The Taming of the Shrew (30 page)

⁵
raiment
clothing

⁹
dissemble
lie

¹¹
special
particular

¹³
Minion
hussy

¹⁴
affect
love

¹⁷
fair
well dressed

¹⁸
envy
despise

²³
dame
madam (accusatory)

²⁵
ply thy needle
sew/embroider
meddle not
have nothing to do

²⁶
hilding
good-for-nothing

²⁸
cross
provoke, thwart

²⁹
flouts
mocks

³¹
suffer
listen to/permit/endure

³³
dance … day
traditionally the fate of an unmarried elder sister

³⁴
lead … hell
proverbially old maids did so because they had no children to lead in heaven

³⁶
occasion of
opportunity for
habit
clothing
mean
humble

⁴⁵
Go … orderly
apply yourself to the business with decorum

⁴⁶
give me leave
excuse me/let me explain myself

⁴⁸
wit
intelligence

⁵¹
forward
eager/presumptuous

⁵⁴
for … entertainment
as an entrance-fee for my reception

⁵⁷
sciences
fields of learning

⁵⁹
Accept of
accept

⁶⁰
Litio
Second Folio and many later editions emend to “Licio” throughout
Mantua
city in northern Italy

⁶³
turn
purpose/needs

⁷¹
Saving
with respect for

⁷²
poor petitioners
humble suitors

⁷³
Baccare
!
“Stand back!” (mock-Latin)

⁷⁴
I … doing
I am eager for action (perhaps plays on the sense of “having sex”)

⁷⁶
grateful
agreeable

⁷⁷
like
same

⁷⁸
kindly
fittingly/affectionately

⁸⁰
Rheims
northern French town with a well-known university

⁸²
Cambio
Italian for “exchange”

⁸⁵
walk … stranger
seem like a newcomer/seem as if you are not one of the group/stand aside

⁹²
preferment
precedence (i.e. offering Kate before Bianca)

⁹⁴
upon knowledge
when you know

¹⁰¹
Lucentio … name?
perhaps Baptista learns this by opening one of the books in which Lucentio’s name is written

¹⁰³
mighty
renowned, noble

¹⁰⁶
presently
at once

¹⁰⁷
Holla
a shout to attract attention

¹¹¹
orchard
garden

¹¹²
dinner
the main meal of the day, served between eleven and noon
passing
extremely

¹¹⁴
asketh haste
is urgent

¹²²
in possession
i.e. on marriage

¹²³
assure … widowhood
provide for her after my death/guarantee her rights as a widow

¹²⁵
leases
property that is let

¹²⁶
specialities
a special contract

¹²⁷
covenants
formal agreements

¹²⁸
special
unique/particular

¹³⁰
father
i.e. father-in-law

¹³⁶
So I
so I shall behave (like an
extreme gust
)

¹³⁸
happy … speed
may the outcome be happy/fortunate

¹⁴⁰
to the proof
so as to be invulnerable
broke
grazed, bleeding

¹⁴⁵
prove
become/test the skill of

¹⁴⁶
hold with
resist, withstand

¹⁴⁷
break her to
teach her to play

¹⁴⁸
broke … me
i.e. broken the
lute
over my head

¹⁴⁹
frets
ridges for guiding the fingers (Kate shifts the sense to “vexations”)

¹⁵²
fume
show anger

¹⁵⁴
pate
head

¹⁵⁵
amazèd
perplexed, dumbstruck

¹⁵⁶
As … pillory
as if in the stocks (in which the head was confined by wooden boards)

¹⁵⁷
fiddler
lute-player/meddler

¹⁵⁸
Jack
base fellow

¹⁵⁹
studied
practiced, planned

¹⁶⁰
lusty
lively

¹⁶³
discomfited
disheartened

¹⁶⁴
in practice
with your lessons

¹⁶⁸
attend
wait for

¹⁷²
clear
serene, faultless

¹⁷⁶
piercing
moving

¹⁷⁷
pack
leave

¹⁷⁹
crave
demand

¹⁸⁰
banns
public proclamations of intended marriages

¹⁸³
hard
puns on
heard
(which was pronounced similarly)

¹⁸⁹
dainties … Kates
puns on “cates” (i.e.
dainties
, delicacies)

¹⁹⁰
of
from

¹⁹²
sounded
proclaimed/fathomed

¹⁹³
deeply … belongs
loudly/in such depth as you deserve

¹⁹⁴
moved
compelled (Kate shifts to the literal sense)

¹⁹⁵
In good time!
Indeed!

