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In the past one hundred years, one of the most important social issues has been the subject of equality. However, this has not always been the case. For centuries, western civilization was a primarily patriarchal society, but in recent years, this issue of equality has permeated all parts of our social world, including literature. Thus we find literary critics placing twenty-first century values on ancient works, hoping to find elements of social equality where, often times, there is none to be found. For example, critics in recent years have attempted to describe William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew as a feminist work; however, it is largely the opposite. Petruccio’s actions can been seen as patriarchal, enforcing the generally misogynistic culture of the day, and Kate, the supposed feminist hero, is presented to both the characters in the story and the audience as spiteful, vicious, and generally spoiled. The only real reason to wed Kate, it seems, is for financial gain.......

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Approximate Word Count: 2143
Approximate Pages: 9 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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