The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

by

William Shakespeare

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Christopher Sly Character Analysis

Read our modern English translation.
Christopher Sly is a drunken beggar, who begins the play by being thrown out of a tavern. A noble lord passing by decides to play a joke on him and dresses him up in noble clothes. Sly awakes in a lavish room, and the lord and his attendants pretend that Sly is a nobleman who has recently been mad and had forgotten his real identity. Sly accepts his new identity and enjoys a play put on by a group of traveling players, which turns out to be the real play of The Taming of the Shrew.

Christopher Sly Quotes in The Taming of the Shrew

The The Taming of the Shrew quotes below are all either spoken by Christopher Sly or refer to Christopher Sly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender and Misogyny Theme Icon
).
Induction, Scene 1 Quotes

What think you, if he were conveyed to bed,
Wrapped in sweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers,
A most delicious banquet by his bed,
And brave attendants near him when he wakes,
Would not the beggar then forget himself?

Related Characters: A Lord (speaker), Christopher Sly
Related Symbols: Clothing
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: Ind.1.38-43
Explanation and Analysis:
Induction, Scene 2 Quotes

Am I a lord, and have I such a lady?
Or do I dream? or have I dreamed till now?
I do not sleep: I see, I hear, I speak,
I smell sweet savors, and I feel soft things.
Upon my life, I am a lord indeed
And not a tinker, nor Christopher Sly.

Related Characters: Christopher Sly (speaker), Bartholomew the Page
Page Number: Ind.2.68-73
Explanation and Analysis:
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Christopher Sly Quotes in The Taming of the Shrew

The The Taming of the Shrew quotes below are all either spoken by Christopher Sly or refer to Christopher Sly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender and Misogyny Theme Icon
).
Induction, Scene 1 Quotes

What think you, if he were conveyed to bed,
Wrapped in sweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers,
A most delicious banquet by his bed,
And brave attendants near him when he wakes,
Would not the beggar then forget himself?

Related Characters: A Lord (speaker), Christopher Sly
Related Symbols: Clothing
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: Ind.1.38-43
Explanation and Analysis:
Induction, Scene 2 Quotes

Am I a lord, and have I such a lady?
Or do I dream? or have I dreamed till now?
I do not sleep: I see, I hear, I speak,
I smell sweet savors, and I feel soft things.
Upon my life, I am a lord indeed
And not a tinker, nor Christopher Sly.

Related Characters: Christopher Sly (speaker), Bartholomew the Page
Page Number: Ind.2.68-73
Explanation and Analysis: