The Taming of the Shrew Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.

Quote #7

PETRUCHIO
O Kate, content thee. Prithee, be not angry.
KATHERINE 
I will be angry: what hast thou to do?—
Father, be quiet. He shall stay my leisure. (3.2.221-223)

This moment suggests that a daughter's relationship with her father is a good predictor of the kind of wife she will be. Kate is disrespectful to Baptista (we assume he has tried to interrupt Kate but she shuts him down before he can get a word in edgewise) and so, we can assume that she will be just as disobedient and disrespectful to her husband.

Quote #8

BAPTISTA
Neighbours and friends, though bride and
   bridegroom wants
For to supply the places at the table,
You know there wants no junkets at the feast.
To Tranio.  Lucentio, you shall supply the
   bridegroom's place:
And let Bianca take her sister's room. (3.2.253-259)

Baptista's response to the way Petruchio runs off with Kate after the wedding instead of sticking around to celebrate with friends and neighbors is interesting. Kate's presence, it seems, is negligible as Baptista implies that one daughter can easily replace another.

Quote #9

BIONDELLO
My master hath appointed me to go to Saint
Luke's, to bid the priest be ready to come against
you come with your appendix. (4.4.104-106)

When Biondello tells Lucentio to hurry to the church to elope with Bianca, he refers to Bianca as Lucentio's "appendix" or, appendage. This recalls the Genesis story of Eve being created from Adam's rib and implies that as his (future) wife, Bianca will cease to be a separate and whole person without her husband.