Why are the actions of Lucentio and Hortensio considered humorous?

• A. they are fighting like children over Bianca
• B. they recite sonnets with perfect meter
• C. they perform a tragic scene
• D. they discuss philosophy

Answer: (A)

Humor here comes from two serious, educated men behaving like mischievous suitors in a childish squabble over Bianca. Lucentio and Hortensio both pursue her while disguising themselves—Lucentio as a tutor named Cambio and Hortensio as a music teacher—turning courtship into a comic competition. Their schemes collide, miscommunications pile up, and the tension shifts from genuine romance to playful trickery and vanity. The effect is funny because it undercuts adult authority with petty, playground-like rivalry, using disguise and wit to lampoon the seriousness of wooing.

Other options wouldn’t capture the source of the humor: reciting sonnets with perfect meter might be entertaining, but it isn’t what makes their actions humorous in the scene. Performing a tragic scene would feel solemn, and discussing philosophy would be earnest, not comic. The comedy comes from the lighthearted, childish fighting and disguises over Bianca.