CAST OF CHARACTERS

CHRISTOPHER SLY The principal character in the play's brief Induction, who is a drunken tinker, tricked by a mischievous nobleman into thinking that he is really a lord. 

LADY The noblewoman who tricks Christopher Sly.

MINOLA BAPTISTA One of the wealthiest men in Padua, and his daughters become the prey of many suitors due to the substantial dowries he can offer. He is good-natured, if a bit superficial. His absentmindedness increases when Kate shows her obstinate nature. Thus, at the opening of the play, he is already desperate to find her a suitor, having decided that she must marry before Bianca does. 

KATHERINE The “shrew” of the play’s title, Katherine, or Kate, is the daughter of Baptista Minola, with whom she lives in Padua. She is sharp-tongued, quick-tempered, and prone to violence, particularly against anyone who tries to marry her. Her hostility toward suitors particularly distresses her father. But her anger and rudeness disguise her deep-seated sense of insecurity and her jealousy toward her sister, Bianca. She does not resist her suitor Petruchio forever, though, and she eventually subjugates herself to him, despite her previous repudiation of marriage.

BIANCA The younger daughter of Baptista. The lovely Bianca proves herself the opposite of her sister, Kate, at the beginning of the play: she is soft-spoken, sweet, and unassuming. Thus, she operates as Kate’s principal female foil. Because of her large dowry and her mild behavior, several men vie for her hand. Baptista, however, will not let her marry until Kate is wed.

PETRUCHIO A gentleman from Verona. Loud, boisterous, eccentric, quick-witted, and frequently drunk, he has come to Padua “to wive and thrive.” He wishes from nothing more than a woman with an enormous dowry, and he finds Kate to be the perfect fit. Disregarding everyone who warns him of her shrewishness, he eventually succeeds not only in wooing Katherine, but in silencing her tongue and temper with his own.

GREMIO A gentleman of Padua - one of Bianca’s suitors at the beginning of the play. A rival of Hortensio, who he becomes friends with during mutual frustration with and rejection by Bianca. 

HORTENSIO A gentleman of Padua - one of Bianca’s suitors at the beginning of the play. A rival of Gremio, who he becomes friends with during mutual frustration with and rejection by Bianca. Directs Petruchio to Kate and then dresses up as a music instructor to court Bianca, and later ends up marrying a widow.

LUCENTIO A young student from Pisa, good-natured and intrepid, who comes to Padua to study at the city’s renowned university, but he is immediately sidetracked when he falls in love with Bianca at first sight. By disguising himself as a classics instructor named Cambio, he convinces Gremio to offer him to Baptista as a tutor for Bianca. He wins her love, but his impersonation gets him into trouble when his father, Vincentio, visits Padua.

TRANIO Lucentio’s servant. Tranio accompanies Lucentio from Pisa. Wry and comical, he plays an important part in his master’s charade - he assumes Lucentio’s identity and bargains with Baptista for Bianca’s hand.

BIONDELLO Lucentio’s second servant, who assists his master and Tranio in carrying out their plot.

GRUMIO Petruchio’s servant and the fool of the play - a source of much comic relief.

ENSEMBLE A hostess, a Page, Huntsman, Players, Messengers, Servants, Officers, and more.