"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, Act IV

A shrew is also a "small mouselike mammal with a long snout." The word is likely connected to an Old English word for "shred" (due to its snout and sharp teeth). The word's use as an insult comes from the belief that a shrew should be avoided because it is evil, since its bite can be poisonous. The related adjective "shrewd" retains the evil sense in its connection to trickery, but it can also describe someone who is practical and intelligent.

A bridle is put on a horse so that a rider can control its movements (it can also generally refer to the restraint of power, action, or excess). A wild horse will throw up its head to avoid being bridled; this leads to the general meaning of anger. Petruchio knows that Katherina will bridle if directly bridled, so he seeks to rein in her temper in ways that would not break her spirit.

As the exchange between Petruchio's servants shows, "countenance" usually refers to the human face. Here is a misunderstanding because Grumio is thinking of the common meaning, while Curtis uses the word as a verb to order the servants to show respect to their master's new wife by meeting the newlyweds and performing their duties. This can also be seen as giving face.

The given definition does not describe what Petruchio wants, since the presence of his servants is not enough. Rather, his servants should be attendants who pay attention and be in attendance on him. And they should wait on him and tend to his needs with an attitude that honors him.

Katherina says this after Petruchio strikes a servant for spilling some water. Likely, Petruchio did this in order to both deliberately spill some water on Katherina and show her what impatient violence looks like. This plea for Petruchio to show a quality that she normally does not is the first sign that she can change her behavior. It also shows, contrary to her reputation, that she has a kind side (this was also suggested by Grumio's tale of how she stopped Petruchio's beating).

Shakespearean audiences believed that choler is a bodily fluid secreted by the liver; in excess, it causes irritability and anger. Here, Petruchio pretends that the meat is burned, and in eating it, they would get burned up. This is dangerous, since they both already have fiery tempers.

"Continency" is the exercise of self-control; this usually refers to sexual matters, but it could also refer to other bodily functions. A sermon is usually given by a priest in a church on a religious topic. Because of this sermon's speaker, tone, location, and timing, which go against expectations of a wedding night, Katherina is confused (which makes her less able to fight Petruchio).

The adjective also means "agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication." But that is the opposite of how Petruchio treats Katherina. Instead of being agreeable to her, he forces her to agree with him even when he is wrong. He is deliberately disagreeable, discourteous, and vulgar in order to get her to be more agreeable and courteous in an intellectually worldly way. Once she is more agreeable, so is he.

A falcon that stoops is usually descending swiftly on prey. A person who stoops might be morally debasing herself. Neither is what Petruchio wants Katherina to do, since the first is too aggressive and the latter would corrupt Katherina's soul. Rather, he wants his wife to bend to his will so that their marriage would not always be filled with conflict.

As an adjective, "haggard" means "showing the wearing effects of overwork, care, or suffering." This could describe Katherina after nights of no food and sleep. But Petruchio uses the word as a noun to refer to a hawk that's hard to tame; he also compares her to the kites who bate their wings and whose wildness needs to be abated or bated ("moderate or restrain; lessen the force of") in order to be trained to help men hunt.

Used here by Petruchio, the adjectives "honest" and "mean" are synonyms that suggest modesty and humility. Because Katherina is too proud, Petruchio humbles her by forcing her to wear simpler clothes. He does this by refusing to buy finer clothes that he had deliberately tempted her with. Being honest ("not disposed to cheat"), Petruchio ensures that the tailor is secretly paid for his work.

In comparison to an unmarried man, a father might refrain more from worldly pleasures. But the word is used here to refer to "a stern or strict bearing or demeanor." In advising the traveling scholar, Tranio is focused on how he should set his face and make his speech so that they would convincingly belong to a stern father (who might deny paying for the worldly pleasures of his son, yet assure a large inheritance for a good marriage).

"Froward" means "habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition" and could be used to describe Katherina. But Hortensio is speaking about the wealthy widow he plans to marry. A witness to Petruchio's treatment of Katherina, Hortensio believes that he has learned enough to tame his own wife.