Christopher Sly
A poor vagrant who falls asleep drunk in front of a tavern at the
beginning of the Induction. A Lord returning from hunting finds Sly asleep and plays
a trick on him, carrying Sly to the Lord's house and ordering the servants
to treat Sly like a lord when he wakes up. A group of actors who visit the
Lord's house perform The Taming of the Shrew for Sly, which takes up the
rest of the play. Sly is cantankerous and quarrelsome, more interested in drinking
the beer and eating the beef jerky he is used to than in accepting the role of
aristocrat. However, when he finds out that in his role as a lord he has a wife
(actually the Page in disguise), he quickly changes his mind, anxious to get alone
with her and take her to bed.
Lord
A very wealthy nobleman whose practical joke on Sly dominates the
Induction and provides the set-up for the rest of the play. As the Lord carries out
his joke, making Sly think that Sly is really a lord and doesn't remember
it, we get to see all of the luxuries that an aristocrat of Shakespeare's
day would enjoy—a pack of hunting dogs, numerous servants, a grand
house, erotic artwork, imported wines and perfumes, preserved fruits, and so
on.
Hostess
The proprietress of a tavern who gets in an argument with Sly in the
first lines of the play.
Page
A boy servant to the Lord. The Lord has the Page dress as a lady and play
the part of Sly's wife.
Players
A troupe of traveling actors who arrive at the Lord's house
offering to perform, and who help the Lord carry out his joke on Sly. They perform
The Taming of the Shrew.
Katherine
The shrew of the play's title, and the oldest daughter of
Baptista Minola and sister of Bianca. Katherine, who is also called Katherina or
Kate, is extremely strong-willed. She insists upon saying whatever she thinks and
expressing whatever she feels. Her words are abusive and angry, and her actions are
often violent. In Shakespeare's time, women like Katherine were called
shrews, and they were strongly disapproved of as the worst possible kind of women.
Petruchio undertakes the challenge of taming her, turning her into an obedient and
pleasant wife.
Petruchio
A wealthy gentleman from Verona. Loud, boisterous, eccentric, and
quick-witted, Petruchio comes to Padua to increase his fortune by marrying rich. All
he wants is a bride with an enormous dowry, and Katherine fits the bill. Though
everyone else warns him against trying to marry Katherine, he sets out to tame her
by pitting his own violent temper against hers.
Baptista Minola
A wealthy citizen of Padua, and the father of Katherine and Bianca.
Though many men want to marry Bianca, Baptista refuses to allow Bianca to marry
before Katherine, whom no one wants to marry. Baptista is good-hearted and generous
toward his two daughters, lavishing expensive books and lessons upon them, but he is
completely at a loss for how to deal with the strong-willed
Katherine.
Bianca
The younger daughter of Baptista. The opposite of her sister Katherine,
Bianca is soft-spoken, sweet, and unassuming, as well as beautiful. Because of her
large dowry and her mild behavior, several men compete for her hand.
Lucentio
A young nobleman from Pisa who comes to Padua to study at the
city's renowned university, but who is immediately sidetracked when he
falls in love with Bianca at first sight. Good-natured and intrepid, Lucentio is the
most sympathetic of Bianca's suitors. He disguises himself as a classics
instructor named Cambio so he can gain access to Bianca and win her
love.
Tranio
Lucentio's servant, who accompanies Lucentio from Pisa. Wily and
comical, Tranio plays an important part in Lucentio's charade by pretending
to be Lucentio and bargaining with Baptista for Bianca's
hand.
Gremio and Hortensio
Two older gentlemen of Padua who want to marry Bianca. Although they are
rivals, they become allies because of their mutual frustration with and rejection by
Bianca. Hortensio is an old friend of Petruchio's, and he suggests
Katherine as a possible wife for Petruchio. He then dresses up as a music instructor
to court Bianca. Hortensio and Gremio are both thwarted by Lucentio in their efforts
to win Bianca.
Grumio
Petruchio's servant and the fool of the play. He provides comic
relief by pretending to misunderstand Petruchio and getting into ridiculous
arguments with him.
Biondello
Lucentio's second servant, who assists his master and Tranio in
carrying out their plot.
Curtis, Nathaniel, Phillip, Joseph, Nicholas, Peter
Servants in Petruchio's household.
Tailor, Haberdasher
The dress-maker and hat-maker hired by Petruchio to dress Katherine.
Petruchio criticizes their work and sends them away, as part of his scheme to tame
Katherine.
Widow
A wealthy widow of Padua whom Hortensio marries after abandoning his
attempt to marry Bianca.
Merchant
A merchant recently from Mantua, whom Lucentio tricks into pretending to
be Lucentio's father.
