Original: No, not a whit; I find you passing gentle.
Modern: No, not at all; I find you extremely kind and well-mannered.

Original: ‘Twas told me you were rough, and coy, and sullen,
Modern: I was told you were harsh, stand-offish, and moody,

Original: And now I find report a very liar;
Modern: And now I realize that rumor is a total liar;

Original: For thou art pleasant, gamesome, passing courteous,
Modern: Because you are delightful, playful, and extremely polite,

Original: But slow in speech, yet sweet as springtime flowers.
Modern: Though careful with your words, yet as sweet as spring flowers.

Original: Thou canst not frown, thou canst not look askance,
Modern: You can’t frown, you can’t give disapproving looks,

Original: Nor bite the lip, as angry wenches will,
Modern: Or bite your lip, like angry young women do,

Original: Nor hast thou pleasure to be cross in talk;
Modern: And you don’t take pleasure in being argumentative in conversation;

Original: But thou with mildness entertain’st thy wooers;
Modern: Instead, you greet your suitors with gentleness;

Original: With gentle conference, soft and affable.
Modern: With kind conversation, soft-spoken and friendly.

Original: Why does the world report that Kate doth limp?
Modern: Why does everyone say that Kate walks with a limp?

Original: O sland’rous world! Kate like the hazel-twig
Modern: Oh, what a lying world! Kate, like a hazel branch,

Original: Is straight and slender, and as brown in hue
Modern: Is perfectly straight and slim, and as brown in color

Original: As hazel-nuts, and sweeter than the kernels.
Modern: As hazelnuts, and sweeter than the nuts inside them.

Original: O, let me see thee walk. Thou dost not halt.
Modern: Oh, let me see you walk. You don’t limp at all.

In Act II, Scene i of “The Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio arrives at Baptista’s house in Padua with his servant Grumio, seeking to woo Katherina. Baptista welcomes Petruchio after learning of his wealthy lineage and noble intentions, while Gremio and Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) present their own suits for Bianca’s hand. Baptista introduces the suitors to his daughters, and Petruchio immediately declares his intent to marry Katherina despite warnings about her shrewish nature. The other suitors discuss their plans to court Bianca, with Tranio offering music and poetry lessons for her education.

When Petruchio meets Katherina alone, their first encounter becomes a battle of wits filled with wordplay and verbal sparring. Katherina strikes Petruchio, but he remains undeterred, claiming she is gentle and mild contrary to her reputation. Despite Katherina’s protests and insults, Petruchio announces to Baptista and the others that she has agreed to marry him and that the wedding will take place on Sunday. Baptista consents to the match and arranges the dowry, while Gremio and Tranio begin bidding against each other for Bianca’s hand, with Tranio ultimately winning by promising the largest dowry, contingent upon his father’s approval.

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.