One of the things I absolutely love about Shakesperian
comedies, is that just when you think things can't get even more confused and twisted,
something like this happens to prove you wrong! Tranio shows great intelligence and
quick-wittedness as he tricks the Pedant into believing that there is a dispute between
Mantua and Padua, so much so that the Duke of Padua has declared that anybody from
Mantua who is found in Padua will be killed:
'Tis death for anyone in
Mantua
To come to Padua. Know you not the
cause?
Your shipe are stayed at Venice, and the
Duke,
For private quarrel twixt your duke and
him,
Hath published and proclaimed it
openly.
However, fortunately,
the Pedant resembles the "father" of Tranio, one Vincentio, even though Biondello
helpfully comments that the pedant actually resembles Vincentio "as much as an apple
doth an oyster," and thus Tranio offers to "help" the Pedant by offering to take him in
to his household and let him impersonate Vincentio to save his
life.
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