Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare

“I say it is the moon. Contradicting again! It shall be sun or moon, or whatever I choose, or I won’t take you to your father’s.” Then Katharine gave in, once and for all. “What you will have it named,” she said, “it is, and so it shall be so for Katharine.” And so it was, for from that moment Katharine felt that she had met her master, and never again showed her naughty tempers to him, or anyone else. So they journeyed on to Baptista’s house, and arriving there, they found all folks keeping Bianca’s wedding feast, and that of another newly married couple, Hortensio and his wife. They were made welcome, and sat down to the feast, and all was merry, save that Hortensio’s wife, seeing Katharine subdued to her husband, thought she could safely say many disagreeable things, that in the old days, when Katharine was free and froward, she would not have dared to say. But Katharine answered with such spirit and such moderation, that she turned the laugh against the new bride. After dinner, when the ladies had retired, Baptista joined in a laugh against Petruchio, saying “Now in good sadness, son Petruchio, I fear you have got the veriest shrew of all.” “You are wrong,” said Petruchio, “let me prove it to you. Each of us shall send a message to his wife, desiring her to come to him, and the one whose wife comes most readily shall win a wager which we will agree on.” The others said yes readily enough, for each thought his own wife the most dutiful, and each thought he was quite sure to win the wager. They proposed a wager of twenty crowns. “Twenty crowns,” said Petruchio, “I’ll venture so much on my hawk or hound, but twenty times as much upon my wife.” “A hundred then,” cried Lucentio, Bianca’s husband. “Content,” cried the others. Then Lucentio sent a message to the fair Bianca bidding her to come to him. And Baptista said he was certain his daughter would come. But the servant coming back, said-- “Sir, my mistress is busy, and she cannot come.”’ “There’s an answer for you,” said Petruchio. “You may think yourself fortunate if your wife does not send you a worse.” “I hope, better,” Petruchio answered. Then Hortensio said-- “Go and entreat my wife to come to me at once.” “Oh--if you entreat her,” said Petruchio. “I am afraid,” answered Hortensio, sharply, “do what you can, yours will not be entreated.” But now the servant came in, and said-- “She says you are playing some jest, she will not come.” “Better and better,” cried Petruchio; “now go to your mistress and say I command her to come to me.” They all began to laugh, saying they knew what her answer would be, and that she would not come. Then suddenly Baptista cried-- “Here comes Katharine!” And sure enough--there she was. “What do you wish, sir?” she asked her husband. “Where are your sister and Hortensio’s wife?” “Talking by the parlor fire.” “Fetch them here.” When she was gone to fetch them, Lucentio said-- “Here is a wonder!” “I wonder what it means,” said Hortensio. “It means peace,” said Petruchio, “and love, and quiet life.” “Well,” said Baptista, “you have won the wager, and I will add another twenty thousand crowns to her dowry--another dowry for another daughter--for she is as changed as if she were someone else.” So Petruchio won his wager, and had in Katharine always a loving wife and true, and now he had broken her proud and angry spirit he loved her well, and there was nothing ever but love between those two. And so they lived happy ever afterwards. MEASURE FOR MEASURE More centuries ago than I care to say, the people of Vienna were governed too mildly. The reason was that the reigning Duke Vicentio was excessively good-natured, and disliked to see offenders made unhappy. The consequence was that the number of ill-behaved persons in Vienna was enough to make the Duke shake his head in sorrow when his chief secretary showed him it at the end of a list. He decided, therefore, that wrongdoers must be punished. But popularity was dear to him. He knew that, if he were suddenly strict after being lax, he would cause people to call him a tyrant. For this reason he told his Privy Council that he must go to Poland on important business of state. “I have chosen Angelo to rule in my absence,” said he. Now this Angelo, although he appeared to be noble, was really a mean man. He had promised to marry a girl called Mariana, and now would have nothing to say to her, because her dowry had been lost. So poor Mariana lived forlornly, waiting every day for the footstep of her stingy lover, and loving him still.