Minor characters

Question 1

Sly

Answer 1

• drunken beggar
• sets up the play for deception and use of clothing as it represents his social class
• parallels tranio’s behaviour of adopting new role of higher position eg clothes
• foil to Petruchio and parallels Kat who is dominated and manipulated

Question 2

Bartholemew

Answer 2

• page for the lord
• dresses up as a lady and convinces Sly hes a lord
• impacts deception as sets up whole play and sets up comedy
• parallels Petruchio’s servants who convinces food is burnt

Question 3

Petruchio’s countryhouse servants

Answer 3

• set up countryhouse ready for arrival of Petruchio and Katerina
• tools in Petruchio’s taming process- they enable it

Question 4

Haberdasher

Answer 4

• skilled craftsman, commissioned by Petruchio for his wedding hat
• skill highly regarded and reflects Elizabethan values
• reminder to audience of importance of mudane occupations
• shows how small characters have significant impact on narrative

Question 5

Hortensio

Answer 5

• Bianca’s suitor
• quickly marries widow when Bianca gets with Lucentio which shows he is more interested in money than love
• in awe of Petruchio’s taming, yet he lacks the control over his wife Petruchio has

Question 6

Tranio

Answer 6

• introduces plan to swap clothes
• breaks power structure as becomes Lucentio (higher power)
• parallels Sly but more convincingly as Tranio uses latin and accent
• level of confidence with Lucentio (uncommon), has more power than one might think

Question 7

Tranio quotes

Answer 7

• act 1 scene 1: “when i am alone i am tranio but in all places else your master lucentio”

Question 8

Baptista

Answer 8

• favours Bianca due to her fasarde
• comic blocking character as he establishes the rule that creates the conflict in the play and creates the plotline for B + L and K + P and the deciet with L + T.

Question 9

Baptista quotes

Answer 9

• act 2 scene 1: “when the special thing is well obtained, that is her love”

Question 10

Gremio

Answer 10

• wealth over love
• stock character of old, foolish, lustful, misery
• easy to fool
• acts as comic relief

Question 11

Grumio

Answer 11

• petruchios servant

Question 12

Vincentio

Answer 12

• Lucentio’s father

Question 13

Merchant

Answer 13

• uses disguise and deciet to trick Baptista to marry Bianca and Lucentio