The Taming of the Shrew
Act IV, Scene 1
Petruchio’s country house.
- Enter Grumio.
Grumio
1 - 9- Fie, fie on all tir’d jades, on all mad masters, and all
- foul ways! Was ever man so beaten? Was ever man so ray’d?
- Was ever man so weary? I am sent before to make a fire, and
- they are coming after to warm them. Now were not I a little
- pot and soon hot, my very lips might freeze to my teeth, my
- tongue to the roof of my mouth, my heart in my belly, ere I
- should come by a fire to thaw me. But I with blowing the
- fire shall warm myself; for considering the weather, a
- taller man than I will take cold. Holla, ho, Curtis!
- Enter Curtis.
Curtis
10- Who is that calls so coldly?
Grumio
11 - 13- A piece of ice. If thou doubt it, thou mayst slide from my
- shoulder to my heel with no greater a run but my head and my
- neck. A fire, good Curtis.
Curtis
14- Is my master and his wife coming, Grumio?
Grumio
15 - 16- O ay, Curtis, ay, and therefore fire, fire; cast on no
- water.
Curtis
17- Is she so hot a shrew as she’s reported?
Grumio
18 - 20- She was, good Curtis, before this frost; but thou know’st
- winter tames man, woman, and beast; for it hath tam’d my old
- master and my new mistress and myself, fellow Curtis.
Curtis
21- Away, you three-inch fool! I am no beast.
Grumio
22 - 26- Am I but three inches? Why, thy horn is a foot, and so long
- am I at the least. But wilt thou make a fire, or shall I
- complain on thee to our mistress, whose hand (she being now
- at hand) thou shalt soon feel, to thy cold comfort, for
- being slow in thy hot office?
Curtis
27- I prithee, good Grumio, tell me, how goes the world?
Grumio
28 - 30- A cold world, Curtis, in every office but thine, and
- therefore fire. Do thy duty and have thy duty, for my master
- and mistress are almost frozen to death.
Curtis
31- There’s fire ready, and therefore, good Grumio, the news.
Grumio
32- Why, “Jack, boy! Ho, boy!” and as much news as wilt thou.
Curtis
33- Come, you are so full of cony-catching!
Grumio
34 - 39- Why, therefore fire, for I have caught extreme cold. Where’s
- the cook? Is supper ready, the house trimm’d, rushes
- strew’d, cobwebs swept, the servingmen in their new fustian,
- their white stockings, and every officer his wedding garment
- on? Be the Jacks fair within, the Gills fair without, the
- carpets laid, and every thing in order?
Curtis
40- All ready; and therefore I pray thee, news.
Grumio
41 - 42- First, know my horse is tir’d, my master and mistress fall’n
- out.
Curtis
43- How?
Grumio
44 - 45- Out of their saddles into the dirt, and thereby hangs a
- tale.
Curtis
46- Let’s ha’t, good Grumio.
Grumio
47- Lend thine ear.
Curtis
48- Here.
Grumio
49- There.
- Strikes him.
Curtis
50- This ’tis to feel a tale, not to hear a tale.
Grumio
51 - 54- And therefore ’tis call’d a sensible tale; and this cuff was
- but to knock at your ear, and beseech list’ning. Now I
- begin: Imprimis, we came down a foul hill, my master riding
- behind my mistress—
’Tis burnt, and so is all the meat.
Arthur Rackham, 1909
Curtis
55- Both of one horse?
Grumio
56- What’s that to thee?
Curtis
57- Why, a horse.
Grumio
58 - 67- Tell thou the tale. But hadst thou not cross’d me, thou
- shouldst have heard how her horse fell, and she under her
- horse; thou shouldst have heard in how miry a place, how she
- was bemoil’d, how he left her with the horse upon her, how
- he beat me because her horse stumbled, how she waded through
- the dirt to pluck him off me; how he swore, how she pray’d
- that never pray’d before; how I cried, how the horses ran
- away, how her bridle was burst; how I lost my crupper, with
- many things of worthy memory, which now shall die in
- oblivion, and thou return unexperienc’d to thy grave.
Curtis
68- By this reck’ning he is more shrew than she.
Grumio
69 - 76- Ay, and that thou and the proudest of you all shall find
- when he comes home. But what talk I of this? Call forth
- Nathaniel, Joseph, Nicholas, Philip, Walter, Sugarsop, and
- the rest; let their heads be slickly comb’d, their blue
- coats brush’d, and their garters of an indifferent knit; let
- them curtsy with their left legs, and not presume to touch a
- hair of my master’s horse-tail till they kiss their hands.
- Are they all ready?
Curtis
77- They are.
Grumio
78- Call them forth.
Curtis
79 - 80- Do you hear, ho? You must meet my master to countenance my
- mistress.
Grumio
81- Why, she hath a face of her own.
Curtis
82- Who knows not that?
Grumio
83- Thou, it seems, that calls for company to countenance her.
Curtis
84- I call them forth to credit her.
- Enter four or five Servingmen.
Grumio
85- Why, she comes to borrow nothing of them.
Nathaniel
86- Welcome home, Grumio!
Philip
87- How now, Grumio?
Joseph
88- What, Grumio!
Nicholas
89- Fellow Grumio!
Nathaniel
90- How now, old lad?
Grumio
91 - 93- Welcome, you; how now, you; what, you; fellow, you—and thus
- much for greeting. Now, my spruce companions, is all ready,
- and all things neat?
