The two bits of news that Biondello brings actually both
concern the groom-to-be of Katharina, whom Biondello reports as being on his way and
about to arrive. Biondello shows how this bit of news is the "new" news with a quip at
the expense of Baptista, but then the old news, which is much more interesting, concerns
the peculiar appearance of the aforementioned Petruchio, who has chosen to wear a most
interesting selection of clothes for his wedding as if to deliberately make both himself
and Katharina ridiculous. Note the beginning of the following
description:
readability="11">Why, Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old
jerkin; a pair of old breeches thrice turned; a pair of boots that have beeen
candle-cases; one buckled, another laced; an old rusty sword ta'en out of the town
armoury, with a broken hilt, and chapless; with two broken
points...Petruchio therefore
seems to have deliberately chosen to clothe himself in the most ridiculous garb possible
to expose his wife to the ridicule that is part of his method of taming his "shrew," and
by having Biondello report it before his arrival our suspense of what Petruchio will
actually look like is so much the greater.
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