Question
1. Baptista readily discusses dowry arrangements in Act II, Scene 1. Why. then, does he claim
here that he is afraid of too many "ears" in his house? Is Shakespeare merely using this excuse
as a way to get Baptista to encounter the real Vincentio by transporting him to Tranio's
lodgings? What makes these two scenes different?
Answer
Baptista is afraid of too many "ears" in his house because he does not want the details of the dowry arrangements to be overheard by others. Shakespeare is using this excuse to get Baptista to encounter the real Vincentio by transporting him to Tranio's lodgings. The two scenes are different because in Act II, Scene 1, Baptista is discussing the dowry arrangements in his own home, while in the second scene, he is transporting Vincentio to Tranio's lodgings.