Original: Mi perdonato, gentle master mine;
Modern: Pardon me, my kind master;

Original: I am in all affected as yourself;
Modern: I feel the same way about everything as you do;

Original: Glad that you thus continue your resolve
Modern: I’m happy that you’re still determined

Original: To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.
Modern: To enjoy the delights of philosophical study.

Original: Only, good master, while we do admire
Modern: But, good master, while we respect

Original: This virtue and this moral discipline,
Modern: This excellence and this ethical self-control,

Original: Let’s be no Stoics nor no stocks, I pray,
Modern: Let’s not become emotionless philosophers or wooden blocks, I beg you,

Original: Or so devote to Aristotle’s checks
Modern: Or so dedicated to Aristotle’s strict rules

Original: As Ovid be an outcast quite abjur’d.
Modern: That we completely reject and banish Ovid.

Original: Balk logic with acquaintance that you have,
Modern: Toss around logical arguments with your friends,

Original: And practise rhetoric in your common talk;
Modern: And practice the art of persuasive speech in everyday conversation;

Original: Music and poesy use to quicken you;
Modern: Use music and poetry to energize yourself;

Original: The mathematics and the metaphysics,
Modern: As for mathematics and abstract philosophy,

Original: Fall to them as you find your stomach serves you.
Modern: Dig into them only when you have an appetite for them.

Original: No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en;
Modern: There’s no benefit gained where no enjoyment is found;

Original: In brief, sir, study what you most affect.
Modern: In short, sir, study what you love most.

The Taming of the Shrew opens with an induction featuring Christopher Sly, a drunken tinker who is tricked by a lord into believing he is nobility. A troupe of players performs the main play for Sly’s entertainment, though this framing device is largely forgotten after the first act.

The central plot follows Petruchio of Verona, who comes to Padua seeking a wealthy wife. He learns of Katherina Minola, the shrewish elder daughter of the rich Baptista, whom no man dares court due to her fierce temper and sharp tongue. Baptista has decreed that no suitor may court his younger, gentler daughter Bianca until Katherina is married. Petruchio, undaunted by Katherina’s reputation and attracted by her substantial dowry, courts and weds her despite her protests and violent resistance during their first meeting.

Meanwhile, multiple suitors pursue Bianca, including Lucentio (who disguises himself as a Latin tutor), Gremio (an old pantaloon), and Hortensio (who disguises himself as a music teacher). Lucentio and his servant Tranio orchestrate an elaborate deception, with Tranio assuming his master’s identity to court Bianca openly while Lucentio teaches her in disguise. Eventually, Bianca falls in love with Lucentio, and they secretly marry, while Hortensio abandons his pursuit and marries a wealthy widow.

After his wedding, Petruchio takes Katherina to his country house, where he employs various tactics to “tame” her, including depriving her of food and sleep under the pretense that nothing is good enough for her, and contradicting her at every turn. Gradually, Katherina appears to submit to his will. The play concludes with a feast where the three new husbands wager on whose wife is most obedient. Katherina proves most compliant, delivering a lengthy speech on wifely duty and obedience, winning Petruchio the wager and apparently demonstrating her complete transformation.