The concept of gender roles has always been an issue, an important thing in feminism. It examines the roles of men and women based on their gender and defines gender as a social construct that includes ideologies that govern feminine/masculine appearances, actions, and behaviors. This is the point of view from which I wish to present Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The Taming of the Shrew is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The main plot concerns Petruchio, a gentleman from Verona, and Katherina, the shrew. Katherina doesn't really want the relationship, but Petruchio marries her ("if you, no you, I will marry you" II.i.261–272) and "tames" her with various psychological torments – "taming" – until she becomes a obedient wife. While seeing Katherina and Petruchio fall in love is edifying, the process of taming the nobleman is offensive. Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew shows both sides of the Renaissance debate about women, as do other contemporary texts. It makes an unclear statement about how women should be treated, much like other Renaissance texts. Feminism, as we know it today, did not exist in Shakespeare's time. Therefore, many people (for example: Phillys Rackin and Linda Woodbridge) see the text as anti- or non-feminist, other readers have considered it feminist, not in the 20th century sense, but in general, reflecting on the progress of women. Shrew's underlying assumption – that husbands have the right to tame their wives, who are subject to their husbands – gives way to an anti-feminist interpretation. “Though a small fire grows large with little wind,” Petruchio boasts to Baptista, “yet extreme gusts will quench the fire and a… middle of paper… Bedford/St. Martin's, 1996 Gouge, William. Of domestic duties: eight treatises. 1634. Dolan 225–28Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew, Robert. A mirror for married people. 1610. Dolan 187–93. A cheerful joke of a shrewd and cursed wife licked by Morel's skin, for his good behavior. C. 1550. Dolan 257–88.Brooks, Brian. February 1, 2014, “Feminist Struggle in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew,” South-Central Renaissance Conference Online Publications blog post, http://www.scrc.us.com/discoveries/feminist-struggle-in-Shakespeare , The Taming of the Shrew/Chaucer, Geoffrey. Prologue of the Wife of Bath. The Chaucer on the riverbank. 3rd. Ed. Larry D. Benson. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. 105-116. “Important Quotations Explained” in The Taming of the Shrew, September 2013, http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shrew/quotes.html