The Taming of the Shrew

Name: The Taming of the Shrew
Author: William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

free · 22,290 words · 2 h 38 m audiobook, read by volunteers for LibriVox · first published 1623

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Dramatis Personae

A Lord, person in the introduction
Christopher Sly, a tinker, person in the introduction
Hostess, page, players, huntsmen, and servants, persons in the introduction
Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua
Vincentio, an old gentleman of Pisa
Lucentio, son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca
Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, a suitor to Katharina
Gremio, suitor to Bianca
Hortensio, suitor to Bianca
Tranio, servant to Lucentio
Biondello, servant to Lucentio
Grumio, servant to Petruchio
Curtis, servant to Petruchio
A Pedant
Katharina, the shrew, daughter to Baptista
Bianca, daughter to Baptista
Widow
Tailor, haberdasher, and servants attending on Baptista and Petruchio

Scene: Padua, and Petruchio’s country house.

Induction

restoring your place…

fetching the rest…

More by William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
You get a play that keeps changing its mind about love, from the quarrelling lovers in the forest to Bottom blundering through his amateur performance. The language is playful and slippery, and Puck gives the whole thing a mischievous sense that human beings are never quite in control.
All’s Well That Ends Well
Helena chases a man who plainly doesn't deserve her, and the play knows it, which is what makes it interesting. If you like your comedies uneasy, with a bed trick and an ending that only half convinces, this one will stick with you.
Antony and Cleopatra
These two aren't young lovers, they're middle-aged, vain, magnificent messes who keep wrecking empires over each other, and you half want to shake them. Stay for Enobarbus, the dry-eyed friend whose barge speech about Cleopatra is worth the whole play.

Dramatis Personae

A Lord, person in the introduction

Christopher Sly, a tinker, person in the introduction

Hostess, page, players, huntsmen, and servants, persons in the introduction

Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua

Vincentio, an old gentleman of Pisa

Lucentio, son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca

Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, a suitor to Katharina

Gremio, suitor to Bianca

Hortensio, suitor to Bianca

Tranio, servant to Lucentio

Biondello, servant to Lucentio

Grumio, servant to Petruchio

Curtis, servant to Petruchio

A Pedant

Katharina, the shrew, daughter to Baptista

Bianca, daughter to Baptista

Widow

Tailor, haberdasher, and servants attending on Baptista and Petruchio

Scene: Padua, and Petruchio’s country house.

More by William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

You get a play that keeps changing its mind about love, from the quarrelling lovers in the forest to Bottom blundering through his amateur performance. The language is playful and slippery, and Puck gives the whole thing a mischievous sense that human beings are never quite in control.

All’s Well That Ends Well

Helena chases a man who plainly doesn't deserve her, and the play knows it, which is what makes it interesting. If you like your comedies uneasy, with a bed trick and an ending that only half convinces, this one will stick with you.

Antony and Cleopatra

These two aren't young lovers, they're middle-aged, vain, magnificent messes who keep wrecking empires over each other, and you half want to shake them. Stay for Enobarbus, the dry-eyed friend whose barge speech about Cleopatra is worth the whole play.