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Lucentio, Hortensio, and Bianca, Lines 1-25
Performance Videos
Act 3,
Scene 1
Lines 1-25

Lucentio, Hortensio, and Bianca perform lines 1-25 of Act 3, Scene 1 of myShakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

myShakespeare | Taming of the Shrew 3.1 Performance: Lucentio, Hortensio, and Bianca, Lines 1-25

[Signor Baptista’s house. Enter Bianca followed by Lucentio posing as a language teacher named Cambio and Hortensio posing as a music teacher named Litio. Neither knows the true identity of his fellow tutor.]

Lucentio-as-Cambio

Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward, sir.    
Have you so soon forgot the entertainment    
Her sister Katherine welcomed you withal?

Hortensio-as-Litio

But, wrangling pedant, this is    
The patroness of heavenly harmony.    
Then give me leave to have prerogative,    
And when in music we have spent an hour,
Your lecture shall have leisure for as much.    

Lucentio

Preposterous ass, that never read so far    
To know the cause why music was ordained!    
Was it not to refresh the mind of man
After his studies or his usual pain?    
Then give me leave to read philosophy,    
And while I pause, serve in your harmony.    

Hortensio

Sirrah, I will not bear these braves of thine.    

Bianca

Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong
To strive for that which resteth in my choice.    
I am no breeching scholar in the schools,    
I'll not be tied to hours, nor 'pointed times,    
But learn my lessons as I please myself.
And to cut off all strife, here sit we down.
Take you your instrument, play you the whiles.
His lecture will be done ere you have tuned.     

Hortensio

You'll leave his lecture when I am in tune?

Lucentio

That will be never. Tune your instrument.