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All Site ContentTaming of the ShrewAct IntroductionScene 1
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“I think he cannot choose”
Proverb
Act Introduction,
Scene 1
Lines 31-38

An explanation of the phrase “I think he cannot choose” in Introduction 1 of myShakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Lord

Grim death, how foul and loathsome is thine image!    
Sirs, I will practice on this drunken man.    
What think you, if he were conveyed to bed,
Wrapped in sweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers,    
A most delicious banquet by his bed,
And brave attendants near him when he wakes,    
Would not the beggar then forget himself?    

First Huntsman

Believe me, lord, I think he cannot choose.    

The Huntsman is playing on the proverb, “Beggars can't be choosers.”