The Taming of the Shrew (29 page)

¹⁸⁸
inventions meet
plans agree
jump
coincide

¹⁹²
device
plot

¹⁹⁴
bear
play

¹⁹⁶
Keep house
entertain
ply his book
study

¹⁹⁸
Basta
“enough” (Italian)
full
in full

²⁰³
port
position, dignity

²⁰⁵
meaner
lower-ranking

²⁰⁷
Uncase
undress
coloured
as opposed to the plainer, often blue, livery worn by Elizabethan servants

²⁰⁹
charm
persuade

²¹¹
sith
since

²¹²
tied
obliged

²¹³
charged
instructed

²²⁰
Whose sudden sight
the sudden sight of whom
thralled
enslaved
wounded
i.e. pierced by Cupid’s arrow

²²⁶
frame
fit

²²⁸
count’nance
manner/appearance

²³¹
descried
witnessed/denounced

²³²
becomes
is suitable

²⁴²
discreetly
prudently

²⁴⁵
rests
remains
that thyself execute
which is for you to carry out

²⁴⁶
make
become

²⁴⁷
sufficeth
let it suffice
Presenters above
i.e. the remaining characters from the Induction

²⁴⁸
mind
attend to

²⁴⁹
matter
subject

²⁵³
Would
I wish
mark
attend, observe

Grumio
connotations of “groom”—i.e. servingman

¹
Verona
city in northern Italy

²
of all
especially

⁴
trow
know/believe

⁶
knock
Grumio plays on the sense of “strike (a person)”

⁷
rebused
malapropism for “abused”

¹¹
Villain
wicked one/servant
me
for me
gate
door

¹²
pate
head

¹³
I … worst
if I hit you first I know that I shall come off the worst for it

¹⁶
ring
i.e. with a circular knocker or bell; puns on “wring”

¹⁷
I’ll … it
i.e. I’ll see how you can shriek
sol-fa
sing a scale

¹⁸
mistress
some editors emend to “masters”

²¹
How … all
what are you both doing

²³
Con … trovato
“with all my heart well met” (Italian)

²⁴
Alla …
Petruchio
“Welcome to our house, most worshipful Petruchio” (Italian)

²⁵
compound
settle

²⁷
’leges
alleges
in Latin
despite his Italian name, Grumio does not know the difference between Latin and Italian

³⁰
use
treat
aught
anything

³¹
two … out
i.e. overshooting the mark/not in his right mind/drunk (thirty-one was a card game, the object of which was to collect cards with a total value of thirty-one; it was also a term for being drunk)
pip
one of the spots on a card

³⁶
heart
i.e. life

⁴²
pledge
guarantor

⁴³
this’
this is
heavy chance
sad situation

⁴⁴
ancient
long-standing

⁴⁵
happy
fortunate

⁴⁹
in a few
briefly

⁵³
wive
marry

⁵⁴
Crowns
gold coins

⁵⁶
come roundly
speak plainly

⁵⁷
wish
commend
ill-favoured
foul-tempered

⁵⁸
Thou’ldst
you would

⁶⁵
burden
refrain/bass accompaniment (in a song)

⁶⁶
Florentius’ love
in Gower’s
Confessio Amantis
Florentius is a knight who agrees to marry an ugly hag if she helps him solve the riddle on which his life depends

⁶⁷
Sibyl
ancient prophetess; in classical mythology, Apollo gave the Sibyl of Cumae as many years of life as she held grains of sand in her hand, but he did not grant her accompanying youth

⁶⁸
Xanthippe
wife of Socrates, notorious for her bad temper

⁶⁹
moves me not
does not affect me
not … me
cannot blunt the edge of my desire

⁷⁴
mind
opinion/intention

⁷⁶
aglet-baby
small figure ornamenting the tag of a lace or cord
trot
hag

⁷⁸
so … withal
so long as money comes with it

⁷⁹
are … in
have gone this far

⁸⁰
that I broached
what I began

⁸⁵
intolerable
intolerably

⁸⁷
state
financial situation

⁹¹
board
accost (naval metaphor referring to attacking a ship; plays on the sense of “have sex with”)

