Katherine
The “shrew” of the play’s
title, Katherine, or Kate, is the daughter of Baptista Minola, with whom she
lives in Padua. She is sharp-tongued, quick-tempered, and prone to violence,
particularly against anyone who tries to marry her. Her hostility toward suitors
particularly distresses her father. But her anger and rudeness disguise her
deep-seated sense of insecurity and her jealousy toward her sister, Bianca. She
does not resist her suitor Petruchio forever, though, and she eventually
subjugates herself to him, despite her previous repudiation of marriage.
Petruchio is a gentleman from
Verona. Loud, boisterous, eccentric, quick-witted, and frequently drunk, he has
come to Padua “to wive and thrive.” He wishes for nothing more than a woman
with an enormous dowry, and he finds Kate to be the perfect fit. Disregarding
everyone who warns him of her shrewishness, he eventually succeeds not only in
wooing Katherine, but in silencing her tongue and temper with his own.
The younger daughter of
Baptista. The lovely Bianca proves herself the opposite of her sister, Kate, at
the beginning of the play: she is soft-spoken, sweet, and unassuming. Thus, she
operates as Kate’s principal female foil. Because of her large dowry and her
mild behavior, several men vie for her hand. Baptista, however, will not let
her marry until Kate is wed.
Minola Baptista is one of the
wealthiest men in Padua, and his daughters become the prey of many suitors due
to the substantial dowries he can offer. He is good-natured, if a bit
superficial. His absentmindedness increases when Kate shows her obstinate
nature. Thus, at the opening of the play, he is already desperate to find her a
suitor, having decided that she must marry before Bianca does.
A young student from Pisa, the
good-natured and intrepid Lucentio comes to Padua to study at the city’s
renowned university, but he is immediately sidetracked when he falls in love
with Bianca at first sight. By disguising himself as a classics instructor
named Cambio, he convinces Gremio to offer him to Baptista as a tutor for
Bianca. He wins her love, but his impersonation gets him into trouble when his
father, Vincentio, visits Padua.
Lucentio’s servant. Tranio
accompanies Lucentio from Pisa. Wry and comical, he plays an important part in
his master’s charade—he assumes Lucentio’s identity and bargains with Baptista
for Bianca’s hand.
Two gentlemen of Padua. Gremio and
Hortensio are Bianca’s suitors at the beginning of the play. Though they are
rivals, these older men also become friends during their mutual frustration
with and rejection by Bianca. Hortensio directs Petruchio to Kate and then
dresses up as a music instructor to court Bianca. He and Gremio are both
thwarted in their efforts by Lucentio. Hortensio ends up marrying a widow.
Petruchio’s servant and the fool of
the play—a source of much comic relief.
Lucentio’s second servant, who assists his
master and Tranio in carrying out their plot.
The principal character in the
play’s brief Induction, Sly is a drunken tinker, tricked by a mischievous
nobleman into thinking that he is really a lord.
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