SCENE I. PETRUCHIO'S country house. The Taming of the Shrew  Shakespeare homepage  |  Taming of the Shrew  | Act 4, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. PETRUCHIO'S country house. 

 Enter GRUMIO  GRUMIO  Fie, fie on all tired jades, on all mad masters, and 

 all foul ways! Was ever man so beaten? was ever 

 man so rayed? was ever man so weary? I am sent 

 before to make a fire, and they are coming after to 

 warm them. Now, were not I a little pot and soon 

 hot, my very lips might freeze to my teeth, my 

 tongue to the roof of my mouth, my heart in my 

 belly, ere I should come by a fire to thaw me: but 

 I, with blowing the fire, shall warm myself; for, 

 considering the weather, a taller man than I will 

 take cold. Holla, ho! Curtis. 



 Enter CURTIS  CURTIS  Who is that calls so coldly? 

 GRUMIO  A piece of ice: if thou doubt it, thou mayst slide 

 from my shoulder to my heel with no greater a run 

 but my head and my neck. A fire good Curtis. 

 CURTIS  Is my master and his wife coming, Grumio? 

 GRUMIO  O, ay, Curtis, ay: and therefore fire, fire; cast 

 on no water. 

 CURTIS  Is she so hot a shrew as she's reported? 

 GRUMIO  She was, good Curtis, before this frost: but, thou 

 knowest, winter tames man, woman and beast; for it 

 hath tamed my old master and my new mistress and 

 myself, fellow Curtis. 

 CURTIS  Away, you three-inch fool! I am no beast. 

 GRUMIO  Am I but three inches? why, thy horn is a foot; and 

 so long am I at the least. But wilt thou make a 

 fire, or shall I complain on thee to our mistress, 

 whose hand, she being now at hand, thou shalt soon 

 feel, to thy cold comfort, for being slow in thy hot office? 

 CURTIS  I prithee, good Grumio, tell me, how goes the world? 

 GRUMIO  A cold world, Curtis, in every office but thine; and 

 therefore fire: do thy duty, and have thy duty; for 

 my master and mistress are almost frozen to death. 

 CURTIS  There's fire ready; and therefore, good Grumio, the news. 

 GRUMIO  Why, 'Jack, boy! ho! boy!' and as much news as 

 will thaw. 

 CURTIS  Come, you are so full of cony-catching! 

 GRUMIO  Why, therefore fire; for I have caught extreme cold. 

 Where's the cook? is supper ready, the house 

 trimmed, rushes strewed, cobwebs swept; the 

 serving-men in their new fustian, their white 

 stockings, and every officer his wedding-garment on? 

 Be the jacks fair within, the jills fair without, 

 the carpets laid, and every thing in order? 

 CURTIS  All ready; and therefore, I pray thee, news. 

 GRUMIO  First, know, my horse is tired; my master and 

 mistress fallen out. 

 CURTIS  How? 

 GRUMIO  Out of their saddles into the dirt; and thereby 

 hangs a tale. 

 CURTIS  Let's ha't, good Grumio. 

 GRUMIO  Lend thine ear. 

 CURTIS  Here. 

 GRUMIO  There. 



 Strikes him  CURTIS  This is to feel a tale, not to hear a tale. 

 GRUMIO  And therefore 'tis called a sensible tale: and this 

 cuff was but to knock at your ear, and beseech 

 listening. Now I begin: Imprimis, we came down a 

 foul hill, my master riding behind my mistress,-- 

 CURTIS  Both of one horse? 

 GRUMIO  What's that to thee? 

 CURTIS  Why, a horse. 

 GRUMIO  Tell thou the tale: but hadst thou not crossed me, 

 thou shouldst have heard how her horse fell and she 

 under her horse; thou shouldst have heard in how 

 miry a place, how she was bemoiled, how he left her 

 with the horse upon her, how he beat me because 

 her horse stumbled, how she waded through the dirt 

 to pluck him off me, how he swore, how she prayed, 

 that never prayed before, how I cried, how the 

 horses ran away, how her bridle was burst, how I 

 lost my crupper, with many things of worthy memory, 

 which now shall die in oblivion and thou return 

 unexperienced to thy grave. 

 CURTIS  By this reckoning he is more shrew than she. 

 GRUMIO  Ay; and that thou and the proudest of you all shall 

 find when he comes home. But what talk I of this? 

 Call forth Nathaniel, Joseph, Nicholas, Philip, 

 Walter, Sugarsop and the rest: let their heads be 

 sleekly combed their blue coats brushed and their 

 garters of an indifferent knit: let them curtsy 

 with their left legs and not presume to touch a hair 

 of my master's horse-tail till they kiss their 

 hands. Are they all ready? 

 CURTIS  They are. 

 GRUMIO  Call them forth. 

 CURTIS  Do you hear, ho? you must meet my master to 

 countenance my mistress. 

 GRUMIO  Why, she hath a face of her own. 

 CURTIS  Who knows not that? 

 GRUMIO  Thou, it seems, that calls for company to 

 countenance her. 

 CURTIS  I call them forth to credit her. 

 GRUMIO  Why, she comes to borrow nothing of them. 



 Enter four or five Serving-men  NATHANIEL  Welcome home, Grumio! 

 PHILIP  How now, Grumio! 

 JOSEPH  What, Grumio! 

 NICHOLAS  Fellow Grumio! 

 NATHANIEL  How now, old lad? 