⁹²
crack
roar, explode

¹⁰¹
give you over
leave you

¹⁰³
humour
whim
O’
on

¹⁰⁴
an
if

¹⁰⁶
half a score
ten

¹⁰⁷
rail
rant
rope-tricks
possibly Grumio’s version of “rhetoric” or “rope rhetoric,” or implying tricks deserving of punishment by hanging

¹⁰⁸
stand
resist, withstand
figure
figure of speech/rhetorical trick

¹¹⁰
withal
with

¹¹²
keep
safe-keeping (literally, fortified tower)
treasure
plays on the sense of “(Bianca’s) vagina”

¹¹³
hold
custody

¹¹⁵
other more
others besides

¹¹⁸
defects
faults
rehearsed
related

¹²⁰
order
measure

¹²⁵
grace
favor

¹²⁸
seen
skilled

¹³⁰
make love to
woo/seduce

¹³²
Here’s no knavery!
i.e. this does not look like a trick (sarcastic)
beguile
deceive

¹³⁷
proper stripling
fine, handsome youth

¹³⁸
note
presumably, a list of required books

¹³⁹
fairly
handsomely

¹⁴⁰
at any hand
in any case

¹⁴¹
read … lectures
give no other lessons

¹⁴³
liberality
generosity

¹⁴⁴
mend … largesse
add to it with a donation

¹⁴⁵
them
i.e. the books

¹⁵⁰
yourself … place
if you yourself were present

¹⁵⁴
woodcock
proverbially stupid bird

¹⁵⁷
you … met
I am glad to meet you

¹⁵⁸
Trow you
do you know

¹⁶³
Fit … turn
suited to her needs (plays on the sense of “suitable for sex”)

¹⁶⁶
help me to
assist me in obtaining

¹⁷¹
bags
money-bags

¹⁷²
vent
proclaim

¹⁷³
me fair
courteously to me

¹⁷⁴
indifferent … either
that is equally good for both of us

¹⁷⁶
agreement … liking
our agreeing to his conditions (Hortensio later explains that he and Gremio are to pay for the cost of wooing Kate)

¹⁷⁹
So … well
if what you say were to be achieved, it would be all very well

¹⁸³
What countryman?
Where are you from?

¹⁸⁸
stomach
appetite
to’t
begin eating, go ahead

¹⁹¹
Will I live?
i.e. of course

¹⁹⁷
chafèd
irritated

¹⁹⁸
ordnance
artillery

²⁰⁰
pitchèd
planned

²⁰¹
’larums
calls to arms

²⁰⁴
chestnut … fire
chestnuts crackle when they burn

²⁰⁵
Fear
frighten
bugs
imaginary terrors

²¹¹
charge
expense
brave
finely dressed

²¹⁵
readiest
quickest

²¹⁹
to—
the implied missing word is “woo,” though some editors emend to “too?”

²²⁰
What … do?
What is it to do with you?

²²²
chiders
quarrelers, rebukers

²²³
begun
said

²²⁴
ere
before

²³³
choice
chosen/ special

²³⁸
all
altogether

²⁴¹
Leda’s daughter
Helen of Troy, supposedly the most beautiful woman in the world

²⁴⁴
Though
even if
Paris
the Trojan prince who snatched Helen from her husband
speed alone
be the only one to succeed

²⁴⁶
head
free reign
jade
worn-out horse

²⁵³
let … by
leave her alone

²⁵⁴
Hercules … twelve
in Greek mythology, Hercules (also called
Alcides
) carried out twelve seemingly impossible tasks

²⁵⁵
let it be
grant that it is

²⁵⁶
sooth
truth

²⁵⁷
hearken for
seek to win/inquire after

²⁶³
stead
help

²⁶⁶
whose hap
he whose good fortune it

²⁶⁷
Will … ingrate
will not be so ill-mannered as to be ungrateful

²⁶⁸
conceive
understand

²⁷⁰
gratify
show gratitude to/reward

²⁷¹
rest
remain
beholding
indebted

²⁷³
contrive
spend, use

²⁷⁴
quaff carouses
drink toasts

²⁷⁵
adversaries
opposing lawyers

²⁷⁶
Strive
compete

²⁷⁷
motion
proposal

²⁷⁹
ben venuto
“welcome” (Italian); sense here is “host”

²
bondmaid
slave-girl

³
goods
ornaments, jewels, love tokens

⁴
Unbind
if you will unbind