Interestingly, the way that the relationship between
master and servant is presented is somewhat reversed from what we would perhaps expect
it to be. The central master-servant relationship in the play is of course Lucentio and
Tranio, but, whilst Tranio overtly pays every respect to his master and does genuinely
seem to be a loyal and loving servant, it is Tranio that is shown to be the cunning one
out of the pair. A prime example comes in Act I scene 1 when Lucentio has been struck so
strongly by Bianca's beauty, yet seems clueless of how to advance a stratagem to gain
access to her so that he can woo her. It is up to Tranio to subtly nudge his master in
the right direction:
Her elder sister is so curst and
shrewd
That till the father rid his hands of
her,
Master, your love must live a maid at
home.
And therefore has he closely mewed her
up,
Because she will not be annoyed with
suitors.
Tranio thus gently
takes his master's mind away from his lovesick state and reminds him of the reality of
the situation, carefully pointing him in the right direction. Tranio thus seems to be
the shrewder out of the two characters, not only in terms of the way he is able to think
up ideas but the way that he is able to suggest them in such a way that they appear to
be his master's ideas and not his own.
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