Taming Of The Shrew Gender Roles Essay

The play, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare supports the concept that men are superior to women in all aspects in life. This is highlighted numerous times and is witnessed through the dynamic relationships shared between women and men within the play. The men of Verona crave dominance, whilst the women of Verona are subservient. Ultimately, Shakespeare’s play is a depiction of typical gender roles of the Elizabethan era.

‘Taming of the Shrew’ & ‘10 Things I hate about you’ shows the difference between how both genders are treated, males been shown as more important than the female sex. This belief is still carried out through our generation, men being portrayed as more legible to earn higher wages and given more respect in the workforce.

The Taming of the Shrew was written in the Elizabethan Era in England at a time when men were considered to be superior to women. The patriarchal society of this time is reflected to a large extent in the text and various implications of traditional values can be noted.

Women in the era of Queen Elizabeth I were often portrayed through stereotypes such as, “The Good and the Badde” by Nicholas Breton. In this work women have desired traits such as loyalty, obedience, and innocence. Undesirable traits would be just the opposite, disobedience, raunchiness, treachery, loudness, and being outspoken. The play, “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, plays heavily to these stereotypes with the two female main characters; Bianca and Kate. Whereas Kate plays the Un-quiet one in the beginning, but transitions to more of a quiet one or the good wife while Bianca plays The Virgin.

The distinction between social classes appears prominently in Shakespeare’s plays as the nobility contrasts greatly with characters of base rank in their language and demeanor. Although the outward appearances of the different classes remain consistent with stereotypes of Shakespeare’s time, he contradicts the expected behaviors of these groups. Through the portrayal of leaders of society, Shakespeare reveals that despite their significant power and privilege, the members of the upper class lack the sensibility to rule successfully, and they rarely act in an honorable manner, only using their power to benefit themselves while neglecting the people they preside over. This uniformity throughout all of the leaders suggests that Shakespeare believes

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, we see that it defies most traditional gender roles in the play by allowing his characters to surpass the

Shakespeare’s famous literary work, The Taming of the Shrew, written in the late 1500s (clearly written before the twentieth century) is a great example of a piece of literature that when read by a contemporary reader from the twenty-first century might view as sexist. Due to the fact that this piece of literature was

The Taming of the Shrew perfectly demonstrates how Shakespeare connects all classes to his plays. Anyone of a lower class can relate to being thought of in harsh and mean ways, so when the Lord in the induction of The Taming of the Shrew says (regarding Christopher Sly), “LORD: O monstrous beast, how like a swine he lies!/ Grim death, how foul and loathsome is thine image,” thoughts trigger in their minds (Shakespeare Induction. 33-34). To relate to those above lower class citizens, Shakespeare shows how powerful men get along and help each other sustain their power while also showing how the women supported no other than their husband (Thorne 53).

Gender roles are changing drastically throughout time. For instance, there was always more expectations for women than men in the old days. In, Taming of the Skrew, Katherine is a woman who betters herself. She is a very tough, determined, and ambitious woman.

Two liquids lie in front of someone, one is clear as crystals and sits in a golden cup labeled water, the other is in a bottle encrusted with mud and grime labeled with a skull and crossbones. Both have lids sealed on tight. Which should one drink? As the liquid pours out of the golden cup, it smells of chemicals and is poisonous to taste. On the contrary, the liquid from the dirty bottle is pure and clear. Should one still drink from the golden cup? The way something appears or is identified as is not always true. Sometimes a deeper look is needed to see what is inside. The movie 10 Things I Hate About you and the play Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare both deal with how identities assigned by society can affect the way people act, no matter who they truly are, and this is seen through the actions of multiple characters throughout both the play and the movie.

Sexism is the stereotyping and discrimination based upon gender. Typically steered towards women, it has played a large part in not only our society today but in the past as well. In the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, it is shown in the treatment of the women by their male counterparts. It is most prevalent in the way that fortune-seeking Petruchio goes about taming his aggressive and sharp-tongued wife Katharina. By examining Petruchio’s actions and Katharina’s reactions towards his efforts at taming her, once can see that the play is indeed sexist.

Women and men’s role in Elizabethan society is completely different to modern society. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare shows exactly what the attitudes were like. For example, the scene when Katherina is fighting with her sister because Bianca has a number of suitors waiting for her but she refuses to tell Katherina which one she prefers. Katherina gets angry and aggressive towards Bianca because she doesn’t give her an answer, Katherina starts to attack Bianca. Their father enters into the room and says “For shame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit! Why dost thou wrong her that did ne’er wrong thee? When did she cross thee with a bitter word? Baptista is expressing why Katherina would

One of the most notorious topics of interest in the works of Shakespeare is the role women receive in his plays. The way Shakespeare wrote his plays, women were very submissive to men and had no will and choice of their own. Women were extremely reliant upon the men in their lives, believing that they were inferior and thus following their desire for the women’s lives. This included that marriages were usually arranged by a powerful male, instead of giving the woman the opportunity of choosing marriage for love. It is not surprising that Shakespeare portrayed women in a way that was familiar to him and the time era in which he lived. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew, both focus on the development of love and not, with

Perhaps the theme that is most recurrent in William Shakespeare's plays is that of filial relationships, specifically the relationship between daughter and father. This particular dynamic has allowed Shakespeare to create complex female characters that come into conflict with their fathers over issues ranging from marriage to independence. At the same time, the dramatist exposes his audience to the struggles women face when attempting to assert themselves in a misogynistic world. Through the daughter-father dyads portrayed in The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare highlights the effects that gender constraints have on female characters while simultaneously drawing attention to the sharp contrast between both relationships.

Shakespeare and the members of the Elizabethan era would be appalled at the freedoms women experience today.  The docility of Elizabethan women is almost a forgotten way of life. What we see throughout Shakespeare’s plays is an insight into the female character as perceived by Elizabethan culture.  Shakespeare’s female characters reflect the Elizabethan era’s image of women; they were to be virtuous and obedient and those that were not were portrayed as undesirable and even evil.