	Before I have a husband for the elder:
	If either of you both love Katharina,
	Because I know you well and love you well,
	Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.
GREMIO	[Aside] To cart her rather: she's too rough for me.	55
	There, There, Hortensio, will you any wife?
KATHARINA	I pray you, sir, is it your will
	To make a stale of me amongst these mates?
HORTENSIO	Mates, maid! how mean you that? no mates for you,
	Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.	60
KATHARINA	I'faith, sir, you shall never need to fear:
	I wis it is not half way to her heart;
	But if it were, doubt not her care should be
	To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool
	And paint your face and use you like a fool.	65
HORTENSIA	From all such devils, good Lord deliver us!
GREMIO	And me too, good Lord!
TRANIO	Hush, master! here's some good pastime toward:
	That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward.
LUCENTIO	But in the other's silence do I see	70
	Maid's mild behavior and sobriety.
	Peace, Tranio!
TRANIO	Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fill.
BAPTISTA	Gentlemen, that I may soon make good
	What I have said, Bianca, get you in:	75
	And let it not displease thee, good Bianca,
	For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl.
KATHARINA	A pretty peat! it is best
	Put finger in the eye, an she knew why.
BIANCA	Sister, content you in my discontent.	80
	Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe:
	My books and instruments shall be my company,
	On them to took and practise by myself.
LUCENTIO	Hark, Tranio! thou may'st hear Minerva speak.
HORTENSIO	Signior Baptista, will you be so strange?	85
	Sorry am I that our good will effects
	Bianca's grief.
GREMIO	Why will you mew her up,
	Signior Baptista, for this fiend of hell,
	And make her bear the penance of her tongue?	90
BAPTISTA	Gentlemen, content ye; I am resolved:
	Go in, Bianca:
[Exit BIANCA]
	And for I know she taketh most delight
	In music, instruments and poetry,
	Schoolmasters will I keep within my house,	95
	Fit to instruct her youth. If you, Hortensio,
	Or Signior Gremio, you, know any such,
	Prefer them hither; for to cunning men
	I will be very kind, and liberal
	To mine own children in good bringing up:	100
	And so farewell. Katharina, you may stay;
	For I have more to commune with Bianca.
[Exit]
KATHARINA	Why, and I trust I may go too, may I not? What,
	shall I be appointed hours; as though, belike, I
	knew not what to take and what to leave, ha?	105
[Exit]
GREMIO	You may go to the devil's dam: your gifts are so
	good, here's none will hold you. Their love is not
	so great, Hortensio, but we may blow our nails
	together, and fast it fairly out: our cakes dough on
	both sides. Farewell: yet for the love I bear my	110
	sweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit
	man to teach her that wherein she delights, I will
	wish him to her father.
HORTENSIO	So will I, Signior Gremio: but a word, I pray.
	Though the nature of our quarrel yet never brooked	115
	parle, know now, upon advice, it toucheth us both,
	that we may yet again have access to our fair
	mistress and be happy rivals in Bianco's love, to
	labour and effect one thing specially.
GREMIO	What's that, I pray?	120
HORTENSIO	Marry, sir, to get a husband for her sister.
GREMIO	A husband! a devil.
HORTENSIO	I say, a husband.
GREMIO	I say, a devil. Thinkest thou, Hortensio, though
	her father be very rich, any man is so very a fool	125
	to be married to hell?
HORTENSIO	Tush, Gremio, though it pass your patience and mine
	to endure her loud alarums, why, man, there be good
	fellows in the world, an a man could light on them,
	would take her with all faults, and money enough.	130
GREMIO	I cannot tell; but I had as lief take her dowry with
	this condition, to be whipped at the high cross
	every morning.
HORTENSIO	Faith, as you say, there's small choice in rotten
	apples. But come; since this bar in law makes us	135
	friends, it shall be so far forth friendly
	maintained all by helping Baptista's eldest daughter
	to a husband we set his youngest free for a husband,
	and then have to't a fresh. Sweet Bianca! Happy man
	be his dole! He that runs fastest gets the ring.	140
	How say you, Signior Gremio?
GREMIO	I am agreed; and would I had given him the best
	horse in Padua to begin his wooing that would
	thoroughly woo her, wed her and bed her and rid the
	house of her! Come on.	145
[Exeunt GREMIO and HORTENSIO]
TRANIO	I pray, sir, tell me, is it possible
	That love should of a sudden take such hold?
LUCENTIO	O Tranio, till I found it to be true,
	I never thought it possible or likely;
	But see, while idly I stood looking on,	150
	I found the effect of love in idleness:
	And now in plainness do confess to thee,
	That art to me as secret and as dear
	As Anna to the queen of Carthage was,
	Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio,	155
	If I achieve not this young modest girl.
