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¶ … Midsummer Night's Dream
William Shakespeare's play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was written in 1595. A woman's role in her family and community were determined by a patriarchal society. It was during this time, after all, that women were being burned at the stake all across Europe.
The play begins in an Athenian palace just before the wedding of Theseus, Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, "Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour / Draws on apace" (I:I:I) Hippolyta is the legendary Queen of the Amazons whom has been conquered and now weds the Duke. Perhaps because of the legends associated with the matriarchal society of the Amazons, Shakespeare portrays Hippolyta as a woman conquered, indicating that the Queen of the Amazons must certainly be conquered before accepting a man in marriage. It is presumed that Theseus and Hippolyta met in combat, and so he promises her that although he wooed her in battle with his sword, they will wed "with pomp, with triumph, and with reveling" (I:I:19).
The wedding is interrupted when an Athenian father, Egeus, comes begging to Theseus for help regarding his daughter, Hermia. Egeus has bequeathed Hermia to Demetrius, however,...
Angry that his daughter is disobeying him, Egeus demands that the law punish Hermia unless she complies with his orders. Egeus is also angry with Lysander, "With cunning hast thou filched my daughter's heart, / Turned her obedience, which is due to me, / to stubborn harshness" (I:I:36-38). After listening to both Egeus and Hermia to speak their defense, Theseus speaks directly to Hermia, telling her "Either to die the death or to abjure / Forever the society of men" (I:I:65-66). Theseus sides with Egeus and declares his plea as Athenian law and basically gives Hermia three choices. She can marry Demetrius, die, or enter a convent. In other words, Hermia could be a good girl and obey her father's wishes even at the price of her own happiness for the rest of her life, or forget marriage altogether and become a nun, or forget life altogether and be sentenced to death. However, in none of the choices is she allowed, even at a price, to follow her desires except at the price of death. She is not allowed to marry Lysander at any costs or consequences, such as being disinherited by her father or disowned by…
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Washington Square
Press. 2004; I:I:I, I:I:12, I:I:19, I:I:36-38, I:I:65-66, 2:I:241-244.
Midsummer's Night Dream Acting: Were the actors believable in their roles? I did not find all of the actors particularly believable in their roles. I could not help noticing that several of the members of the cast forgot their lines or misspoke their lines, sometimes saying a line in the wrong place. Knowing the play well, this really threw me off and took me out of the moment of the performance. I
Even fairies struggle with love and romance. Oberon and Titania bicker; because of Puck's potion, Titania even falls in love with an ass. Puck's potion illustrates the fleeting nature of sexual attraction, too. At the opening of a Midsummer Night's Dream, Demetrius is in love with Hermia but Hermia is in love with Lysander. Lysander returns the affection. Hermia's best friend Helena, on the other hand, does love Demetrius and
He forgives her and order is restored in the fairy world thanks to the proper balance of love between head and heart. As for the actors who go into the woods to prepare for their play before the king and queen of Athens -- they too show a side of love. Bottom shows what happens when one lacks imagination: he is the most unimaginative actor in the history of theater
And while it may seem silly upon first reading or seeing the play, it is clear that a Midsummer Night's Dream also has quite serious ideas. Scholars have noted that the play includes a cultural critique of the Elizabethan era in which it is set (Lamb 93-124). Other critics have noted that the play may contain quite subversive ideas regarding the fluid nature of sexual identity (Green 369-370). Whatever
Midsummer and Elizabeth A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedic drama that centers on marriage. Indeed, it is traditionally held that Shakespeare penned the play for a friend's wedding; therefore, it should be no surprise to find that the theme of marriage runs through and through Midsummer, from the young adults to the nobility (and even to the fairy world, where marital strife is encountered). Yet, being penned in an age
Those who watch the play make comments about how silly the play is and the play becomes more and more ridiculous, adding the parts of a Lion and Moonshine, played by two more rustics. In the play, the principle actors, Thisby and Pyramus kill themselves, as Romeo and Juliet did, then Pyramus rises to sing about his death, slumps into death, and then rises again to ask the audience if