Similarities Between The Man And Taming Of The Shrew

British philosopher and women’s rights activist, Mary Wollstonecraft, once stated, “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.” Here, Wollstonecraft recognizes the prejudice against women in 18th-century England, just like the problems present in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and modern times. Taming of the Shrew is a play that takes place in 16th-century Italy that follows the loud, boastful Petruchio attempting to wed the uncooperative and unpleasant woman, Katherine. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's essay, "We Should All Be Feminists," is a critique of gender inequality and advocates for the importance of embracing feminism to strive toward true equality. "The Man," by Taylor Swift, is a song that challenges gender

Conversing with her father, Baptista, and Tranio pretending to be Lucentio, Katherine expresses her frustrations about marrying Petruchio before their wedding: “No shame but mine. I must, forsooth, be forced / To give my hand, opposed against my heart, / Unto a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen, / Who wooed in haste and means to wed at leisure” (Taming of the Shrew, III, ii, 8-11). Revealing the injustices of society, Katherine implies that men have total control over who/how they marry and that women are expected to comply with their will. Furthermore, Katherine’s description of Petruchio as “a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen” demonstrates the norm of men being able to be unrefined and sloppy, but if a woman were to have those qualities, they would be heavily rebuked for their lack of “lady-like” qualities like being submissive and modest. In Taylor Swift’s song, “The Man,” she expresses how certain traits and actions are encouraged for men, but not for women: “What's it like to brag about / Raking in dollars / And getting bitches and models / And it's all good if you're bad” (Swift, The Man, 1:44-1:51). Similar to Katherine, Swift highlights the fact that social norms allows for men to flaunt their belongings, actions, and attitudes, but prohibits women acting the same way. Additionally,

At Bianca’s Wedding party, when Petruchio bets with Hortensio and Lucentio on whose wife would obey them, Katherine is the only one who comes when called. She then condemns the other wives for their behavior: “I am ashamed that women are so simple / To offer war where they should kneel for peace: / Or seek for rule, supremacy and sway / When they are bound to serve, love, and obey” (Taming of the Shrew, V, ii, 171-174). Katherine conveys that a woman owes it to her husband to satisfy their demands and needs by being submissive and cooperative. This remark directly contrasts with Katherine’s previous behavior and illustrates how she now supports that women should disregard their individuality if it interferes with the well-being of their husbands. After publishing a novel that local people found “feminist,” Adichie explains why being openly feminist is a burden in her culture: “that word feminist is so heavy with baggage, negative baggage: you hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, you think women should always be in charge” (Adichie 11). Adichie emphasizes the immense impact cultural and social environments have on a person’s decisions by discouraging certain behaviors that they see wrong in their eyes. Moreover, Adichie alludes to the fact that people