What Are The Four Social Norms In Shakespeare's Plays

William Shakespeare, although living in the sixteenth century challenged social norms that would be in place long after he died. Examples of his actions can be seen in several of his plays. In the play As You Like It, Shakespeare refers to the multiple social normalities that we have to play fullfill each day. We can be a son in one instance and a student in another, both of which are different social roles we are expected to fill. Like As You Like It and several other Shakespearean texts, social norms from the sixteenth century are brought to light in The Taming of the Shrew. The story is set in Padua Italy during what was considered the Italian Renaissance. Although, the time period is well known for its achievements in music, literature,

When confronted with suitors, Baptista declares that no man should marry Bianca until Kate is wed. Not soon after this announcement from Baptista one of the main suitors, Hortensio is reunited with an old acquaintance, Petruchio. From what Petruchio explains to Hortensio his arrival in Padua is of selfish intensions. He tells of his father’s recent passing and the substantial inheritance that followed. The inheritance is not enough for a man like Petruchio and so he “come to wive it wealthily in Padua;/If wealthily, then happily in Padua.”(I.ii.76-77). Hortensio seeing the opportunity in the entire matter describes Kate to Petruchio in a negative manner, but according to Petruchio her shrewish behavior is a unimportant factor in his decision to wed the daughter of the wealthy

The wedding that takes place between Kate and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew is far from the expected service for a daughter of high social status. Petruchio, the groom makes his appearance to his own ceremony late. When Lucentio (disguised as Tranio) is questioned by Baptista about the humiliation that he is enduring by the tartness of the groom he is more worried about what the people in the town will say, then the feelings of his oldest daughter. Baptista and many other characters in the play write Kate off as some deranged shrew and even on her wedding day her emotional anguish is