Nathaniel
94- All things is ready. How near is our master?
Grumio
95 - 96- E’en at hand, alighted by this; and therefore be not—Cock’s
- passion, silence! I hear my master.
- Enter Petruchio and Kate.
Petruchio
97 - 99- Where be these knaves? What, no man at door
- To hold my stirrup, nor to take my horse?
- Where is Nathaniel, Gregory, Philip?
All Servants
100- Here, here, sir, here, sir.
Petruchio
101 - 104- Here, sir! Here, sir! Here, sir! Here, sir!
- You loggerheaded and unpolish’d grooms!
- What? No attendance? No regard? No duty?
- Where is the foolish knave I sent before?
Petruchio Overturns the Trencher
Edwin Austin Abbey, circa 1892
Grumio
105- Here, sir, as foolish as I was before.
Petruchio
106 - 108- You peasant swain, you whoreson malt-horse drudge!
- Did I not bid thee meet me in the park,
- And bring along these rascal knaves with thee?
Grumio
109 - 115- Nathaniel’s coat, sir, was not fully made,
- And Gabr’el’s pumps were all unpink’d i’ th’ heel;
- There was no link to color Peter’s hat,
- And Walter’s dagger was not come from sheathing;
- There were none fine but Adam, Rafe, and Gregory;
- The rest were ragged, old, and beggarly,
- Yet, as they are, here are they come to meet you.
Petruchio
116 - 132- Go, rascals, go, and fetch my supper in.
- Exeunt Servants.
- Sings.
- “Where is the life that late I led?
- Where are those”—
- Sit down, Kate, and welcome. Soud, soud, soud, soud!
- Enter Servants with supper.
- Why, when, I say? Nay, good sweet Kate, be merry.
- Off with my boots, you rogues! You villains, when?
- Sings.
- “It was the friar of orders grey,
- As he forth walked on his way”—
- Out, you rogue, you pluck my foot awry.
- Take that, and mend the plucking off the other.
- Strikes him.
- Be merry, Kate. Some water here; what ho!
- Enter one with water.
- Where’s my spaniel Troilus? Sirrah, get you hence,
- And bid my cousin Ferdinand come hither;
- One, Kate, that you must kiss, and be acquainted with.
- Where are my slippers? Shall I have some water?
- Come, Kate, and wash, and welcome heartily.
- You whoreson villain, will you let it fall?
- Strikes him.
Katherina
133- Patience, I pray you, ’twas a fault unwilling.
Petruchio
134 - 137- A whoreson, beetle-headed, flap-ear’d knave!
- Come, Kate, sit down, I know you have a stomach.
- Will you give thanks, sweet Kate, or else shall I?
- What’s this? Mutton?
Joseph
138- Ay.
Petruchio
139- Who brought it?
Peter
140- I.
Petruchio
141 - 147- ’Tis burnt, and so is all the meat.
- What dogs are these? Where is the rascal cook?
- How durst you, villains, bring it from the dresser
- And serve it thus to me that love it not?
- There, take it to you, trenchers, cups, and all.
- He throws down the table and meat and all, and beats them.
- You heedless joltheads and unmanner’d slaves!
- What, do you grumble? I’ll be with you straight.
- Exeunt Servants.
Katherina
148 - 149- I pray you, husband, be not so disquiet.
- The meat was well, if you were so contented.
Petruchio
150 - 158- I tell thee, Kate, ’twas burnt and dried away,
- And I expressly am forbid to touch it;
- For it engenders choler, planteth anger,
- And better ’twere that both of us did fast,
- Since of ourselves, ourselves are choleric,
- Than feed it with such overroasted flesh.
- Be patient, tomorrow’t shall be mended,
- And for this night we’ll fast for company.
- Come, I will bring thee to thy bridal chamber.
- Exeunt.
- Enter Servants severally.
Byam Shaw, 1901
Nathaniel
159- Peter, didst ever see the like?
Peter
160- He kills her in her own humor.
- Enter Curtis, a servant.
Grumio
161- Where is he?
Curtis
162 - 166- In her chamber, making a sermon of continency to her,
- And rails, and swears, and rates, that she, poor soul,
- Knows not which way to stand, to look, to speak,
- And sits as one new risen from a dream.
- Away, away, for he is coming hither.
- Exeunt.
- Enter Petruchio.
Petruchio
167 - 190- Thus have I politicly begun my reign,
- And ’tis my hope to end successfully.
- My falcon now is sharp and passing empty,
- And till she stoop, she must not be full-gorg’d,
- For then she never looks upon her lure.
- Another way I have to man my haggard,
- To make her come, and know her keeper’s call,
- That is, to watch her, as we watch these kites
- That bate and beat and will not be obedient.
- She eat no meat today, nor none shall eat;
- Last night she slept not, nor tonight she shall not;
- As with the meat, some undeserved fault
- I’ll find about the making of the bed,
- And here I’ll fling the pillow, there the bolster,
- This way the coverlet, another way the sheets.
- Ay, and amid this hurly I intend
- That all is done in reverend care of her,
- And in conclusion, she shall watch all night,
- And if she chance to nod I’ll rail and brawl,
- And with the clamor keep her still awake.
- This is a way to kill a wife with kindness,
- And thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humor.
- He that knows better how to tame a shrew,
- Now let him speak; ’tis charity to shew.
- Exit.
What, no man at door to hold my stirrup, nor to take my horse?
From: Tales from Shakespeare
Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott, 1922