Lucentio, the son of a wealthy merchant, arrives in Padua, Italy to study philosophy and comes across a young woman named Bianca. She is a vision of loveliness and grace. He falls for her instantly and wants her desperately. Her father, however, has declared that no one can marry her until a husband has been found for her older sister, Kate.

Kate is the titular shrew. She is short-tempered, loud, and prone to physical violence. She has publicly declared that if she had a husband, she’d keep him in line by hitting him over the head with a stool, scratching his face, and treating him like a fool.