Taming by the Numbers: overall

The Taming of the Shrew:

  • 2598 total lines; shorter than average play, longer than average comedy (average play: 2777; average comedy: 2424)… though the play is shorter than the average comedy, if we remove the Induction (2321 lines)
  • At 277 lines, the Induction is the longest “prologue” scene in the Canon
  • Act One: 808 lines; longer than average, longer than average comedy (average play: 590, average comedy: 488)… though shorter than the average, if we remove the Induction (531 lines)
  • Act Two: 412 lines; shorter than average, shorter than average comedy (average play: 568, average comedy: 495)
  • Act Three: 343 lines; shorter than average, shorter than average comedy (average play: 576, average comedy: 512)
  • Act Four: 699 lines; longer than average, longer than average comedy (average play: 563, average comedy: 460)
  • Act Five: 336 lines; shorter than average, shorter than average comedy (average play: 480, average comedy: 471)
  • 541 lines of prose (only 20.82% of total lines [as opposed to The Comedy of Errors: 13.31% and Titus Andronicus: 1.39%])
  • 102 rhyming lines (only 3.93% of total lines [as opposed to The Comedy of Errors: 20.10% and Titus Andronicus: 2.42%])
  • 13 scenes; fewer than average (average play: 21; average tragedy: 16)
  • 4 disguises; Lucentio/Cambio, Tranio/Lucentio, Hortensio/Litio, Pedant/Vincentio (five, if you count Sly/Lord)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *