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All Site ContentTaming of the ShrewAct 4Scene 1
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“Be the Jacks fair within, the Jills fair without”
Double Meaning
Act 4,
Scene 1
Lines 35-40

An explanation of Grumio’s reference to “Jacks” and “Jills” in Act 4, Scene 1 of myShakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Grumio

Why, therefore fire, for I have caught extreme cold.    
Where's the cook? Is supper ready, the house trimmed,     
rushes strewed, cobwebs swept, the servingmen in their
new fustian, their white stockings, and every officer his     
wedding-garment on? Be the Jacks fair within, the Jills fair     
without, the carpets laid, and everything in order?
  1. Jack and Jill are conventional names for little boys and girls (as in “Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water”).
  2. Jacks are large beverage containers; they are “fair within” when they’re full of alcohol. Jills are small metal containers; they are “fair without”’ when they’re polished and shiny.