¹⁹⁶
you … first
from the start

¹⁹⁷
movable
piece of furniture/changeable person

¹⁹⁹
joint stool
low stool made by a joiner (“I took you for a joint stool” was a way of mockingly apologizing for ignoring someone)

²⁰⁰
sit on me
i.e. as I am a stool (with sexual innuendo)

²⁰¹
Asses
puns on “arses”
bear
carry loads (Petruchio plays on the sense of “bear the weight of a man’s body/of a baby”)

²⁰⁴
burden
lie on top of/accuse

²⁰⁵
light
not heavy/promiscuous

²⁰⁶
light
quick
swain
rustic (contemptuous)

²⁰⁷
as … be
the right weight/of sound social standing

²⁰⁸
be
puns on “bee”
buzz
rumor—i.e. you should hear what actually is said about you; also a noise of impatience;
wasp
then shifts sense to insect noise

²⁰⁹
ta’en
seized upon, used
buzzard
fool (literally useless bird of prey)/ rumor-monger

²¹⁰
turtle
turtle-dove (symbol of faithful love)

²¹¹
turtle … buzzard
i.e. only a fool will take me for a faithful wife, just as the turtle-dove mistakenly swallows an insect

²¹³
waspish
spiteful/wasp-like

²¹⁶
sting
plays on the sense of genitals/sexual urge

²¹⁹
tails
puns on “tales”

²²⁰
with … tail
i.e. leaving me with the last word (
tail
puns on the sense of “vagina”)
come
plays on the sense of “have an orgasm”
again
back/once more

²²²
try
test

²²³
cuff
hit

²²⁴
lose your arms
waste your strength/loosen your grip/forfeit your coat of arms (the sign of being a
gentleman
)

²²⁵
strike
plays on the sense of “have sex with”

²²⁷
books
book of heraldry, where gentlemen’s coats of arms were recorded (plays on the notion of “good books” and on “vagina”)

²²⁸
crest
identifying feature on a coat of arms/tuft on the head of an animal (with phallic connotations)
coxcomb
fool’s cap (similar in appearance to a cock’s crest; plays on “cock”—i.e. penis)

²²⁹
combless
i.e. unthreatening
cock
cockerel/penis
so
provided that
hen
i.e. wife/harlot

²³⁰
craven
cock with no fighting spirit

²³²
fashion
manner
crab
sour crab-apple

²³⁶
glass
mirror

²³⁸
Well … one
well guessed for one so inexperienced

²³⁹
young
youthful/strong

²⁴¹
cares
troubles

²⁴³
scape
escape

²⁴⁴
chafe
annoy, inflame

²⁴⁶
rough
harsh/ unmanageable
coy
disdainful, unresponsive

²⁴⁸
pleasant
merry
gamesome
sportive, playful

²⁴⁹
slow
easygoing, without a quick tongue

²⁵⁰
askance
scornfully

²⁵²
cross
combative/ill-tempered

²⁵³
entertain’st
receive

²⁵⁴
conference
conversation

²⁵⁹
halt
limp

²⁶⁰
whom … command
order you servants about (rather than me)

²⁶¹
Dian
Diana, goddess of chastity, the moon and hunting
become
suit, enhance

²⁶²
gait
manner, bearing, way of walking

²⁶⁴
sportful
lively/playful/amorous

²⁶⁵
study
learn/practice
goodly
splendid (sarcastic)

²⁶⁶
extempore
spontaneous, improvised
mother-wit
natural intelligence

²⁶⁷
A … son
your mother must have had some wit, as left to yourself you would have none at all

²⁶⁸
wise … warm
“he is wise enough that can keep himself warm” (proverbial)

²⁷⁰
mean
intend to

²⁷⁴
will … you
whether you will or not

²⁷⁵
for your turn
right for you (plays on the sense of “for sex with you”)

²⁸⁰
wild Kate
puns on “wild-cat”

²⁸¹
Conformable
pliant, obedient

²⁸²
Never make denial
do not refuse me

²⁸⁴
speed you
do you succeed, fare

²⁸⁶
amiss
adversely, without progress

²⁸⁷
In your dumps?
Down-hearted?

²⁹²
face … out
brazenly get his own way

²⁹⁵
policy
strategic purposes

²⁹⁷
temperate
moderate, gentle

²⁹⁸
Grissel
Patient Griselda was, in Boccaccio and Chaucer, a model of wifely obedience