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The Taming of the Shrew - Act 4, scene 3
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The Taming of the Shrew - Act 4, scene 3Act 4, scene 3
⌜Scene 3⌝
Synopsis:
At Petruchio’s home, Grumio torments Katherine by promising her food that he fails to bring. Petruchio then serves Katherine himself, demanding her thanks. The Haberdasher and Tailor bring in the cap and gown that Katherine plans to wear for Bianca’s wedding feast, but Petruchio refuses them. Petruchio threatens that she may not return to her father’s for Bianca’s wedding feast unless Katherine agrees with everything he says, no matter how self-evidently false it is.
Enter Katherine and Grumio.GRUMIO
1972 No, no, forsooth, I dare not for my life.
KATHERINE
1973 The more my wrong, the more his spite appears.
1974 What, did he marry me to famish me?
1975 Beggars that come unto my father’s door
1976 5 Upon entreaty have a present alms.
1977 If not, elsewhere they meet with charity.
1978 But I, who never knew how to entreat,
1979 Nor never needed that I should entreat,
1980 Am starved for meat, giddy for lack of sleep,
1981 10 With oaths kept waking and with brawling fed.
1982 And that which spites me more than all these wants,
1983 He does it under name of perfect love,
1984 As who should say, if I should sleep or eat
1985 ’Twere deadly sickness or else present death.
1986 15 I prithee, go, and get me some repast,
1987 I care not what, so it be wholesome food.
GRUMIO 1988 What say you to a neat’s foot?
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KATHERINE 1989 ’Tis passing good. I prithee let me have it.
GRUMIO
1990 I fear it is too choleric a meat.
1991 20 How say you to a fat tripe finely broiled?
KATHERINE
1992 I like it well. Good Grumio, fetch it me.
GRUMIO
1993 I cannot tell. I fear ’tis choleric.
1994 What say you to a piece of beef and mustard?
KATHERINE
1995 A dish that I do love to feed upon.
GRUMIO
1996 25 Ay, but the mustard is too hot a little.
KATHERINE
1997 Why then, the beef, and let the mustard rest.
GRUMIO
1998 Nay then, I will not. You shall have the mustard
1999 Or else you get no beef of Grumio.
KATHERINE
2000 Then both, or one, or any thing thou wilt.
GRUMIO
2001 30 Why then, the mustard without the beef.
KATHERINE
2002 Go, get thee gone, thou false deluding slave,
⌜She⌝ beats him.
2003 That feed’st me with the very name of meat.
2004 Sorrow on thee, and all the pack of you
2005 That triumph thus upon my misery.
2006 35 Go, get thee gone, I say.
Enter Petruchio and Hortensio with meat.
PETRUCHIO
2007 How fares my Kate? What, sweeting, all amort?
HORTENSIO
2008 Mistress, what cheer?
KATHERINE 2009 Faith, as cold as can be.
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PETRUCHIO 2010 Pluck up thy spirits. Look cheerfully upon me.
2011 40 Here, love, thou seest how diligent I am,
2012 To dress thy meat myself and bring it thee.
2013 I am sure, sweet Kate, this kindness merits thanks.
2014 What, not a word? Nay then, thou lov’st it not,
2015 And all my pains is sorted to no proof.
2016 45 Here, take away this dish.
KATHERINE 2017 I pray you, let it stand.
PETRUCHIO
2018 The poorest service is repaid with thanks,
2019 And so shall mine before you touch the meat.
KATHERINE 2020 I thank you, sir.
HORTENSIO
2021 50 Signior Petruchio, fie, you are to blame.
2022 Come, Mistress Kate, I’ll bear you company.
PETRUCHIO, ⌜aside to Hortensio⌝
2023 Eat it up all, Hortensio, if thou lovest me.—
2024 Much good do it unto thy gentle heart.
2025 Kate, eat apace.
⌜Katherine and Hortensio prepare to eat.⌝
2026 55 And now, my honey love,
2027 Will we return unto thy father’s house
2028 And revel it as bravely as the best,
2029 With silken coats and caps and golden rings,
2030 With ruffs and cuffs and farthingales and things,
2031 60 With scarves and fans and double change of brav’ry,
2032 With amber bracelets, beads, and all this knav’ry.
2033 What, hast thou dined? The tailor stays thy leisure
2034 To deck thy body with his ruffling treasure.
Enter Tailor.
