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All Site ContentTaming of the ShrewAct 1Scene 2
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“leave that labor to great Hercules ... more than Alcides' twelve”
Mythological Allusion
Act 1,
Scene 2
Lines 253-254

An explanation of the allusion to Hercules (AKA Alcides) in Act 1, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Petruchio

Sir, sir, the first's for me; let her go by.   

Gremio

Yea, leave that labor to great Hercules,

Gremio is sarcastically comparing Petruchio to the mythical hero Hercules (also known as Alcides). In Greek mythology, Hercules successfully performed twelve seemingly impossible tasks (labors) assigned to him by the gods. Gremio thinks that wooing Katherina would be as challenging as any of the labors Hercules faced.

The Choice of Hercules, Annibale Carrachhi, c. 1596