The role of women in The Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night Many critics have criticized the female characters in Shakespeare's plays as two-dimensional and unrealistic representations of submissive women . Others said that the roles of women in his plays were important to the time and culture in which he lived. Two plays, The Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night, stand out particularly well in terms of Shakespeare's use of female characters. After examining these two works, it will be seen that Shakespeare, while conforming to contemporary attitudes about women, circumvented them by creating assertive female characters with a strong sense of self. The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most famous works, and it has stood the test of time. to our modern era with adaptations of popular television series like Moonlighting. Despite all the praise it has garnered over the centuries, it is curious to note that many have considered it to be one of his most controversial works in its treatment of women. Katherine's domestication has been considered excessively cruel by many writers and critics of the modern era. George Bernard Shaw himself pushed for its ban during the 19th century (Peralta). Katherine's submission has been labeled barbaric, old-fashioned and generally humiliating. The show is all about her and her lack of suitors. He establishes his bitchy behavior and its repercussions on his family in the first act. It is only with the introduction of the witty Petruchio as her suitor that we begin to see an evolution in her character. Through an elaborate farce of humiliating behavior, Petruchio humiliates her and by the end of the play will educate other women on the nature of being a good and dutiful wife. In direct contrast to Shrew, there is Twelfth Night, whose main female protagonist is by far the strongest character in the work. The protagonist Viola, stranded in a foreign land, adopts her brother's identity so she can live independently without a husband or guardian. She serves as a courtesan for a lovesick young nobleman named Orsino. Throughout the play she acts as an intermediary between him and the woman he loves. During her service, she falls in love with him. Only at the end does he renounce his male identity and declare his love for him.