Act 1, Scene 1: Padua. A public place

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
    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
    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,
    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.
    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,
    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,
    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;
    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.

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.
    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
    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.
    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.

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.

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
    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:
    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.
    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?
    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?

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,
    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:
    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?

    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
    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
    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?

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
    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.

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
    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.
    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.

    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,
    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,
    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:
    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,
    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.

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:
    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
    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!
    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,
    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.

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?

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,
    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:
    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;
    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.

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?

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.
    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:
    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:
    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
    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
    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?

Page

    My lord, 'tis but begun.

SLY

    'Tis a very excellent piece of work, madam lady:
    would 'twere done!

    They sit and mark