One of the most famous scenes in The Taming of the Shrew is when Katharina and Petruchio meet, starting around 2.1.184. The two of them exchange barbs that are both sharp and suggestive. When Petruchio claims to have been “moved to woo thee for my wife” (in an emotional sense), Katharina urges, “let him that moved you hither / Remove you hence” (in a physical sense) and says she knew him for a “moveable,” or a piece of furniture. He retorts that, if he is a stool, she should sit on him. She calls him an ass who is “made to bear,” and he replies that she is a woman who is likewise made to bear--children.
The witty repartee goes on. Petruchio compares Kate to a wasp, so she warns him, “beware my sting.” He says the wasp’s sting lies in its tail, she says in its tongue (referring to stinging words), and, after a series of wordplays about wasps, Petruchio crudely asks if he should leave “with my tongue in your tail?” Even when she hits him, the conversation continues. He threatens to strike her back, and she replies that he would then lose his arms (his actual arms as well as his coat of arms) and be no gentleman.
There are several kinds of humor on display in this play, including slapstick and mistaken identity, but this battle of words is one of the most memorable.
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