 The play is performed in order to distract Sly from his "wife," who is actually Bartholomew, a servant, dressed as a woman.In the play performed for Sly, the "shrew" is Katherina, the eldest daughter of Baptista Minola, a lord in Padua.Numerous men, including Tranio, deem Katherina an unworthy option for marriage because of her notorious assertiveness and willfulness.