Study Guide

The Taming of the Shrew Characters

By William Shakespeare

Kate is the title character (the "Shrew") of the play. The eldest and unmarried daughter of...

Petruchio is a wealthy bachelor who is on the prowl for a rich wife. When he hears about...

Christopher Sly is a drunk and a beggar with a string of menial jobs and an appetite for cheap...

Bianca is the youngest and favorite daughter of Baptista Minola. When we first encounter her, she...

Bart doesn't have many lines but he's an interesting figure. We only ever see him in character in...

Baptista is the wheeling and dealing father in search of suitable husbands for his daughters,...

Lucentio is a rich kid who travels to Padua to top off his education and "see the world." His...

Hortensio is Petruchio's best friend and sort of his wingman. (He tells Petruchio about Kate and...

Gremio is an old man who actually thinks he has a chance with Bianca. He's referred to as a...

Tranio is Lucentio's "trusty" servant. Unlike the other servants, Tranio is smart, loyal, and...

Grumio is Petruchio's old servant. He has a tendency to interpret his master's speeches and...

Biondello is another one of Lucentio's servants, though he's not as "trusty" or as interesting as...

You remember him, right? He's the jerk in the Induction scenes at the beginning of the play...