The Taming of the Shrew Family Quotes Page 2
Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.
| Quote #4 Antonio, my father, is deceased; |
This is one of the first things out of Petruchio's mouth when he catches up with his old pal, Hortensio. Fine. Sharing this kind of news with a friend makes sense. The thing is, Petruchio mentions his dead dad an awful lot throughout the play. Is he sentimental? Does he miss him? Or, is he callous? Glad his dad is gone so he can take charge of the family trust and be the boss? If you were a director, how would you suggest an actor deliver these lines?
| Quote #5 Signior Baptista, my business asketh haste, |
When Petruchio approaches Baptista for Kate's hand, he banks on the fact that Baptista knew his dead father. The good reputation of fathers is important to all the social climbing young men in this play. Here, however, we see that Petruchio sees his identity as being fused with that of his father, as though they are the same person.
| Quote #6 What, will you not suffer me? Nay, now I see |
Kate's accusation that Baptista loves Bianca the most sounds a bit childish, but it's not unfounded. Baptista does treat Bianca as a "treasure." This isn't the first time that word has been used to describe the way Baptista guards his youngest child. Hortensio sees Bianca as a "treasure" as well and accuses Baptista of being miserly with his "riches" (1.2.7).
