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Schule > Englisch > William Shakespeare - The Taming of the Shrew > Shakespeare - The taming of the Shrew (Plot)

1. The Taming of the Shrew -Plot

Introduction
The play starts with a prank of a local lord. Cristopher Sly, a poor tinker is found drunk in front of an Alehouse. Thus, the lord decides to pick him and and bring him to his manor. He gets dressed in expensive clothing and when he awakes the servants tell him, that he is a lord himself and that he has been insane over the last years, what is the reason why he thinks he is a tinker.
Afterwards some servants appear to tell Sly, that a troupe of actors has arrived to please him with a play: The main story of 'The Taming of the Shrew'

The protagonist of the play is Lucentio, a rich young man who goes to the Italian city Padua to attend at university. In his company are his servants Tranio and Biondello.
When he arrives he is excited to study, but then he meets Bianca, with whom he fell in love instantly. Unfortunately Gremio and Hoertensio are already romancing Bianca. Furthermore her father, Baptista Minola, will not marry Bianca, until her older sister Katherine is married, too. To make it even worse Katherine is a morose woman, and it doesn't seem like she will be married soon.
To overcome this problem Lucentio decides to hire as Biancas Latin tutor, so he can be with her. For the same reason Hortensio becomes Biancas music teacher. At the same time Tranio debate with Biancas father about the possibility to marry her -disguised as Lucentio.
Meanwhile Hortensio's friend Petruchio arrives. As he just wants to marry a rich woman, no matter if she is ill-tempered or not, he asks for Katherines hand. Telling her father that Katherine agrees with him, he is allowed to get married with her. The wedding is celebrated the next Sunday, and afterwards he forces Katherine to leave Italy and accompany him in his country. When they reach Petruchio's country house, Petruchio continues the process of "taming Katherine through keeping her from sleeping or eating, by telling her he cannot allow her to sleep in his poorly made bed or to eat his poor food.

At the same time in Padua, Lucentio gains Biancas Love with a Latin translation that declares his love for her. Hortensio tries the same with a music lesson, but it does not work out, as Bianca is already in love with Lucentio.
Therefore Hortensio decides just to mary a wealthy widow .
Tranio makes up plans for the wedding, and by proposing a huge amount of money, he gets Baptista's permission for Lucentio can be married with Bianca.

Soon, Petrucio and Katherine come back to Italy, where Katherine seems to be tamed, she even obeys her husband, when he forces her to say that the sun is the moon and that an old man is a beautiful young maiden .

The play ends on a banquet after Hortensio's wedding with the wealthy widow.
All three of the fresh husbands decide to host a contest to see which of the wives will obey their husbands the best, everyone aspects Lucentio to win. Therefore the men are shocked to see, that Katherine obeys everything Petrucio says. Satisfied and happy, Katherine and Petrucio leave the banquet to go to bed.

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