Original: Sirrah, go you to Barthol’mew my page,
Modern: Hey you, go find Bartholomew, my young servant,

Original: And see him dress’d in all suits like a lady;
Modern: And make sure he’s dressed up completely like a woman;

Original: That done, conduct him to the drunkard’s chamber,
Modern: Once that’s finished, bring him to the drunk man’s room,

Original: And call him ‘madam,’ do him obeisance.
Modern: And call him ‘madam,’ bow to him respectfully.

Original: Tell him from me- as he will win my love-
Modern: Tell him this message from me- if he wants to earn my favor-

Original: He bear himself with honourable action,
Modern: He should behave himself with dignified actions,

Original: Such as he hath observ’d in noble ladies
Modern: Just like he’s seen noble ladies act

Original: Unto their lords, by them accomplished;
Modern: Toward their husbands, the way they’ve done it;

Original: Such duty to the drunkard let him do,
Modern: He should show that same devotion to the drunk man,

Original: With soft low tongue and lowly courtesy,
Modern: Speaking gently and softly with humble politeness,

Original: And say ‘What is’t your honour will command,
Modern: And say ‘What would you like me to do for you,

Original: Wherein your lady and your humble wife
Modern: How can your lady and your devoted wife

Original: May show her duty and make known her love?’
Modern: Show her obedience and prove her love?’

Original: And then with kind embracements, tempting kisses,
Modern: And then with loving hugs and seductive kisses,

Original: And with declining head into his bosom,
Modern: And leaning his head down against his chest,

Original: Bid him shed tears, as being overjoyed
Modern: Tell him to cry tears of happiness

Original: To see her noble lord restor’d to health,
Modern: At seeing her noble husband healthy again,

Original: Who for this seven years hath esteemed him
Modern: Who for these past seven years has thought of himself as

Original: No better than a poor and loathsome beggar.
Modern: Nothing more than a poor and disgusting beggar.

Original: And if the boy have not a woman’s gift
Modern: And if the boy doesn’t have a woman’s natural ability

Original: To rain a shower of commanded tears,
Modern: To cry tears on command,

Original: An onion will do well for such a shift,
Modern: An onion will work well for this trick,

Original: Which, in a napkin being close convey’d,
Modern: Which, wrapped up secretly in a handkerchief,

Original: Shall in despite enforce a watery eye.
Modern: Will definitely make his eyes water.

Original: See this dispatch’d with all the haste thou canst;
Modern: Get this done as quickly as you can;

Original: Anon I’ll give thee more instructions.
Modern: Soon I’ll give you more directions.

Original: I know the boy will well usurp the grace,
Modern: I know the boy will perfectly imitate the elegance,

Original: Voice, gait, and action, of a gentlewoman;
Modern: Voice, walk, and behavior of a refined lady;

Original: I long to hear him call the drunkard ‘husband’;
Modern: I can’t wait to hear him call the drunk man ‘husband’;

Original: And how my men will stay themselves from laughter
Modern: And I wonder how my servants will keep themselves from laughing

Original: When they do homage to this simple peasant.
Modern: When they have to show respect to this stupid fool.

Original: I’ll in to counsel them; haply my presence
Modern: I’ll go advise them; maybe my being there

Original: May well abate the over-merry spleen,
Modern: Will help control their excessive amusement,

Original: Which otherwise would grow into extremes.
Modern: Which otherwise might get completely out of hand.

The Induction (also called Prologue in some editions) of “The Taming of the Shrew” opens with Christopher Sly, a drunken tinker, being thrown out of an alehouse by the Hostess for refusing to pay for broken glasses. Sly falls asleep outside, where he is discovered by a Lord returning from hunting with his servants. The Lord devises an elaborate prank: he instructs his servants to carry the unconscious Sly to his house, dress him in fine clothes, and convince him upon waking that he is actually a nobleman who has been mad for fifteen years and has just recovered his senses.

When Sly awakens, he is surrounded by servants who address him as “my lord” and insist he is a wealthy man with lands, despite his protests that he is merely Christopher Sly, a tinker. The servants present him with fine food, clothing, and entertainment, including a “wife” - actually Bartholomew, the Lord’s page dressed as a woman. Though initially resistant and confused, Sly gradually accepts this new identity when promised that a company of players will perform a comedy for his entertainment. The scene concludes with preparations being made for the theatrical performance that will constitute the main plot of the play, effectively establishing the entire story of Petruchio and Katherina as a play-within-a-play.

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.