Honors Theses

Advisor

Kirsten Mendoza, Ph.D.

Department

English

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

In early modern England (the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries), women’s natures and preferred conduct were frequently discussed in pamphlets, essays, ballads, and conduct manuals. This research project examines how early modern women are represented in William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing and the implications of such characterizations. Early modern literature defines virtuous women as good housewives, obedient, patient, chaste, wise, and pious; they should avoid vanity and submit to men. Early modern depictions of the ideal woman were influenced by the virtues emphasized in Christianity and Classical history and mythology. Women were encouraged to model themselves after well-known female exemplars from Christian and Classical stories. The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing, both comedies written in the early modern period, feature female main characters who either conform with these social expectations or defy them. An analysis of these plays reveals how early modern conceptions of women’s conduct were reflected and reinforced on stage, as well as how the women who did not conform could be disciplined or punished. In particular, these plays justify domestic abuse as a response to disobedient wives and public humiliation as a response to unchaste women. Plays have the ability to influence their audience’s perception of the world. As The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing continue to be regularly performed today, it is important to understand and critique the lessons they teach contemporary audiences about women’s behavior.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.

Keywords

Undergraduate research

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