 GRUMIO  Welcome, you;--how now, you;-- what, you;--fellow, 

 you;--and thus much for greeting. Now, my spruce 

 companions, is all ready, and all things neat? 

 NATHANIEL  All things is ready. How near is our master? 

 GRUMIO  E'en at hand, alighted by this; and therefore be 

 not--Cock's passion, silence! I hear my master. 



 Enter PETRUCHIO and KATHARINA  PETRUCHIO  Where be these knaves? What, no man at door 

 To hold my stirrup nor to take my horse! 

 Where is Nathaniel, Gregory, Philip? 

 ALL SERVING-MEN	Here, here, sir; here, sir. 

 PETRUCHIO  Here, sir! here, sir! here, sir! here, sir! 

 You logger-headed and unpolish'd grooms! 

 What, no attendance? no regard? no duty? 

 Where is the foolish knave I sent before? 

 GRUMIO  Here, sir; as foolish as I was before. 

 PETRUCHIO  You peasant swain! you whoreson malt-horse drudge! 

 Did I not bid thee meet me in the park, 

 And bring along these rascal knaves with thee? 

 GRUMIO  Nathaniel's coat, sir, was not fully made, 

 And Gabriel's pumps were all unpink'd i' the heel; 

 There was no link to colour Peter's hat, 

 And Walter's dagger was not come from sheathing: 

 There were none fine but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory; 

 The rest were ragged, old, and beggarly; 

 Yet, as they are, here are they come to meet you. 

 PETRUCHIO  Go, rascals, go, and fetch my supper in. 



 Exeunt Servants 

 Singing  Where is the life that late I led-- 

 Where are those--Sit down, Kate, and welcome.-- 

 Sound, sound, sound, sound! 



 Re-enter Servants with supper  Why, when, I say? Nay, good sweet Kate, be merry. 

 Off with my boots, you rogues! you villains, when? 



 Sings  It was the friar of orders grey, 

 As he forth walked on his way:-- 

 Out, you rogue! you pluck my foot awry: 

 Take that, and mend the plucking off the other. 



 Strikes him  Be merry, Kate. Some water, here; what, ho! 

 Where's my spaniel Troilus? Sirrah, get you hence, 

 And bid my cousin Ferdinand come hither: 

 One, Kate, that you must kiss, and be acquainted with. 

 Where are my slippers? Shall I have some water? 



 Enter one with water  Come, Kate, and wash, and welcome heartily. 

 You whoreson villain! will you let it fall? 



 Strikes him  KATHARINA  Patience, I pray you; 'twas a fault unwilling. 

 PETRUCHIO  A whoreson beetle-headed, flap-ear'd knave! 

 Come, Kate, sit down; I know you have a stomach. 

 Will you give thanks, sweet Kate; or else shall I? 

 What's this? mutton? 

 First Servant  Ay. 

 PETRUCHIO  Who brought it? 

 PETER  I. 

 PETRUCHIO  'Tis burnt; and so is all the meat. 

 What dogs are these! Where is the rascal cook? 

 How durst you, villains, bring it from the dresser, 

 And serve it thus to me that love it not? 

 Theretake it to you, trenchers, cups, and all; 



 Throws the meat,  & c. about the stage  You heedless joltheads and unmanner'd slaves! 

 What, do you grumble? I'll be with you straight. 

 KATHARINA  I pray you, husband, be not so disquiet: 

 The meat was well, if you were so contented. 

 PETRUCHIO  I tell thee, Kate, 'twas burnt and dried away; 

 And I expressly am forbid to touch it, 

 For it engenders choler, planteth anger; 

 And better 'twere that both of us did fast, 

 Since, of ourselves, ourselves are choleric, 

 Than feed it with such over-roasted flesh. 

 Be patient; to-morrow 't shall be mended, 

 And, for this night, we'll fast for company: 

 Come, I will bring thee to thy bridal chamber. 



 Exeunt 

 Re-enter Servants severally  NATHANIEL  Peter, didst ever see the like? 

 PETER  He kills her in her own humour. 



 Re-enter CURTIS  GRUMIO  Where is he? 

 CURTIS  In her chamber, making a sermon of continency to her; 

 And rails, and swears, and rates, that she, poor soul, 

 Knows not which way to stand, to look, to speak, 

 And sits as one new-risen from a dream. 

 Away, away! for he is coming hither. 



 Exeunt 

 Re-enter PETRUCHIO  PETRUCHIO  Thus have I politicly begun my reign, 

 And 'tis my hope to end successfully. 

 My falcon now is sharp and passing empty; 

 And till she stoop she must not be full-gorged, 

 For then she never looks upon her lure. 

 Another way I have to man my haggard, 

 To make her come and know her keeper's call, 

 That is, to watch her, as we watch these kites 

 That bate and beat and will not be obedient. 

 She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat; 

 Last night she slept not, nor to-night she shall not; 

 As with the meat, some undeserved fault 

 I'll find about the making of the bed; 

 And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster, 

 This way the coverlet, another way the sheets: 

 Ay, and amid this hurly I intend 

 That all is done in reverend care of her; 

 And in conclusion she shall watch all night: 

 And if she chance to nod I'll rail and brawl 

 And with the clamour keep her still awake. 

 This is a way to kill a wife with kindness; 

 And thus I'll curb her mad and headstrong humour. 

 He that knows better how to tame a shrew, 

 Now let him speak: 'tis charity to show. 



 Exit  Shakespeare homepage  |  Taming of the Shrew  | Act 4, Scene 1 

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