# Petruchio — The Taming of the Shrew character guide > Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Enter Petruchio, Petruchio Signior Hortensio, signormio Petruchio, Petruchio Hortensio, Petruchio A, Petruchio Why, Petruchio O, Petruchio Who, Petruchio Signior Baptista, Petruchio Gentlemen, Petruchio Grumio, Petruchio Father, Petruchio Sir, Petruchio Katharina, Petruchio Prithee, Petruchio Villain, Petruchio Sirrah, Exeunt Petruchio, Brother Petruchio **First appearance:** 0000-the-taming-of-the-shrew ## Snapshot A swaggering Veronese fortune-hunter who arrives in Padua declaring he'll marry any woman with money — and finds one with a temper to match his nerve. ## Who they are Petruchio comes to Padua with one blunt aim: find a rich wife. Hearing of Katharina's reputation, he treats her shrewishness less as a warning than an invitation, and his courtship is a gleeful contest of outrageous claims and stubborn logic. His method — denying her food, sleep, and fine clothes while calling it love — is both comically absurd and genuinely unsettling, making him the play's most magnetic and most troubling figure as he tests how far will can bend another's. ## Relationships ### [Katharina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/katharina) _romantic_ A tumultuous courtship and marriage where Petruchio 'tames' the shrewish Katharina through psychological manipulation, ultimately forming a complex bond of dominance and submission. ### [Tranio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/tranio) _social_ Petruchio interacts frequently with Tranio, Lucentio's disguised servant, as a fellow player in the schemes surrounding Bianca's suitors. ### [Grumio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/grumio) _professional_ Grumio is Petruchio's long-suffering servant, often the butt of his master's jokes and harsh treatment, yet loyal and complicit in his schemes. ### [Lucentio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/lucentio) _social_ Lucentio, disguised as a tutor, interacts with Petruchio as a fellow suitor and later as a friend after Petruchio's marriage to Katharina. ### [Bianca](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/bianca) _social_ Bianca is the mild-mannered sister whose courtship is entangled with Petruchio's pursuit of Katharina, leading to polite but distant interactions. ### [Hortensio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/hortensio) _friendship_ Hortensio is a fellow suitor who initially befriends Petruchio and later becomes his ally after abandoning his pursuit of Bianca. ### [Vincentio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/vincentio) _social_ Petruchio encounters Vincentio, Lucentio's real father, during the comedic climax of mistaken identities, leading to confusion and resolution. ### [Widow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/widow) _social_ The Widow is a minor character who marries Hortensio, and Petruchio interacts with her during the final feast, testing the obedience of wives. ### [Katharina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/katharina) _romantic_ A tumultuous courtship and marriage where Petruchio 'tames' the shrewish Katharina through psychological manipulation, ultimately forming a complex bond of dominance and submission. ### [Grumio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/grumio) _professional_ Grumio is Petruchio's long-suffering servant, often the butt of his master's jokes and harsh treatment, yet loyal and complicit in his schemes. ### [Tranio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/tranio) _social_ Petruchio interacts frequently with Tranio, Lucentio's disguised servant, as a fellow player in the schemes surrounding Bianca's suitors. ### [Katharina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/katharina) _romantic_ A tumultuous courtship and marriage where Petruchio 'tames' the shrewish Katharina through psychological manipulation, ultimately forming a complex bond of dominance and submission. ## In the story ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-i-scene-ii) Arrives in Padua and declares his intention to woo Katharina, undeterred by her reputation as a shrew. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i) Arrives to woo Katharina, engages in a battle of wits, and falsely claims she has consented to marry him. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii) Arrives late and shabbily dressed, marries Katharina wildly, and asserts his mastery by taking her away. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i) Arrives at his country house and immediately begins his taming regimen, denying Katharina food and sleep while feigning care. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii) Continues his taming by withholding food and sleep, manipulating Katharina's gratitude, and rejecting her new clothes. He insists on controlling even the time of day. ### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-v) Continues his taming by forcing Katharina to agree that the sun is the moon, then tricks her into addressing Vincentio as a maiden. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i) Arrives with Katharina and Vincentio; observes the conflict and later insists on a kiss from Katharina. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ii) Proposes the wager on wives' obedience, commands Katharina to fetch the other wives, and wins the bet, celebrating his victory. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters/petruchio - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_taming_of_the_shrew_se/characters