What does the modern audience learn about marriages and the roles of men and women in Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew? -taming of the shrew

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What does the modern audience learn about marriages and the roles of men and women in Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew'?

The roles of men and women were very different in society during Shakespeare's time. 'The Taming of the Shrew' reflects these attitudes and I shall explore how marriage and the roles of men and women are presented in this play.

In Padua, marriage was a decision that involved members of both families and the amount of wealth a family had played a strong role in determining who married whom. Romantic love and physical attraction were considered to be relatively unimportant. Wealth played a large role in marriage decisions among the upper classes, once families agreed to a marriage, several financial transactions were considered. Dowries (a gift of money and property) were paid to suitors, and characters like Petruchio used marriage as a way to make money.

Even at the very start of the play we know Petruchio is hoping to get married as a way to make money, in I.ii.72, he states, "I come to wive it wealthily in Padua", he means he wants to make a rich marriage. Petruchio is very interested in marrying