2035 Come, tailor, let us see these ornaments.
2036 65 Lay forth the gown.
Enter Haberdasher.
2037 What news with you, sir?
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⌜HABERDASHER⌝ 2038 Here is the cap your Worship did bespeak.
PETRUCHIO
2039 Why, this was molded on a porringer!
2040 A velvet dish! Fie, fie, ’tis lewd and filthy.
2041 70 Why, ’tis a cockle or a walnut shell,
2042 A knack, a toy, a trick, a baby’s cap.
2043 Away with it! Come, let me have a bigger.
KATHERINE
2044 I’ll have no bigger. This doth fit the time,
2045 And gentlewomen wear such caps as these.
PETRUCHIO
2046 75 When you are gentle, you shall have one too,
2047 And not till then.
HORTENSIO, ⌜aside⌝ 2048 That will not be in haste.
KATHERINE
2049 Why, sir, I trust I may have leave to speak,
2050 And speak I will. I am no child, no babe.
2051 80 Your betters have endured me say my mind,
2052 And if you cannot, best you stop your ears.
2053 My tongue will tell the anger of my heart,
2054 Or else my heart, concealing it, will break,
2055 And, rather than it shall, I will be free
2056 85 Even to the uttermost, as I please, in words.
PETRUCHIO
2057 Why, thou sayst true. It is ⌜a⌝ paltry cap,
2058 A custard-coffin, a bauble, a silken pie.
2059 I love thee well in that thou lik’st it not.
KATHERINE
2060 Love me, or love me not, I like the cap,
2061 90 And it I will have, or I will have none.
⌜Exit Haberdasher.⌝
PETRUCHIO
2062 Thy gown? Why, ay. Come, tailor, let us see ’t.
2063 O mercy God, what masking-stuff is here?
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2064
What’s this? A sleeve? ’Tis like ⌜a⌝ demi-cannon.2065 What, up and down carved like an apple tart?
2066 95 Here’s snip and nip and cut and slish and slash,
2067 Like to a censer in a barber’s shop.
2068 Why, what a devil’s name, tailor, call’st thou this?
HORTENSIO, ⌜aside⌝
2069 I see she’s like to have neither cap nor gown.
TAILOR
2070 You bid me make it orderly and well,
2071 100 According to the fashion and the time.
PETRUCHIO
2072 Marry, and did. But if you be remembered,
2073 I did not bid you mar it to the time.
2074 Go, hop me over every kennel home,
2075 For you shall hop without my custom, sir.
2076 105 I’ll none of it. Hence, make your best of it.
KATHERINE
2077 I never saw a better-fashioned gown,
2078 More quaint, more pleasing, nor more
2079 commendable.
2080 Belike you mean to make a puppet of me.
PETRUCHIO
2081 110 Why, true, he means to make a puppet of thee.
TAILOR
2082 She says your Worship means to make a puppet of
2083 her.
PETRUCHIO
2084 O monstrous arrogance! Thou liest, thou thread,
2085 thou thimble,
2086 115 Thou yard, three-quarters, half-yard, quarter, nail!
2087 Thou flea, thou nit, thou winter cricket, thou!
2088 Braved in mine own house with a skein of thread?
2089 Away, thou rag, thou quantity, thou remnant,
2090 Or I shall so be-mete thee with thy yard
2091 120 As thou shalt think on prating whilst thou liv’st.
2092 I tell thee, I, that thou hast marred her gown.
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TAILOR 2093 Your Worship is deceived. The gown is made
2094 Just as my master had direction.
2095 Grumio gave order how it should be done.
GRUMIO 2096 125I gave him no order. I gave him the stuff.
TAILOR
2097 But how did you desire it should be made?
GRUMIO 2098 Marry, sir, with needle and thread.
TAILOR
2099 But did you not request to have it cut?
GRUMIO 2100 Thou hast faced many things.
TAILOR 2101 130I have.
GRUMIO 2102 Face not me. Thou hast braved many men;
2103 brave not me. I will neither be faced nor braved. I
2104 say unto thee, I bid thy master cut out the gown,
2105 but I did not bid him cut it to pieces. Ergo, thou
2106 135 liest.
