Scene 1

Lucentio and Hortensio—disguised as the tutors Cambio and Litio, respectively—both attempt to court Bianca. Bianca, though coy, has shown obvious preference for Lucentio, who is both younger and bolder in his attentions. She opts to receive her Latin lessons from him, dismissing Hortensio to tune his instruments elsewhere. As Lucentio and Bianca read poetry together, Lucentio makes his intentions clear, and Bianca does not reject him. Later, when Hortensio attempts to make his own desires similarly clear, Bianca is not receptive and discourages his attentions. This leads Hortensio to reflect on whether or not he wishes to continue pursuing her at all, since Bianca has shown obvious preference for Lucentio.

Scene 2

On Sunday, a crowd gathers in preparation for Petruchio and Katherine’s wedding. However, the groom is late, and both Baptiste and Katherine begin to wonder if he intends to leave her at the altar. Katherine eventually runs away in tears. 

Soon after, to the horror of Baptiste and the assembled crowd, Petruchio arrives, dressed as a beggar and riding on a disease-riddled horse. Baptiste begs Petruchio to change into proper wedding attire, but Petruchio refuses. He then sets off towards the church to find Katherine, with Baptiste and the crowd following after him.

Lucentio and Tranio remain behind to discuss their strategy for wooing Bianca. Tranio explains that they may need to find someone to pose as Lucentio’s father, but Lucentio wonders if it may make more sense for him and Bianca to elope. Gremio interrupts their conversation to narrate the events of the wedding service, during which Petruchio allegedly struck the priest, threw food, and generally behaved erratically—making the previously reviled Katherine seem like a “lamb” by comparison. 

The rest of the wedding party soon arrives, with Petruchio asserting that he must leave Padua immediately, without even staying for his own wedding feast. Baptiste, Katherine, and several others attempt to convince him to stay, but he remains resolute. When Katherine threatens to stay behind without him, he berates her and claims that he will be “master of what is [his] own”—essentially indicating that she is his property. The newlyweds then depart, with the rest of the wedding party left to enjoy the banquet in astounded amusement.