READ STUDY GUIDE: Act I, scene i |
|
Act I, Scene i:
Padua. A public place.
Padua. A public place.
| [Enter LUCENTIO and TRANIO.] |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Tranio, since for the great desire I had |
| To see fair Padua, nursery of arts, |
| I am arriv'd for fruitful Lombardy, |
| The pleasant garden of great Italy, |
| And by my father's love and leave am arm'd |
| With his good will and thy good company, |
| My trusty servant well approv'd in all, |
| Here let us breathe, and haply institute |
| A course of learning and ingenious studies. |
| Pisa, renowned for grave citizens, |
| Gave me my being and my father first, |
| A merchant of great traffic through the world, |
| Vincentio, come of the Bentivolii. |
| Vincentio's son, brought up in Florence, |
| It shall become to serve all hopes conceiv'd, |
| To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds: |
| And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study, |
| Virtue and that part of philosophy |
| Will I apply that treats of happiness |
| By virtue specially to be achiev'd. |
| Tell me thy mind; for I have Pisa left |
| And am to Padua come as he that leaves |
| A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep, |
| And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst. |
| TRANIO: |
| Mi perdonato, gentle master mine; |
| I am in all affected as yourself; |
| Glad that you thus continue your resolve |
| To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy. |
| Only, good master, while we do admire |
| This virtue and this moral discipline, |
| Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, I pray; |
| Or so devote to Aristotle's checks |
| As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur'd. |
| Balk logic with acquaintance that you have, |
| And practise rhetoric in your common talk; |
| Music and poesy use to quicken you; |
| The mathematics and the metaphysics, |
| Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you: |
| No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en; |
| In brief, sir, study what you most affect. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Gramercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise. |
| If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore, |
| We could at once put us in readiness, |
| And take a lodging fit to entertain |
| Such friends as time in Padua shall beget. |
| But stay awhile; what company is this? |
| TRANIO: |
| Master, some show to welcome us to town. |
| [Enter BAPTISTA, KATHERINA, BIANCA, GREMIO,and HORTENSIO.LUCENTIO and TRANIO stand aside.] |
| BAPTISTA: |
| Gentlemen, importune me no further, |
| For how I firmly am resolv'd you know; |
| That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter |
| Before I have a husband for the elder. |
| If either of you both love Katherina, |
| Because I know you well and love you well, |
| Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure. |
| GREMIO: |
| To cart her rather: she's too rough for me. |
| There, there, Hortensio, will you any wife? |
| KATHERINA: |
| [To BAPTISTA] I pray you, sir, is it your will |
| To make a stale of me amongst these mates? |
| HORTENSIO: |
| Mates, maid! How mean you that? No mates for you, |
| Unless you were of gentler, milder mould. |
| KATHERINA: |
| I' faith, sir, you shall never need to fear; |
| I wis it is not halfway to her heart; |
| But if it were, doubt not her care should be |
| To comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool, |
| And paint your face, and use you like a fool. |
| HORTENSIO: |
| From all such devils, good Lord deliver us! |
| GREMIO: |
| And me, too, good Lord! |
| TRANIO: |
| Husht, master! Here's some good pastime toward: |
| That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| But in the other's silence do I see |
| Maid's mild behaviour and sobriety. |
| Peace, Tranio! |
| TRANIO: |
| Well said, master; mum! and gaze your fill. |
| BAPTISTA: |
| Gentlemen, that I may soon make good |
| What I have said,—Bianca, get you in: |
| And let it not displease thee, good Bianca, |
| For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl. |
| KATHERINA: |
| A pretty peat! it is best |
| Put finger in the eye, an she knew why. |
| BIANCA: |
| Sister, content you in my discontent. |
| Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe: |
| My books and instruments shall be my company, |
| On them to look, and practise by myself. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Hark, Tranio! thou mayst hear Minerva speak. |
| HORTENSIO: |
| Signior Baptista, will you be so strange? |
| Sorry am I that our good will effects |
| Bianca's grief. |
| GREMIO: |
| Why will you mew her up, |
| Signior Baptista, for this fiend of hell, |
| And make her bear the penance of her tongue? |
| BAPTISTA: |
| Gentlemen, content ye; I am resolv'd. |
| Go in, Bianca. |
| [Exit BIANCA.] |
| And for I know she taketh most delight |
| In music, instruments, and poetry, |
| Schoolmasters will I keep within my house |
| Fit to instruct her youth. If you, Hortensio, |
| Or, Signior Gremio, you, know any such, |
| Prefer them hither; for to cunning men |
| I will be very kind, and liberal |
| To mine own children in good bringing up; |
| And so, farewell. Katherina, you may stay; |
| For I have more to commune with Bianca. |
| [Exit.] |
| KATHERINA: |
| Why, and I trust I may go too, may I not? |
| What! shall I be appointed hours, as though, belike, |
| I knew not what to take and what to leave? Ha! |
| [Exit.] |
| GREMIO: |
| You may go to the devil's dam: your gifts are so good |
| here's none will hold you. Their love is not so great, |
| Hortensio, but we may blow our nails together, and fast it fairly |
| out; our cake's dough on both sides. Farewell: yet, for the love I |
| bear my sweet Bianca, if I can by any means light on a fit man to |
| teach her that wherein she delights, I will wish him to her |
| father. |
| HORTENSIO: |
| So will I, Signior Gremio: but a word, I pray. Though |
| the nature of our quarrel yet never brooked parle, know now, upon |
| advice, it toucheth us both,—that we may yet again have access to |
| our fair mistress, and be happy rivals in Bianca's love,—to labour |
| and effect one thing specially. |
| GREMIO: |
| What's that, I pray? |
| HORTENSIO: |
| Marry, sir, to get a husband for her sister. |
| GREMIO: |
| A husband! a devil. |
| HORTENSIO: |
| I say, a husband. |
| GREMIO: |
| I say, a devil. Thinkest thou, Hortensio, though her |
| fatherbe very rich, any man is so very a fool to be married to |
| hell? |
| HORTENSIO: |
| Tush, Gremio! Though it pass your patience and mine to |
| endure her loud alarums, why, man, there be good fellows in the |
| world, an a man could light on them, would take her with all |
| faults, and money enough. |
| GREMIO: |
| I cannot tell; but I had as lief take her dowry with this |
| condition: to be whipp'd at the high cross every morning. |
| HORTENSIO: |
| Faith, as you say, there's small choice in rotten |
| apples. But, come; since this bar in law makes us friends, it |
| shall be so far forth friendly maintained, till by helping |
| Baptista's eldest daughter to a husband, we set his youngest free |
| for a husband, and then have to't afresh. Sweet Bianca! Happy man |
| be his dole! He that runs fastest gets the ring. How say you, |
| Signior Gremio? |
| GREMIO: |
| I am agreed; and would I had given him the best horse in |
| Padua to begin his wooing, that would thoroughly woo her, wed |
| her, and bed her, and rid the house of her. Come on. |
| [Exeunt GREMIO and HORTENSIO.] |
| TRANIO: |
| I pray, sir, tell me, is it possible |
| That love should of a sudden take such hold? |
| LUCENTIO: |
| O Tranio! till I found it to be true, |
| I never thought it possible or likely; |
| But see, while idly I stood looking on, |
| I found the effect of love in idleness; |
| And now in plainness do confess to thee, |
| That art to me as secret and as dear |
| As Anna to the Queen of Carthage was, |
| Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio, |
| If I achieve not this young modest girl. |
| Counsel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst: |
| Assist me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt. |
| TRANIO: |
| Master, it is no time to chide you now; |
| Affection is not rated from the heart: |
| If love have touch'd you, nought remains but so: |
| Redime te captum quam queas minimo. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Gramercies, lad; go forward; this contents; |
| The rest will comfort, for thy counsel's sound. |
| TRANIO: |
| Master, you look'd so longly on the maid. |
| Perhaps you mark'd not what's the pith of all. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| O, yes, I saw sweet beauty in her face, |
| Such as the daughter of Agenor had, |
| That made great Jove to humble him to her hand, |
| When with his knees he kiss'd the Cretan strand. |
| TRANIO: |
| Saw you no more? mark'd you not how her sister |
| Began to scold and raise up such a storm |
| That mortal ears might hardly endure the din? |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Tranio, I saw her coral lips to move, |
| And with her breath she did perfume the air; |
| Sacred and sweet was all I saw in her. |
| TRANIO: |
| Nay, then, 'tis time to stir him from his trance. |
| I pray, awake, sir: if you love the maid, |
| Bend thoughts and wits to achieve her. Thus it stands: |
| Her elder sister is so curst and shrewd, |
| That till the father rid his hands of her, |
| Master, your love must live a maid at home; |
| And therefore has he closely mew'd her up, |
| Because she will not be annoy'd with suitors. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Ah, Tranio, what a cruel father's he! |
| But art thou not advis'd he took some care |
| To get her cunning schoolmasters to instruct her? |
| TRANIO: |
| Ay, marry, am I, sir, and now 'tis plotted. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| I have it, Tranio. |
| TRANIO: |
| Master, for my hand, |
| Both our inventions meet and jump in one. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Tell me thine first. |
| TRANIO: |
| You will be schoolmaster, |
| And undertake the teaching of the maid: |
| That's your device. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| It is: may it be done? |
| TRANIO: |
| Not possible; for who shall bear your part |
| And be in Padua here Vincentio's son; |
| Keep house and ply his book, welcome his friends; |
| Visit his countrymen, and banquet them? |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Basta; content thee, for I have it full. |
| We have not yet been seen in any house, |
| Nor can we be distinguish'd by our faces |
| For man or master: then it follows thus: |
| Thou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead, |
| Keep house and port and servants, as I should; |
| I will some other be; some Florentine, |
| Some Neapolitan, or meaner man of Pisa. |
| 'Tis hatch'd, and shall be so: Tranio, at once |
| Uncase thee; take my colour'd hat and cloak. |
| When Biondello comes, he waits on thee; |
| But I will charm him first to keep his tongue. |
| [They exchange habits] |
| TRANIO: |
| So had you need. |
| In brief, sir, sith it your pleasure is, |
| And I am tied to be obedient; |
| For so your father charg'd me at our parting, |
| 'Be serviceable to my son,' quoth he, |
| Although I think 'twas in another sense: |
| I am content to be Lucentio, |
| Because so well I love Lucentio. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Tranio, be so, because Lucentio loves; |
| And let me be a slave, to achieve that maid |
| Whose sudden sight hath thrall'd my wounded eye. |
| Here comes the rogue. |
| [Enter BIONDELLO.] |
| Sirrah, where have you been? |
| BIONDELLO: |
| Where have I been! Nay, how now! where are you? |
| Master, has my fellow Tranio stol'n your clothes? |
| Or you stol'n his? or both? Pray, what's the news? |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Sirrah, come hither: 'tis no time to jest, |
| And therefore frame your manners to the time. |
| Your fellow Tranio here, to save my life, |
| Puts my apparel and my count'nance on, |
| And I for my escape have put on his; |
| For in a quarrel since I came ashore |
| I kill'd a man, and fear I was descried. |
| Wait you on him, I charge you, as becomes, |
| While I make way from hence to save my life. |
| You understand me? |
| BIONDELLO: |
| I, sir! Ne'er a whit. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| And not a jot of Tranio in your mouth: |
| Tranio is changed to Lucentio. |
| BIONDELLO: |
| The better for him: would I were so too! |
| TRANIO: |
| So could I, faith, boy, to have the next wish after, |
| That Lucentio indeed had Baptista's youngest daughter. |
| But, sirrah, not for my sake but your master's, I advise |
| You use your manners discreetly in all kind of companies: |
| When I am alone, why, then I am Tranio; |
| But in all places else your master, Lucentio. |
| LUCENTIO: |
| Tranio, let's go. One thing more rests, that thyself execute, |
| to make one among these wooers: if thou ask me why, |
| sufficeth my reasons are both good and weighty. |
| [Exeunt.] |
| [The Presenters above speak.] |
| FIRST SERVANT: |
| SLY: |
| Yes, by Saint Anne, I do. A good matter, surely: comes there |
| any more of it? |
| PAGE: |
| SLY: |
| 'twere done! |
| [They sit and mark.] |
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