Note to Twelfth Night, 1.3.47, "fair shrew"

To call a woman a "shrew" was, and is, an insult, but Maria doesn't seem to be bothered, perhaps because he also called her fair. Maybe Sir Andrew is confusing "shrew" with "mouse," which is a term of endearment, but whatever he meant, Maria seems to consider him too stupid to be taken seriously. In addition, "shrew" may be Shakespeare's affectionate joke about Maria, who is a bit of a shrew, in that she has a sharp wit and isn't afraid to use it. In other Shakespearean comedies, such a woman almost always turns out to be the most appealing person in the play.