What do modern audiences learn about marriages and the rules of men and women from Shakespeare's “The Taming of the Shrew”? During the Elizabethan era, men and women had diverse roles in society. Shakespeare demonstrated these attitudes in a comic play called “The Taming of the Shrew.” I will explore what a modern audience learns about marriages and the roles of men and women in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew set in Italy, in a city called Padua. In Padua, they believe that once their daughters reach a certain age, they must marry a man their father approves of. In Padua, it is also believed that the eldest daughter (Katherina) should marry before her other siblings (Bianca). “I am firmly resolved, you know, that I will not give up my youngest daughter before I have a husband for the eldest.” Baptista (Katherina and Bianca's father) basically says that Bianca can't get married until her older sister Katherina is married. Baptista made the decision about who Katherina and Bianca should marry by asking them questions about their status and wealth. Dowries were paid to the suitors by their father-in-law because the suitors would take their daughters as wives. When Petruchio arrives in Padua he says that he will use marriage as a means of earning money, "I come to live richly in Padua", Petruchio insinuates that he only went to Padua to marry a woman and s 'enrich thanks to the dowry he received. will be given by the father-in-law. A scold is a woman who always speaks her mind, even when she's not supposed to. She fears no one and has some characteristic traits of a feminist. In Shakespeare's time, scolds were treated like a shrew, a vexatious woman, their behavior... middle of paper... in war. Katherina compares a shrewd woman to a muddy fountain: “A moved woman is like a troubled fountain, muddy, unpleasant in appearance, thick, devoid of beauty.” Katherina basically says that no one likes muddy fountains, which a shrew does. Katherina makes hand gestures towards Petruchio's feet "And place your hands under your husband's foot" to show that she is completely obedient and submissive to Petruchio. In Shakespeare's time, marriage was a big deal for both women and men. Unlike today's society, marriage does not have to be the only option for leaving the parental home. Men of Shakespeare's time also viewed marriage as a way to make money. Women also had no say or power over anything, but men had power over everything. However, in today's society, men and women are considered equal, which is completely opposite to Shakespeare's time..