At an English country inn, drunken beggar Christopher Sly is incredibly rude to the hostess. Discovering this, a visiting lady with the help of some traveling players, decides to teach Sly a lesson by playing a trick on him. When he wakes from his stupor, they pretend that Sly is a lord and they are his servants, and to help him recover from his “amnesia,” they present the following play on how to better treat others:
Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua, has two daughters: Katherina, or Kate, and Bianca. Baptista openly favors Bianca, but tells Bianca’s suitors, Hortensio and Gremio, that he won’t let Bianca get married until someone agrees to marry Kate first.
Two visitors to Padua arrive with their servants. The first, Lucentio, instantly falls in love with Bianca, and disguises himself so he can see her more often, while his servant Tranio disguises himself as his master so that he won’t be missed around town. The second visitor, Petruchio, has come to Padua in search of a wealthy wife and hears that Kate is rich and attractive, but has a temper. Petruchio resolves to marry Kate, and is surprised to find that he likes her for more than her money. Baptista, with some misgivings, gives his permission for them to marry on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Lucentio and Hortensio both pretend to be schoolmasters, named Cambio and Litio respectively, in order to woo Bianca. Lucentio prevails as he tells Bianca his intentions under the guise of a Latin lesson. Hortensio, giving a music lesson, finds no success in his wooing endeavors even though he sees himself superior to the poor “schoolmaster Cambio.”
Petruchio has a plan to show Kate gentleness––he will behave like a lunatic until she plays along with his absurd game. So, on Sunday, Petruchio arrives late for the wedding, dressed terribly, and behaves rudely in church. But the marriage is performed anyway. Then Petruchio refuses to stay for the wedding dinner and sets out for his house with Kate.
They have an awful journey, with Petruchio behaving like a madman. When the newlyweds arrive home, Petruchio is even stranger. He throws the dinner on the floor, pretending that the food is not good enough for Kate, and then dismantles the bed, saying it’s a mess as well. In this manner, Petruchio denies himself and Kate comfort until they can agree to come together.
In Padua, Hortensio (as Litio) and Tranio (as Lucentio) spy on Bianca and Lucentio (as Cambio). After seeing Bianca and Lucentio kiss, Tranio tricks Hortensio into forsaking Bianca forever. Hortensio does and vows to marry a wealthy widow instead. In the meantime, Lucentio’s other servant Biondello has found a traveling merchant whom Tranio persuades to impersonate Lucentio’s father, Vincentio, to get Baptista’s blessing for Bianca and Lucentio’s union.
The next day Petruchio behaves the same as he did the day before, yelling at the servants and making outlandish demands. He then decides to take her back to visit Baptista and orders a new gown for her. Again Petruchio finds fault with it, and won’t let Kate have it.
Next, Petruchio orders his horses be readied, saying it was seven o’clock. Kate corrects him, saying it is noon. Petruchio tells Kate that if she keeps disagreeing with him they won’t leave. Finally they set out and Petruchio says the moon is shining to which Kate disagrees that it is the sun. He threatens to take her back to his house unless she agrees with him, and Kate––learning to play his game––says he can call it the moon if he wants. On the road, they meet the real Vincentio, Lucentio’s father, and travel with him to Padua.
At the celebration of the marriages of Lucentio to Bianca and Hortensio to the rich widow, Petruchio bets Lucentio and Hortensio that Kate is more agreeable than their wives. The other two husbands agree to the gamble, sure of winning. Lucentio sends his servant in search of Bianca, but she sends back word that she is busy. Then Hortensio sends for his wife, but she also refuses. Petruchio then asks Kate to come, and, to everyone’s amazement, she comes immediately, bringing the other two wives in with her, then––in on the wager––proceeds to instruct everyone on how to create a happy marriage.
