Brammer- 1

Bailey Brammer
Mrs. Simon
Language Arts 3-4 H
May 4, 2014
Roles of Men and Women
In the play, "The Taming of the Shrew" written by William Shakespeare, the characters
have a very different idea about the roles men and women play in society. For example, men
serve as the leaders of the community of Padua, and women are encouraged to merely follow
behind their husbands and fathers. In the case of Katherine, however, her outspoken nature if
frowned upon, and she is perceived as a "shrew." When in actuality, her ideas and ability to ex-
press herself is quite similar to the female politicians and world leaders of today. If Shakespeare
were writing this play today, he would not be able to include such sexism, due to the feminism
movements of the seventies, and the idea that women should have the same rights to a public
voice as men should. He would not be able to discuss "taming a shrew," because many women
today pride themselves on being exactly what Kate was: unafraid to speak her mind.