You are here

“trapped”
Word Nerd
Act Introduction,
Scene 2
Lines 39-40

An explanation of the word “trapped” in Introduction 2 of myShakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Lord

Or wilt thou ride? Thy horses shall be trapped,    
Their harness studded all with gold and pearl.

We’re all familiar with the word trap, like the kind used to catch mice. But in Shakespeare day, there was another word with identical spelling and pronunciation.  This second “trap” derived from the Latin word, drappus — a piece of cloth (which also produced our modern word “drapes”). It referred to the fancy covering adorning a nobleman’s horse, a meaning still reflected in the expression “the trappings of success.”