Analysis/Vocabulary – act 3 – Taming of the Shrew ap english Lit./Grad. Project overview

Analysis/Vocabulary – ACT 3 – Taming of the Shrew

AP English Lit./Grad. Project
OVERVIEW

Review the following vocabulary and questions prior to reading ACT 3. Once finished with the reading, complete the questions for each of the scenes in ACT 3. These must be ready for class review on Fri. Jan. 30 (ACT 3, Sc. 1) and Mon. Feb. 2 (ACT 3, Sc. 2).

Act Three, Scene One

Vocabulary

chamber: archaic a private room

conster: to translate

forbear: to hold back from something

gamut: the musical scale

jars: quarrels

knave: archaic a dishonest or unscrupulous man ordained: created

pedant: a schoolmaster

pedascule: a little pedant (see definition for pedant, above)

pithy: brief and to the point

prays: archaic requests

stale: a decoy, a false lover (in context)

withal: archaic with
1. Contrast Bianca’s behavior in this scene with that of previous scenes. What key insights do readers gain about Bianca? How does her ‘courting’ contrast with that of Kate? How does this impact the story?
2. What is the overall mood of this scene? How does it contribute to Plot development?
3. Describe the role of disguise and pretense in this scene.
4. What is the relationship between Hortensio and Lucentio in this scene? How does it contribute to Theme, character, overall purpose of the play?

Act Three, Scene Two
Vocabulary
accoutrements: clothes

armoury: a place where arms (weapons) are kept

caparisoned: to be decked out in ornamental coverings

carouse: to drink plentiful amounts of alcohol

clamorous: noisily insistent

digress: to leave the main subject temporarily

forsooth: archaic in truth

jerkin: a close-fitting jacket

lackey: a servant

prodigy: a person endowed with exceptional abilities at a young age

quoth: archaic said

staggers: noun a disease of farm animals characterized by a loss of balance

tedious: tiresome because of dullness or length

turned: turned inside out to be made usable for a longer period (in context)

vex: to irritate or annoy

1. Why is Kate distraught over the thought that Petruchio may not show up for their wedding, given that she was opposed to the wedding from the beginning?


2. Describe Petruchio’s appearance for his wedding day. Why does his attire upset Baptista? How does this reflect a key sub-theme within the play?


3. How do the events of the wedding provide more evidence of Petruchio’s strategy for ‘taming’ Kate? Give three examples from the text to support your answer.
4. Where/how is humor used in ACT 3? Give 3 examples and explain the humor and its purpose (at least one example should be a rhyming couplet)?
5. Describe the first confrontation between Kate and Petruchio as husband and wife. Who prevails and how? What elements of Shakespearean comedy do you see in the scene? What do the monologues spoken by Kate (line 9-22) and Petruchio (lines 123-131) reveal about both characters?
6. How do the rest of the characters respond once Kate and Petruchio have left the wedding party? How does this reflect a key social issue, as seen by Shakespeare?