No Fear Shakespeare

The Taming of the Shrew

William Shakespeare

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Act 1, Scene 2, Page 12

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240

TRANIO
(as LUCENTIO) If it be so, sir, that you are the man
Must stead us all, and me amongst the rest,
And if you break the ice and do this feat,
Achieve the elder, set the younger free
For our access, whose hap shall be to have her
Will not so graceless be to be ingrate.
TRANIO
(as LUCENTIO) If that’s the case, then you’re the man to help us, me along with the rest. And if you carry it off and break the ice—win the older and make the younger accessible to us—whoever winds up with her will not be such a boor as to be ungrateful, I’m sure.



245
HORTENSIO
Sir, you say well, and well you do conceive.
And since you do profess to be a suitor,
You must, as we do, gratify this gentleman,
To whom we all rest generally beholding.
HORTENSIO
Sir, that’s well said and well thought out. Now, since you count yourself among Bianca’s suitors, you must—as we already have—pay this gentlemen to whom we are all so indebted.




250
TRANIO
(as LUCENTIO) Sir, I shall not be slack; in sign whereof,
Please ye we may contrive this afternoon
And quaff carouses to our mistress' health
And do as adversaries do in law,
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
TRANIO
(speaking as LUCENTIO) I’ll ante up, certainly! And on that note, let’s all pass the time this afternoon drinking rounds to our mistress’s health and following the example of legal adversaries, who fight tooth and nail in court but eat and drink as friends.

GRUMIO AND BIONDELLO
O excellent motion! Fellows, let’s be gone.
GRUMIO AND BIONDELLO
An excellent motion. Let’s go.


HORTENSIO
The motion’s good indeed and be it so.—
Petruchio, I shall be your ben venuto.
HORTENSIO
I second that motion. So be it. Petruchio, I’m buying.
Exeunt
They all exit.

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