It is often thought that Shakespeare was telling his audience that women should be “possessions” in his play, “Taming of the Shrew.” However, some argue that he is expressing the idea that man’s dominance and need for control is too extreme. In reality, Shakespeare expresses his opinion through the final words of Katherine. Many professionals can testify that Shakespeare’s time period was full of violence and malice toward women. With that in mind, it more than likely that he shared those same opinions. To ensure that we understand Shakespeare’s viewpoint on women, we must understand that his belief in women as possessions stemmed from the society and culture that he was raised and lived in.
Let’s first consider Kate’s final dialogue in the play. She states in lines 164-165 “Such duty as the subject owes the prince, Even such a woman oweth to her husband.” Kate’s dialogue suggests that Shakespeare believed women were property because she …show more content…
There were many powerful people in England that watched his plays, and they definitely had the belief that women should be possessions. If he decided to contradict those beliefs, he could lose a large chunk of his business and profits. In the article, Who were these people? Audiences in Shakespeare’s Day, it says, “To get into the upper galleries, which were covered and had seats, cost would start at six pence.” This only proves further that those were the areas where he made the most money, and if people were offended, they would no longer attend and pay. Shakespeare would have gone from being one of the most successful playwrites of all time, to not even being recognized. He would lose all of his money, and eventually end up on the streets as a beggar. He may have had a different personal belief, but he definitely meant for women to be seen as possesions in his play. “The Taming of the