After some raucous and well delivered performances of Petruchio’s tantrums at the wedding feast (well done Sean and Zola), we returned to Baptista’s house and the courtship of Bianca. Here Shakespeare has been being his usual trickster self and leading us all in a merry dance with the disguises and deceptions of the characters.

We clarified the following issues from Act 4 today:

Hortensio and Tranio are watching Lucentio woo Bianca. Hortensio and Lucentio both want to marry Bianca and have disguised themselves as teachers in order to get close to her. Hortensio has called himself Litio, whilst Lucentio has called himself Cambio.

Meanwhile Tranio is pretending to everyone else, including Hortensio, that he is in fact Lucentio. He is doing this because Lucentio is his master and he wants to help him woo Bianca. Tranio pretends he is also a suitor and then ‘gives in’ when he sees that Lucentio – as Cambio – has won Bianca’s heart.

I have also included our statements about Petruchio’s plan to tame Katherina.