Rules for Action Statements
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Only one character can perform the key action of
the scene.
Decisions do not count.
Anything planned before the scene starts does
not count.
The action is something the character does in
thoughtful response to some cause or causes.
Talking to the audience can be an action.
When writing a full statement, put the main
action in the main clause of the sentence.
Induction, scene one
 Action:
Having arranged to deceive Sly
by dressing him like a lord and his page
like a woman and then warning the players
who arrive not to offend Sly, the Lord
convinces himself that he can instruct his
followers how to stifle their laughter, which
would spoil his illusion, or failing that, that
how his presence alone will keep his farce
from degenerating into a riot. Will Sly ever know how he
has been plotted against? Will Katharina? Does a dog or a hawk?
Induction, scene 2:
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Sly transforms into a proper lord to watch play.
Or
Sly accepts his given role as a lord to watch the play.
Or
The lord restrains frivolity of his players (form of
actor's self-censureship).
Or
Sly accepts the doctor's orders that he watch a play
instead of demanding sex from his wife, as that will
keep him from reverting to his former lowly status.
Act one, scene one
Lucentio devises means to woo Bianca.
 or,
 Lucentio allows Tranio to disguise himself as
Lucentio for "good and weighty" reasons (to
negotiate a dowry with Baptista, but we don’t know
this or know that he knows it yet) while he disguises
himself as a schoolmaster to woo Bianca, the only
means Baptista allows one to have access to her.
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Act one, scene one
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Lucentio hides his plan to elope from Tranio and the
audience.
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This also fits a nice pattern in the play, since Bianca is a woman who hides her own
true thoughts as well. Then again, Petrucchio hides his method from Katharina,
though not from the audience.
or,
 Duped into letting Tranio take on his own identity,
Lucentio comes up with his own bad idea, to elope
with Bianco, thus avoiding what Hortensio called the
"bar in law"that forbids Bianca to marry till Katharina
does. The problem is that a decision is not an action.
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Act one, scene one
Tranio suckers Lucentio into becoming a
schoolmaster so that Tranio can take his place as
Lucentio. (after all, Tranio could have been the
schoolmaster, acting as a go-between, as Cambio
does for Gremio).
 or,
 Having helped Lucentio devise his plan to be a
schoolmaster, Tranio convinces him that Tranio
should take on the role of Lucentio, wear his clothes,
spend his money.
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Act one, scene two
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Petruchio will help his friends and himself as he goes
after Katharina. No, because P was already determined to do this before
the scene started.
or,
 Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) profligately extends
his promise to pay a portion to support he wooding of
Petrucchio by inviting the other wooers to the
alehouse to drink all afternoon, comparing their
combination of fellowship and adversary behavior to
that of lawyers (as Hortensio and Gremio already did
when they determined to be friends till the "bar at
law" was lifted, 136): "Strive mightily, but eat and
drink as friends."
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Act two, scene one
Petruchio frees Bianca for marriage. This is more of a
description of the clever way Shakespeare makes the
plots overlap.
 or,
 Tranio lies to win the bidding contest for Bianca, but
needs to find someone to pretend to be Vincentio,
since Baptiasta wants "assurance" from his father, in
case the father outlives Lucentio Problem that this is
two actions.
 or,
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Act two, scene one
Baptista, all too ready to accept Petruchio’s lies that
he and Katharina have fallen in love because he looks
only for “quiet”(328), takes care to ensure that
Tranio is not lying by requiring his father to affirm
the winning bid for Bianca.
 or,
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Act two, scene one
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Tranio curses Baptista for putting him to the trouble
of finding a “supposed” Vincentio.
Act three, scene one
 Lucentio
makes headway with Bianca
 or,
 Bianca
gives Lucentio some hope,
 or,
 Hortensio
denounces Bianca because she looks
lovingly on the pedascule.
Act three, scene two
 Katherine
resists Petruchio's attempts to
take her away,
 or,
 Petruchio makes everyone obey
Katharina's call to dinner.
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This action is an image of their marriage and why it will work:
the husband gets obedience in exchange for empowering the
woman. Although legally, no one can stop her, as he points out
(234: something Lucentio hopes to gain by his elopement), it is
his ability to defend her against the world, farcically acted out
when he has Grumio draw his weapon, that may suggest he
deserves her respect.
Vanity Fair interview with
Roseanne,
 “Why
do you love him?” I ask. “Is it just
because he’s the big bad boyfriend who
can beat up the world for you?”
 “Oh, man, what other reason do you
need?” Roseanne, signing, asks me right
back. “That says it all. He’s funny. He’s
very, very intelligent. And he can go to the
places I can go to.” (February 1994, p. 114)
Act three, scene two
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Baptista assigns Tranio
(disguised as Lucentio) to take
Petruchio’s place at the wedding
feast
What are some differences
between drama and film?
