Beginning of Essay
By Nathan Davies The Taming Of The Shrew by William Shakespeare is probably one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies. Its plot is derived from the popular 'war of the sexes' theme in which males and females are pitted against one another for dominance in marriage. ....

Middle of Essay
.... reveal that it is not merely a story of how men should 'put women in their place'. The play is a comedy about an assertive woman coping with how she is expected to act in the society of the late sixteenth century and of how one must obey the unwritten rules of a society to be accepted in it. Although the play ends with her conforming to the society, this is in action only, not in mind, as she assumes the role of the obedient wife. Most of the play's humour comes from the way in which characters create false realities by disguising themselves as other people, a device first introduced in the induction. Initially this is accomplished by ha ....