The Battle of the Sexes in The Taming of the ShrewThe Battle of the Sexes would have been another appropriate title for this work because the entire work is women against men, men versus women. This battle of the sexes shows no boundaries between rich and poor, young or old, men or women. The basis of all the rivalry comes from the fact that the men in this play look at the women as if they were objects, rather than human beings with feelings. This theory that women are simply objects creates an environment that women must adapt to and survive and a person's environment will describe what they will become, resulting in a battle of the sexes. The Taming of the Shrew is set in a time period that didn't accept women like we do today. In today's society, strong, independent and intelligent women are praised. In Elizabethan times women were supposed to know their role in life, be good to their husbands, bear children and take care of them. There were no women in politics, there were no women in business, it was acceptable for women to participate only in the domestic areas of life. Women could not live respectable lives in this period without a male figure to care for them, making them helpless without men. If there was anything to be done regarding the economy or education, it was up to men. It was the men who worked and brought home the money to support the family. The roles of men and women were very distinct and the result was that men had the majority of power. In the taming of the shrew, the show focused on two women in particular, Baptista's daughters, Bianca and Katherine. These women lived in an environment that gave men power throughout their lives…middle of paper…for both sides. In the case of Katherine and Petruchio, the battle is won because they both love each other and live happily ever after. The battle of the sexes between Bianca and Lucentio is lost because neither of them is willing to love each other. In The Taming of the Shrew, the battle of the sexes is more present in the mind of each individual woman, rather than an actual battle between men and women. It is a battle that women must overcome in order to enjoy life and love their husbands, and situations such as the arguments between Catherine and Petruchio are symbolic of this. When a woman, like Katherine, is able to see that love is something that has no roles or expectations, that's when she and her husband can "live happily ever after." Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longmann, 1997.