 Plays
stress dialogue; movies stress
visuals.
 Plays tend to stay in one physical location;
films often move over vast distances.
 Plays are organized by scenes; films are
organized by camera shots.
How does Zeffirelli’s movie
differ from play?
 Probably
the main difference between the
text and movie is that Zeffirelli gives
agency--makes her a thoughtful
personality who performs significant
actions, to Kate but takes it away from
Tranio.
How does Shakespeare
soften the taming?
 He
includes line that “both will fast”
(4.1.173)
 He has Petruchio give his “falcon” taming
speech to his men, whom he must impress
(he may only speak this way publicly, but
not think so: cf. his comparison of his
falcon and his wife at 5.2.65)
 Clever construction of the play: 1) the
double plot; 2) the fourth act
How does Zeffirelli soften the
taming?
eliminating P’s hawk-taming metaphor, with its
offensive imagery
 use slapstick humor, even in the “starving” scene
at table
 writing a new bedroom scene to show:
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that Petruchio can restrain his sex needs, implying he
is no cruel husband
that both are attractive and sexually attracted to each
other
that Kate can give (bed-warming pan) as good as she
gets
(cont.)
How does Zeffirelli soften the
taming?
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Emphasizing song “Where is the life that once I led”
implying that Kate is taming and transforming Petruchio
as well
Using star quality of Taylor and Burton to make them
attractive (also suggesting that strong personalities must
yield to marriage)
Using mood music and Taylor’s ability to project longing
to suggest that deep down, Petruchio and Kate are really
attracted to each other, despite their public posture that
he is a drunk and she a shrew.
Adding stage bits to suggest P’s transformation rather
than Kate’s: at first afraid of water at Hortensio’s house,
he later washes his hands before attempting to go to bed
with her (some guys will do anything . . . )
How does the double plot
work?
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Sets up a comparison between the wily servant
Tranio--clever but misguided--and Katharina-clever but misguided.
 To some extent, unseen elements of Kate’s
transformation can be guessed by looking at
Tranio: 1) the off-stage wedding as Tranio plans
for a “supposed” Vincentio and Lucentio thinks
of eloping (3.2.128); 2) the time between Kate’s
not agreeing it’s 2 o’clock and agreeing the sun
is the moon, during which Tranio plans start to
fall apart
What pattern does the five-act
structure reveal?
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Act 1: the boys find girls of their dreams
Act 2: boys win girls: P by wit, Lucentio by
Tranio’s bidding
Act 3: Plot tightens: P marries; Lucentio plans to
elope (unnecessarily, as the excuse that he has
to elude Hortensio replaces the original problem,
that Kate had to be married first)
Act 4: Counter stroke: Kate agrees with P;
Tranio enlists the pedant to play Vincentio
Act 5: Recognition and reversal: true Vincentio
appears (also true Bianca and widow); Kate??
What pattern do action
statements show?
ind.1: Lord instructs page how to play a gentle
woman, by example
ind. 2: Sly accepts doctor’s orders
1.1: Tranio finds a way to move up in social class
1.2: Tranio invites other wooers to alehouse.
(recall Sly’s lower-class preference for ale;
Vincentio, we will see, prefers to drink at home)
What pattern do action
statements show?
 2.1:
Tranio lies to win bidding contest
 3.1: Tranio accepts the assignment to
“beguile” Gremio (now that it looks like
Kate will marry, removing that obstacle)
 3.2: Tranio listens to Lucentio’s notion
that he must elope to evade Hortensio
(Litio).
What pattern do action
statements show?
4.1: Petruchio imitates Kate’s railing
 4.2: Tranio tricks pedant into accepting role of Vincentio
 4.3: Petruchio explains to Kate his taming process: just
don’t cross him, and she can have anything (specifically,
a trip home)
 4.4: Tranio finds a way to get Bianca out of the house
 4.5: Kate takes Hortensio’s advice (listens to the doctor)
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5.1: Tranio tries to have Vincentio arrested.
 5.2: Kate lectures the other women--if this is a genuine
“action,” then Kate has agency; if she is just an obedient
wife who has no true moral choice, then the action is
either that Baptista awards 20,000 crowns or Petruchio
invites Kate to bed, but who would play it this way?
Other questions
 Why,
exactly, does Kate allow herself to be
tamed . . . assuming she does allow it.
Other questions
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Where do you think, if anywhere, Kate first feels
attracted to Petruchio?
 Is Petruchio ever cruel? How far can he go?
 What motivates Tranio? Is he like Kate? She he accept
his position as servant as she accepts wifehood?
 Explain the thematic unity of assuming poses
(“supposes,” from I Soppositi, the Ariosto play that is the
basis for the Lucentio plot): Who pretends to be what?
Does this theme of people adopting roles influence our
view of Katharina?