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Tranio-as-Lucentio

What countryman, I pray?    

Merchant

                                             Of Mantua.

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Of Mantua, sir? Marry, God forbid!
And come to Padua, careless of your life?

Merchant

My life, sir? How, I pray? For that goes hard.    

Tranio-as-Lucentio

'Tis death for any one in Mantua    
To come to Padua. Know you not the cause?
Your ships are stayed at Venice, and the Duke,    
For private quarrel 'twixt your Duke and him,    
Hath published and proclaimed it openly.
'Tis marvel, but that you are but newly come,    
You might have heard it else proclaimed about.    

Merchant

God save you, sir!    

Tranio-as-Lucentio

                                  And you, sir. You are welcome. 
Travel you far on, or are you at the farthest?    

Merchant

Sir, at the farthest for a week or two,
But then up farther, and as far as Rome,
And so to Tripoli, if God lend me life.

Lucentio (as himself)

                             Then we are rid of Litio.  

Tranio

I' faith, he'll have a lusty widow now,    
That shall be wooed and wedded in a day.    

Bianca

God give him joy!

Tranio

                               Ay, and he'll tame her.  

Bianca

He says so, Tranio?

Tranio

Faith, he is gone unto the taming-school.

Tranio (as himself)

Mistress Bianca, bless you with such grace    
As 'longeth to a lover's blessèd case!    
Nay, I have ta'en you napping, gentle love,    
And have forsworn you with Hortensio.    

Bianca

Tranio, you jest. But have you both forsworn me?

Tranio

Mistress, we have.

Lucentio (as himself)

                             Then we are rid of Litio.  

Tranio

Bianca

Tranio

Bianca

Tranio

Bianca

Tranio

[Enter Biondello, who continues to address his fellow servant Tranio as his master, even though the only others around are Lucentio and Bianca, who are in on the ruse.]

Biondello

Tranio

Biondello

Lucentio

Tranio

[Exit Lucentio and Bianca. Enter a Merchant.]

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Biondello

Tranio-as-Lucentio

Merchant

Tranio-as-Lucentio

[Exit]

Bianca

And may you prove, sir, master of your art.

Lucentio

While you, sweet dear, prove mistress of my heart.    
[Bianca and Lucentio move away out of hearing, and Hortensio-as-Litio and Tranio-as-Lucentio come forward. Hortensio thinks that they’ve just overheard Bianca flirting with her language tutor.]

Hortensio-as-Litio

Quick proceeders, marry!     

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