	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:	160
	If love have touch'd you, nought remains but so,
	'Redime te captum quam queas minimo.'
LUCENTIO	Gramercies, lad, go forward; this contents:
	The rest will comfort, for thy counsel's sound.
TRANIO	Master, you look'd so longly on the maid,	165
	Perhaps you mark'd not what's the pith of all.
LUCENTIO	O yes, I saw sweet beauty in her face,
	Such as the daughter of Agenor had,
	That made great Jove to humble him to her hand.
	When with his knees he kiss'd the Cretan strand.	170
TRANIO	Saw you no more? mark'd you not how her sister
	Began to scold and raise up such a storm
	That mortal ears might hardly endure the din?
LUCENTIO	Tranio, I saw her coral lips to move
	And with her breath she did perfume the air:	175
	Sacred and sweet was all I saw in her.
TRANIO	Nay, then, 'tis time to stir him from his trance.
	I pray, awake, sir: if you love the maid,
	Bend thoughts and wits to achieve her. Thus it stands:
	Her eldest sister is so curst and shrewd	180
	That till the father rid his hands of her,
	Master, your love must live a maid at home;
	And therefore has he closely mew'd her up,
	Because she will not be annoy'd with suitors.
LUCENTIO	Ah, Tranio, what a cruel father's he!	185
	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.
LUCENTIO	I have it, Tranio.
TRANIO	Master, for my hand,	190
	Both our inventions meet and jump in one.
LUCENTIO	Tell me thine first.
TRANIO	You will be schoolmaster
	And undertake the teaching of the maid:
	That's your device.	195
LUCENTIO	It is: may it be done?
TRANIO	Not possible; for who shall bear your part,
	And be in Padua here Vincentio's son,
	Keep house and ply his book, welcome his friends,
	Visit his countrymen and banquet them?	200
LUCENTIO	Basta; content thee, for I have it full.
	We have not yet been seen in any house,
	Nor can we lie distinguish'd by our faces
	For man or master; then it follows thus;
	Thou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead,	205
	Keep house and port and servants as I should:
	I will some other be, some Florentine,
	Some Neapolitan, or meaner man of Pisa.
	'Tis hatch'd and shall be so: Tranio, at once
	Uncase thee; take my colour'd hat and cloak:	210
	When Biondello comes, he waits on thee;
	But I will charm him first to keep his tongue.
TRANIO	So had you need.
	In brief, sir, sith it your pleasure is,
	And I am tied to be obedient;	215
	For so your father charged me at our parting,
	'Be serviceable to my son,' quoth he,
	Although I think 'twas in another sense;
	I am content to be Lucentio,
	Because so well I love Lucentio.	220
LUCENTIO	Tranio, be so, because Lucentio loves:
	And let me be a slave, to achieve that maid
	Whose sudden sight hath thrall'd my wounded eye.
	Here comes the rogue.
[Enter BIONDELLO]
	Sirrah, where have you been?	225
BIONDELLO	Where have I been! Nay, how now! where are you?
	Master, has my fellow Tranio stolen your clothes? Or
	you stolen his? or both? pray, what's the news?
LUCENTIO	Sirrah, come hither: 'tis no time to jest,
	And therefore frame your manners to the time.	230
	Your fellow Tranio here, to save my life,
	Puts my apparel and my countenance on,
	And I for my escape have put on his;
	For in a quarrel since I came ashore
	I kill'd a man and fear I was descried:	235
	Wait you on him, I charge you, as becomes,
	While I make way from hence to save my life:
	You understand me?
BIONDELLO	I, sir! ne'er a whit.
LUCENTIO	And not a jot of Tranio in your mouth:	240
	Tranio is changed into Lucentio.
BIONDELLO	The better for him: would I were so too!
TRANIO	So could I, faith, boy, to have the next wish after,
	That Lucentio indeed had Baptista's youngest daughter.
	But, sirrah, not for my sake, but your master's, I advise	245
	You use your manners discreetly in all kind of companies:
	When I am alone, why, then I am Tranio;
	But in all places else your master Lucentio.
LUCENTIO	Tranio, let's go: one thing more rests, that
	thyself execute, to make one among these wooers: if	250
	thou ask me why, sufficeth, my reasons are both good
	and weighty.
[Exeunt]
[The presenters above speak]
First Servant	My lord, you nod; you do not mind the play.
SLY	Yes, by Saint Anne, do I. A good matter, surely:
	comes there any more of it?	255
Page	My lord, 'tis but begun.
SLY	'Tis a very excellent piece of work, madam lady:
	would 'twere done!
[They sit and mark]