The Taming of the Shrew (34 page)

⁵³
heark’ning still
continues to wait for his opportunity

⁵⁴
haply
perhaps

⁵⁶
lie
lodge

⁵⁷
pass
settle

⁵⁹
scriv’ner
scribe authorized to draw up legal contracts

⁶¹
pittance
sustenance, food

⁶²
hie
hurry

⁶⁶
like
soon, likely

⁷⁰
mess
dish, basic meal

⁷⁷
has
he has

⁷⁸
tokens
signals

⁷⁹
moralize
explain

⁸⁶
command
service

⁸⁹
counterfeit assurance
invalid legal settlement
assurance
pledge
cum … solum
“with the sole right to print” (Latin), a copyright phrase found in the title pages of books but here applied to the idea of marriage and reproduction

⁹¹
sufficient
right amount/ competent

⁹²
that … for
what you want

⁹⁹
against you come
in anticipation of your arrival
appendix
appendage (i.e. Bianca; also continues the printing metaphor)

¹⁰²
Hap
happen
roundly … her
approach her plainly, without further ado (may also have sexual connotations)

¹⁰³
go hard
be unfortunate (plays on the sense of “get erect”)

²
goodly
splendidly

⁷
list
please

⁸
Or ere
before

¹⁴
rush-candle
candle dipped in tallow wax, which gave a dim light

²⁴
go thy ways
well-done/carry on
field
battle

²⁵
bowl should run
refers to the game of bowls in which balls are rolled toward a central ball

²⁶
against the bias
against its natural course (the
bias
is the weight in the ball that enables it to be bowled in a curve)

²⁸
Where away?
Where are you going?

³⁰
fresher
more blooming

³²
spangle
shine, adorn

³⁶
A
he

⁴⁰
whom
to whom

⁴⁷
green
young, fresh (also alludes to the optical effect of looking at and then away from the sun)

⁵⁴
encounter
greeting

⁶²
father
father-in-law

⁶⁴
this
this time

⁶⁵
esteem
reputation

⁶⁷
beseem
befit

⁷⁰
honest
virtuous, noble (ironically plays on the sense of “truthful”)

⁷³
pleasant
jovial
break a jest
play a joke

⁷⁷
jealous
suspicious

⁷⁸
put … heart
encouraged me

⁷⁹
Have to
now for/here’s to

⁸⁰
untoward
stubborn, perverse

⁴
o’your back
behind you (i.e. I’ll see you safely into the church)

⁸
father’s
i.e. Baptista’s house
bears
lies

¹⁰
You … but
i.e. I insist that

¹¹
command
authorize, ascertain

¹²
cheer is toward
entertainment is in place

²³
frivolous circumstances
trivial matters

²⁶
from Padua
i.e. where we are right now (some editors emend to “from Mantua,” or “to Padua”)

³²
cozen
cheat

³³
under my countenance
by pretending to be me

³⁵
good shipping
happy fortune, a good journey (perhaps also “good sex”)

³⁶
undone
ruined

³⁷
crack-hemp
rogue who deserves to be hanged (literally, who causes the hempen rope to strain)

³⁸
choose
do as I choose/have a choice when it comes to being hanged

⁵¹
offer
attempt

⁵³
fine
richly dressed

⁵⁴
copatain
high-crowned

⁶¹
’cerns it you
does it concern you

⁶²
maintain
afford

⁶³
Bergamo
town near Milan

⁷⁶
forthcoming
available to stand trial

⁸⁰
cony-catched
tricked

⁸⁶
dotard
old fool

⁸⁷
hailed
dragged about/greeted

⁸⁹
spoiled
ruined

⁹⁸
counterfeit supposes
false appearances
eyne
eyes

⁹⁹
packing
plotting, conspiracy
with a witness
that’s for certain

¹⁰³
changed
plays on the meaning of
cambio
(“change”)

