Petruchio, Kate, and Hortensio are on their way to Baptista Minola's house in Padua. It is midday, yet Petruchio notes the moon shines brightly. When Kate contests his claim, insisting it is the sun which shines, Petruchio threatens to force the party to return to his home, insisting "It shall be moon, or star, or what I list / Or ere I journey to your father's house — " (7–8). At this point, Katherine begins truly to understand the elaborate game Petruchio is playing. She learns that if she humors him, she will get something she wants, and so she agrees with whatever Petruchio says. Kate's willingness to compromise is quickly put to the test when old Vincentio, father to Lucentio, meets the travelers. Petruchio, as if testing his wife, asks her whether she has ever seen a "fresher gentlewoman." Kate, aware she is being tested, plays Petruchio's game with good-natured zeal, no matter how many times Petruchio changes his mind.
Once the couple is through playing their game, Petruchio gets Vincentio to explain what brings him toward Padua. Vincentio notes that he is on his way to visit his son. Petruchio, now assuming the dignity and kindness which befits a man of his status, notes that Lucentio has married his wife's sister. He speaks well of Bianca but leaves Vincentio marveling at what he's just heard. Despite their earlier joking, Petruchio insists he speaks the truth. The party moves on, leaving Hortensio behind to marvel at the change he has just witnessed in Katherine. He ends the scene by suggesting that he will follow Petruchio's lead and tame his widow, if need be.
