Domestic themes made their appearance in English literature during the 16th and the 17th Centuries as a result of a cultural campaign that identified family and State. Marriage, being considered the foundation of the family, was at the core of the political, ecclesiastical and cultural projects of the time. Several plays reflect the widespread concern for the interrelation between family life and the preservation of social order and stability. In such a context, Middleton’s play is of particular interest, as both the main plot and the subplot focus on stories of degradation and mockery of the institution of marriage. In "Women Beware Women", Middleton presents a family without paternal guidance that is at the mercy of the threatening external world, and emphasises the childish behaviour of both Leantio and Bianca, their disarming blindness (which foretells the tragic epilogue), and Leantio’s mother realistic concerns.
