Original: Thus have I politicly begun my reign,
Modern: This is how I’ve cleverly started my rule over her,

Original: And ‘tis my hope to end successfully.
Modern: And I hope it will work out the way I want.

Original: My falcon now is sharp and passing empty.
Modern: My falcon is now hungry and completely empty.

Original: And till she stoop she must not be full-gorg’d,
Modern: And until she obeys my command, she must not be fully fed,

Original: For then she never looks upon her lure.
Modern: Because once she’s full, she won’t pay attention to what I use to control her.

Original: Another way I have to man my haggard,
Modern: I have another method to tame my wild hawk,

Original: To make her come, and know her keeper’s call,
Modern: To make her come to me and recognize her master’s voice,

Original: That is, to watch her, as we watch these kites
Modern: Which is to keep her awake, the way we do with these wild birds

Original: That bate and beat, and will not be obedient.
Modern: That flutter and struggle and refuse to obey.

Original: She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat;
Modern: She didn’t eat any food today, and she won’t eat any either;

Original: Last night she slept not, nor to-night she shall not;
Modern: Last night she didn’t sleep, and tonight she won’t sleep either;

Original: As with the meat, some undeserved fault
Modern: Just like with the food, I’ll find some made-up problem

Original: I’ll find about the making of the bed;
Modern: With the way the bed has been made;

Original: And here I’ll fling the pillow, there the bolster,
Modern: And I’ll throw the pillow here, the long pillow there,

Original: This way the coverlet, another way the sheets;
Modern: The blanket this way, the sheets that way;

Original: Ay, and amid this hurly I intend
Modern: Yes, and during all this chaos I plan

Original: That all is done in reverend care of her-
Modern: To act like everything I’m doing is out of respectful concern for her—

Original: And, in conclusion, she shall watch all night;
Modern: And, in the end, she’ll stay awake all night;

Original: And if she chance to nod I’ll rail and brawl
Modern: And if she happens to fall asleep, I’ll yell and make a scene

Original: And with the clamour keep her still awake.
Modern: And with all the noise keep her continuously awake.

Original: This is a way to kill a wife with kindness,
Modern: This is a way to break a wife’s spirit while pretending to be kind,

Original: And thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humour.
Modern: And this is how I’ll control her wild and stubborn personality.

Original: He that knows better how to tame a shrew,
Modern: Anyone who knows a better way to tame a difficult woman,

Original: Now let him speak; ‘tis charity to show.
Modern: Speak up now; it would be generous to share that knowledge.

In Act IV, Scene 1 of “The Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio arrives at his country house with Kate after their wedding journey, both bedraggled from travel. Petruchio immediately begins berating his servants, including Grumio, Curtis, and others, finding fault with everything they do. He complains that the fire is not hot enough, strikes servants for minor infractions, and creates chaos in his own household. When dinner is served, he finds multiple faults with the food, claiming it is overcooked and unfit to eat, and throws the dishes around, preventing Kate from eating despite her obvious hunger and fatigue.

Throughout this scene, Petruchio continues his calculated campaign to “tame” Kate by depriving her of food and rest while maintaining the pretense that everything he does is for her benefit and out of love for her. He dismisses servants, rejects the meal, and declares that they will fast together. Kate, exhausted and bewildered by this treatment, finds herself unable to eat or rest properly in Petruchio’s chaotic household. The scene concludes with Petruchio’s aside to the audience, where he explicitly outlines his strategy of taming Kate through deprivation, comparing his method to training a hawk by keeping it hungry and sleepless until it becomes obedient.

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.