¹⁰⁵
state
situation/status

¹¹⁵
go to
exclamation of mild impatience and dismissal

¹¹⁷
sound
probe

¹¹⁹
cake is dough
i.e. I’ve failed

¹²⁰
Out … all
with no hope of anything

¹²⁹
once
at some time

banquet
fruit, sweetmeats and wine, served after the main meal

¹
long
after a long time

³
scapes
escapes
overblown
now past

⁵
kindness
kinship/good will

⁸
with
on

⁹
close
fill

¹⁰
great good cheer
presumably the main wedding feast at Baptista’s

¹⁶
fears
is frightened of/frightens

¹⁷
Then … afeard
i.e. I can assure you I am not frightened

¹⁸
sensible
perceptive

²⁰
He … round
i.e. you attribute your own feelings to others—you, Petruchio, are afraid of
your
wife

²¹
Roundly
boldly, soundly

²³
Thus … him
that’s how I understand him (Petruchio picks up on
roundly
and
conceive
to make a joke about pregnancy)

²⁵
conceives her tale
interprets her remark/is impregnated (tale puns on “tail”—i.e. vagina)

²⁶
mended
retorted/rectified

³²
mean
average/poor

³⁴
mean … you
moderate compared to you

³⁵
To her
attack her (a cry used to urge on animals in hunting or fighting)

³⁷
marks
coins, each worth two thirds of a pound
put her down
outdo her (Hortensio plays on the sense of “have sex with her”)

³⁸
office
role/sexual duty

⁴¹
butt
lock horns/thrust sexually

⁴²
butt
bottom
hasty-witted body
quick-witted person

⁴³
head and horn
a horned head (i.e. that of a cuckold; horn plays on the sense of “penis/hunting horn”)

⁴⁷
Have at you
be prepared for
bitter
shrewd, keen

⁴⁸
bird
prey
shift my bush
fly to another bush to hide in (plays on the idea of pubic hair)

⁴⁹
bow
refers to fowling—hunting sitting birds with bow and arrow (with phallic connotations)

⁵¹
prevented
thwarted

⁵²
hit
shot with an arrow/ penetrated sexually

⁵³
health
toast

⁵⁴
slipped
unleashed

⁵⁶
currish
ignoble/dog-like

⁵⁸
deer
puns on “dear”
does … bay
turns on you and holds you off with its horns/denies you sex

⁶⁰
gird
taunt

⁶²
galled
scratched, irritated

⁶³
glance away from
bounce off

⁶⁵
good sadness
all seriousness

⁶⁶
veriest
truest

⁶⁷
assurance
proof

⁷⁵
of
on

⁸⁴
be your half
put up half your bet

⁸⁹
How?
What?

⁹⁷
needs
necessarily

¹¹⁰
The … mine
then I have the worst luck

¹¹¹
by my holidame
by Our Lady/by all that I hold holy

¹¹⁴
conferring
chatting

¹¹⁶
Swinge
thrash

¹²¹
awful
worthy of respect
right
rightful

¹²²
what not
everything

¹²³
fair befall thee
good luck to you

¹²⁷
as … been
as if the former Kate had never existed

¹³⁶
pass
state of affairs

¹³⁷
foolish
stupid (Lucentio shifts the sense to “fond, doting”)

¹⁴¹
laying
betting

¹⁴⁸
Unknit
relax
unkind
harsh/unnatural

¹⁵¹
meads
meadows

¹⁵²
Confounds thy fame
destroys your reputation

¹⁵³
meet
appropriate

¹⁵⁴
moved
angered

¹⁵⁵
ill-seeming
ugly

¹⁶¹
painful
grueling

¹⁶²
watch
be awake during

¹⁶⁹
peevish
stubborn, perverse

¹⁷⁰
honest
virtuous, upright

¹⁷²
graceless
sinful

¹⁷³
simple
foolish

¹⁷⁵
sway
authority, influence

¹⁷⁶
bound
i.e. by duty/in marriage

¹⁷⁸
Unapt
not designed

¹⁷⁹
soft
gentle, fragile
conditions
constitutions/qualities

¹⁸¹
unable
incapable

¹⁸²
big
strong/contentious/determined/proud

¹⁸³
haply
perhaps

¹⁸⁴
bandy
exchange

¹⁸⁷
That … be
seeming to be that

¹⁸⁸
vail your stomachs
lower your pride/surrender your inclinations
boot
use

¹⁹¹
do him ease
give him pleasure/ease his burden

¹⁹³
go thy ways
well-done
ha’t
have it (win the wager)