Original: Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench;
Modern: I swear, she’s a lively and spirited woman;

Original: I love her ten times more than e’er I did.
Modern: I love her ten times more than I ever did before.

Original: O, how I long to have some chat with her!
Modern: Oh, how I can’t wait to have a conversation with her!

Original: I pray you do.
Modern: Please do that.

Original: I’ll attend her here,
Modern: I’ll wait for her here,

Original: And woo her with some spirit when she comes.
Modern: And court her with energy and enthusiasm when she arrives.

Original: Say that she rail; why, then I’ll tell her plain
Modern: If she yells and complains at me, then I’ll simply tell her

Original: She sings as sweetly as a nightingale.
Modern: That she sings as beautifully as a nightingale.

Original: Say that she frown; I’ll say she looks as clear
Modern: If she frowns at me, I’ll say she looks as bright

Original: As morning roses newly wash’d with dew.
Modern: As morning roses freshly covered with dew.

Original: Say she be mute, and will not speak a word;
Modern: If she stays silent and won’t say anything,

Original: Then I’ll commend her volubility,
Modern: Then I’ll praise how talkative she is,

Original: And say she uttereth piercing eloquence.
Modern: And say that she speaks with sharp and powerful words.

Original: If she do bid me pack, I’ll give her thanks,
Modern: If she tells me to leave, I’ll thank her,

Original: As though she bid me stay by her a week;
Modern: As if she had asked me to stay with her for a week;

Original: If she deny to wed, I’ll crave the day
Modern: If she refuses to marry me, I’ll ask for the day

Original: When I shall ask the banns, and when be married.
Modern: When I can announce our engagement and when we’ll be married.

In Act II, Scene 1 of “The Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio arrives at Baptista’s house in Padua with his servant Grumio, seeking to woo Katherina. Petruchio introduces himself to Baptista as a gentleman from Verona who has heard of Katherina’s beauty and wishes to court her. He presents Litio (actually Hortensio in disguise) as a music teacher for Katherina, while Baptista welcomes the suitor despite warnings about his daughter’s shrewish nature. Meanwhile, Gremio arrives with Lucentio (disguised as Cambio, a Latin tutor) to teach Bianca, and Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) also appears as another suitor for Bianca’s hand.

The scene culminates in the famous first encounter between Petruchio and Katherina, where they engage in a battle of wits filled with rapid-fire wordplay and verbal sparring. Despite Katherina’s resistance and sharp tongue, Petruchio matches her wit and declares his intention to marry her, claiming she is gentle and mild-mannered contrary to all evidence. When Baptista, Gremio, and Tranio return, Petruchio announces that he and Katherina have agreed to marry on Sunday, though Katherina vehemently protests. Baptista consents to the match, and the scene ends with arrangements being made for the wedding while the other suitors prepare to compete for Bianca through displays of wealth and promises of inheritance.

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.