Taming of the Shrew, Act 1
542Lines
2Scenes
14Speakers
97% / 3%Male / Female Lines
Act 1 of Taming of the Shrew runs 542 lines across 2 scenes with 14 speaking characters — about 20.6% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Lucentio: “Tranio, since for the great desire I had”
Closes (Scene 2) — Hortensio: “Petruchio, I shall be your ben venuto.”
The 2 scenes of Act 1
Who speaks in Act 1
Leading voice: Hortensio with 19% of Act 1’s dialogue (102 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hortensio ♂ | 102 | 18.8% |
| Lucentio ♂ | 100 | 18.5% |
| Tranio ♂ | 97 | 17.9% |
| Petruchio ♂ | 78 | 14.4% |
| Gremio ♂ | 65 | 12.0% |
| Grumio ♂ | 47 | 8.7% |
| Baptista ♂ | 23 | 4.2% |
Who carries the voice in Act 1
Act 1 is male-dominant even by the play’s standards — female share drops to 3%, compared to 12% overall.
Act 1
Male 526 · Female 16
How Act 1 of Taming of the Shrew compares to other comedies
| Play | Act 1 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Twelfth Night | 578 | 5 |
| As You Like It | 568 | 3 |
| Taming of the Shrew (this act) | 542 | 2 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | 528 | 4 |
| Love's Labours Lost | 513 | 2 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 500 | 2 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 384 | 3 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | 381 | 3 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 356 | 2 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 274 | 2 |