TAILOR 2107 Why, here is the note of the fashion to testify.
⌜He shows a paper.⌝
PETRUCHIO 2108 Read it.
GRUMIO 2109 The note lies in ’s throat, if he say I said so.
TAILOR ⌜reads⌝ 2110 “Imprimis, a loose-bodied gown—”
GRUMIO 2111 140Master, if ever I said “loose-bodied gown,”
2112 sew me in the skirts of it and beat me to death with
2113 a bottom of brown thread. I said “a gown.”
PETRUCHIO 2114 Proceed.
TAILOR ⌜reads⌝ 2115 “With a small-compassed cape—”
GRUMIO 2116 145I confess the cape.
TAILOR ⌜reads⌝ 2117 “With a trunk sleeve—”
GRUMIO 2118 I confess two sleeves.
TAILOR ⌜reads⌝ 2119 “The sleeves curiously cut.”
PETRUCHIO 2120 Ay, there’s the villainy.
GRUMIO 2121 150Error i’ th’ bill, sir, error i’ th’ bill! I commanded
2122 the sleeves should be cut out and sewed
2123 up again, and that I’ll prove upon thee, though thy
2124 little finger be armed in a thimble.
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TAILOR
2125
This is true that I say. An I had thee in place2126 155 where, thou shouldst know it.
GRUMIO 2127 I am for thee straight. Take thou the bill, give
2128 me thy mete-yard, and spare not me.
HORTENSIO 2129 God-a-mercy, Grumio, then he shall have
2130 no odds.
PETRUCHIO
2131 160 Well, sir, in brief, the gown is not for me.
GRUMIO 2132 You are i’ th’ right, sir, ’tis for my mistress.
PETRUCHIO
2133 Go, take it up unto thy master’s use.
GRUMIO 2134 Villain, not for thy life! Take up my mistress’
2135 gown for thy master’s use!
PETRUCHIO 2136 165Why, sir, what’s your conceit in that?
GRUMIO 2137 O, sir, the conceit is deeper than you think
2138 for. Take up my mistress’ gown to his master’s use!
2139 O, fie, fie, fie!
PETRUCHIO, ⌜aside to Hortensio⌝
2140 Hortensio, say thou wilt see the tailor paid.
2141 170 ⌜To Tailor.⌝ Go, take it hence. Begone, and say no
2142 more.
HORTENSIO, ⌜aside to Tailor⌝
2143 Tailor, I’ll pay thee for thy gown tomorrow.
2144 Take no unkindness of his hasty words.
2145 Away, I say. Commend me to thy master.
Tailor exits.
PETRUCHIO
2146 175 Well, come, my Kate, we will unto your father’s,
2147 Even in these honest mean habiliments.
2148 Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor,
2149 For ’tis the mind that makes the body rich,
2150 And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds,
2151 180 So honor peereth in the meanest habit.
2152 What, is the jay more precious than the lark
2153 Because his feathers are more beautiful?
2154 Or is the adder better than the eel
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2155
Because his painted skin contents the eye?2156 185 O no, good Kate. Neither art thou the worse
2157 For this poor furniture and mean array.
2158 If thou ⌜account’st⌝ it shame, lay it on me,
2159 And therefore frolic! We will hence forthwith
2160 To feast and sport us at thy father’s house.
2161 190 ⌜To Grumio.⌝ Go, call my men, and let us straight to
2162 him,
2163 And bring our horses unto Long-lane end.
2164 There will we mount, and thither walk on foot.
2165 Let’s see, I think ’tis now some seven o’clock,
2166 195 And well we may come there by dinner time.
KATHERINE
2167 I dare assure you, sir, ’tis almost two,
2168 And ’twill be supper time ere you come there.
PETRUCHIO
2169 It shall be seven ere I go to horse.
2170 Look what I speak, or do, or think to do,
2171 200 You are still crossing it.—Sirs, let ’t alone.
2172 I will not go today, and, ere I do,
2173 It shall be what o’clock I say it is.
HORTENSIO, ⌜aside⌝
2174 Why, so, this gallant will command the sun!
⌜They exit.⌝