Enter Petruchio, Katherine, Hortensio, and Servants. PETRUCHIO
Come on, i’ God’s name, once more toward our
father’s.
Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon! KATHERINE
The moon? The sun! It is not moonlight now. PETRUCHIO
I say it is the moon that shines so bright. 5 KATHERINE
I know it is the sun that shines so bright. PETRUCHIO
Now, by my mother’s son, and that’s myself,
It shall be moon, or star, or what I list,
Or e’er I journey to your father’s house.
To Servants. Go on, and fetch our horses back 10
again.—
Evermore crossed and crossed, nothing but crossed! HORTENSIO, to Katherine
Say as he says, or we shall never go. KATHERINE
Forward, I pray, since we have come so far,
And be it moon, or sun, or what you please. 15
And if you please to call it a rush candle,
Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me. PETRUCHIO I say it is the moon. KATHERINE I know it is the moon. PETRUCHIO
Nay, then you lie. It is the blessèd sun. 20 KATHERINE
Then God be blest, it is the blessèd sun.
But sun it is not, when you say it is not,
And the moon changes even as your mind.
What you will have it named, even that it is,
And so it shall be so for Katherine. 25 HORTENSIO
Petruchio, go thy ways, the field is won. | On the road to Padua in the middle of the afternoon, Petruchio looks up at the sun and says the "moon" looks beautiful. Kate corrects him, but Petruchio says it's the moon or whatever else he says it is. Otherwise, nobody's going to the wedding, capice? Hortensio whispers to Kate to play along with Petruchio, so Kate says "Okay, fine, it's the moon." "No," says Petruchio, "it's the sun." "Okay," says Kate, "it's the sun or the moon, whatever you want it to be." |
PETRUCHIO
Well, forward, forward. Thus the bowl should run,
And not unluckily against the bias.
But soft! Company is coming here. Enter Vincentio. To Vincentio. Good morrow, gentle mistress, where 30
away?—
Tell me, sweet Kate, and tell me truly, too,
Hast thou beheld a fresher gentlewoman?
Such war of white and red within her cheeks!
What stars do spangle heaven with such beauty 35
As those two eyes become that heavenly face?—
Fair lovely maid, once more good day to thee.—
Sweet Kate, embrace her for her beauty’s sake. HORTENSIO, aside
He will make the man mad, to make the woman of
him. 40 KATHERINE
Young budding virgin, fair and fresh and sweet,
Whither away, or where is thy abode?
Happy the parents of so fair a child!
Happier the man whom favorable stars
Allots thee for his lovely bedfellow. 45 PETRUCHIO
Why, how now, Kate? I hope thou art not mad!
This is a man—old, wrinkled, faded, withered—
And not a maiden, as thou sayst he is. KATHERINE
Pardon, old father, my mistaking eyes
That have been so bedazzled with the sun 50
That everything I look on seemeth green.
Now I perceive thou art a reverend father.
Pardon, I pray thee, for my mad mistaking. PETRUCHIO
Do, good old grandsire, and withal make known
Which way thou travelest. If along with us, 55
We shall be joyful of thy company. VINCENTIO
Fair sir, and you, my merry mistress,
That with your strange encounter much amazed me,
My name is called Vincentio, my dwelling Pisa,
And bound I am to Padua, there to visit 60
A son of mine which long I have not seen. PETRUCHIO
What is his name? VINCENTIO Lucentio, gentle sir. PETRUCHIO
Happily met, the happier for thy son.
And now by law as well as reverend age, 65
I may entitle thee my loving father.
The sister to my wife, this gentlewoman,
Thy son by this hath married. Wonder not,
Nor be not grieved. She is of good esteem,
Her dowry wealthy, and of worthy birth; 70
Beside, so qualified as may beseem
The spouse of any noble gentleman.
Let me embrace with old Vincentio,
And wander we to see thy honest son,
Who will of thy arrival be full joyous. 75 VINCENTIO
But is this true, or is it else your pleasure,
Like pleasant travelers, to break a jest
Upon the company you overtake? HORTENSIO
I do assure thee, father, so it is. PETRUCHIO
Come, go along and see the truth hereof, 80
For our first merriment hath made thee jealous. All but Hortensio exit. HORTENSIO
Well, Petruchio, this has put me in heart!
Have to my widow, and if she be froward,
Then hast thou taught Hortensio to be untoward. He exits. | They encounter an old man (the real Vincentio) on the road to Padua, and Petruchio pretends the guy is a young girl. Kate plays along this time and agrees with whatever Petruchio says. When the party learns that Vincentio is looking for his son Lucentio, Petruchio says he may as well be his father, too, since Lucentio is set to marry Kate's sister. They're one big happy family! Vincentio is surprised, but they assure him it's true and agree to take him to Lucentio's house. Petruchio, Kate, and Vincentio head off, but Hortensio stays behind. He says he's looking forward to his own marriage because he now knows how to deal with the widow if she gets mouthy and tries to act up. |