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Elizabethan Gender Roles

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Gender Roles
Are the outrageous gender roles that were present in the Elizabethan era still in effect in today’s society? The play Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and the movie “10 Things I Hate About You” shows the presentence of gender roles. In which Kat, the lead woman in 10 things I Hate About You and Katherine the lead women in Taming of the shrew get the lower hand, and is shown in very different ways in the play and the movie, as both result in the leading females to change in the end. These examples in the play/movie show how the male is the breadwinner and the woman to be more submissive as shown in today’s society. Male control over Kat and Katherine, the attachment that both women have towards the men and the pressured …show more content…

“To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor.” (Taming of the Shrew 5.2.147) Katherine states this because the women thought that the men were the only way to live, and women are only alive because of the men. Katherine also states “When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.” (Taming of the Shrew 5.2.173) The control the male had over the female in the relationship also controls the means of the extreme living conditions and life itself for her at the time period. This also shows in the movie, when Patrick (Petruchio) shows control over Kat (Katherine), because of how he treats her as an object at first, but then tries control over the relationship. Patrick is payed to take out Kat on a date as a way to get money, because he is the “bad boy” and have control over her when she didn’t know it. “I guess in this society, being a male and an asshole makes you worthy of our time” (10 things I hate about you) This shows the gender role that the male is control over the woman. This was more prevalent in the past and was socially accepted. With this in mind, the gender role of male control over the women is show in both the play and the movie as well in society

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