Social Issues In The Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare

The Elizabethan era reigned from the time period of the mid sixteenth century to the early seventeenth century. The era was riddled with issues of the social kind that William Shakespeare wanted to in a way showcase the prominent issues to his audience, which consisted of the general population and royalty such as Queen Elizabeth. William Shakespeare would reveal the social issues by using the plays that he wrote, so that they can be performed in front of a large audience thus spreading his message to a large portion of the population. In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare in an ambiguous manner conveys certain aspects of the dominant social issues during the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare presents his outlook throughout the play by primarily …show more content…
Kate’s relationship with Petruchio could fully be seen at the end of the play with Kate’s final speech. In the article, “‘Loitering in love’: Ovid’s ‘Heroides,’ hospitality, and humanist education in ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’” by Patricia Phillippy, Phillippy claims that Kate’s speech “must be seen... as ironic in its relationship to patriarchal authority” because the speech is seen as “an elaborate code of hospitality which affirms hierarchies, including those pertaining to husbands and wives” (Phillippy). With what Phillippy stated in her article, it can be seen that Shakespeare wanted to affirm and to showcase the relationship between husband and wife that was dominant in Shakespeare’s time period. Furthermore, Shakespeare, by implementing this speech at the end, captivates the audience as they are being displayed a clear perspective on the patriarchal aspect of their time. The patriarchy present within the Elizabethan era was that the man of the house dominated and dictated the woman and the actions she does. Everything that women owned was also owned by the men in her life. Even the father of the woman dictated the majority of the actions that his daughter does and will do. The father will do this until his daughter is married and becomes a part of another family. The extent that the fathers of women had can be seen when Petruchio discusses with Kate on his issue pertaining to their upcoming marriage. Petruchio tells Kate that “...your father hath consented That you shall be you shall be my wife, your dowry ‘greed on And will you, nill you, I will marry you” (2.1.262-264). By having Petruchio claim that Kate’s father gave consent for his marriage with Kate, Shakespeare further fortifies his attempt to convey the full picture to this audience about the patriarchal aspect of the social issues present during the