Lucentio's Role

Of all of Bianca's suitors, Lucentio is the most intelligent. His name even hints at this. "Luc" is a Greek and a Latin root word meaning "light" (Mr. Hanno's Greek and Latin Prefixes/ Suffixes/ Root Words Table- URL below). Light as part of the meaning of Lucentio's name can be taken in the context of the play to mean knowledge or intelligence. As soon as Lucentio sees Bianca and expresses a desire to marry her, Tranio suggests that he come up with a plan to wed her. His plan is much more effective than either Gremio's or Hortensio's. Gremio simply wants to "purchase" Bianca's hand in marriage from her father. Though this was probably the traditional way to marry in the play's society, it more than likely would lead to an unhappy and unstable marriage between Bianca and Gremio; Bianca's love for the Gremio, and even Gremio's love for the Bianca, would not be guaranteed. Hortensio courts Bianca using the exact methods that Gremio does not use; he interacts with her as her tutor with the intent of gaining her love. The flaw with this plan, of course, is that it does not take into account the lawful necessity of "purchasing" Bianca's hand in marriage; Baptista would not let a man who has not offered any wealth or material possessions marry his daughter. Lucentio's plan is the use of both Gremio's and Hortensio's methods. He has Tranio pose as himself (Lucentio) in order to "purchase" Bianca's hand, and he himself poses as one of Bianca's tutors in order to gain her love so that he can be sure his marriage to her will be consensual, and, thus, happy. As the play progresses, Lucentio comes closer to gaining Bianca's hand in marriage than do either Gremio or Hortensio. In fact, Lucentio/ Tranio-Lucentio (they work toward the same goal) both outbid Gremio for Bianca's hand and seem to win Bianca's love instead of Hortensio. As a result, Lucentio does not need to use both methods in order to actually marry Bianca. Up until Act 5, Lucentio seems clearly above the other suitors in winning Bianca's hand.

Lucentio is a flat character, but he is a foil to three other characters. Because he competes with Gremio and Hortensio for the same woman's (Bianca's) hand in marriage, he is a rival and a peer to both of them. As a result, he is a foil to both of them. He is also a foil to Petruchio, as he seems to be the closest to gaining Bianca's love while Petruchio seems to gain Katherine's love. Lucentio's actions in compound with Hortensio's and Gremio's move the subplot of the play, the quest for Bianca's love, forward.