n Coppelia Kahn’s piece, she repeatedly refers back to the idea of a wife’s responsibility to serve and submit to her husband. Males were expected to be dominant and fear-inducing, while females were to be quiet and remain in the background. However, throughout the play, Kate behaved more like a typical man, often stating her opinion and disobeying those around her, thus leading to her portrayal as a shrew. In contrast, if Pertruchio had been a woman, his actions would also lead to being considered a shrew, as he was very violent and forceful towards his wife and servants. Yet, this was acceptable because he was just behaving like a stereotypical male during this time period. Furthermore, Kahn states that the sun and moon scene towards the end of the comedy shows that Pertruchio would go to any length to show his power over his wife, leading to her argument that he was a shrewd himself and his goal was to assert dominance and oppress those around him. …show more content…
She is a strong proponent that it is a woman’s duty to agree with anything her husband says and she should have no right to freedom and individuality. In her opinion, Pertruchio is a wonderful and honorable man for putting Kate in her place, denying her of items she requests, and limiting her actions. She says he is a man, so of course he should be dominating over her, especially during the 1600s. One of the most powerful statements in this piece is when Bamber states, “Kate is less powerful, less wealthy, less cheerful, less in the playwright’s confidence – less everything than Pertruchio” (Bamber, 209). They are supposed to be unequal and she feels Shakespeare has demonstrated this in the