Patriarchy In A Midsummer Night's Dream
In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the character Egeus faces the challenge of his daughter, Hermia, refusing to marry the man of his choice, Demetrius. His response to this exemplifies the patriarchal system of Athens as he attempts to force Hermia and Demetrius’s marriage.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream begins with a scene in which Egeus brings his daughter to Theseus in a final attempt to get her to conform to his wishes. He wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, which is shown by him saying, ‘this man hath my consent to marry her.’ However, Hermia has fallen in love with Lysander, who Egeus believes ‘hath bewitch’d the bosom of my child.’
For an unknown reason, Egeus believes that Lysander is not truly in love with Hermia; that he …show more content…
Fathers were legally allowed to arrange a marriage for their daughters; in fact, often in ancient Athens, the couple did not even meet before their wedding.
The second option Egeus offers Hermia is to be killed.
While this may seem barbaric to more modern generations, in this historical period and patriarchal society Egeus is legally permitted to kill his daughter as she is seen as belonging to him. As he says, ‘I beg the ancient privilege of Athens; as she is mine, I may dispose of her.’
These options show how women are seen as inferior and belonging to men in a patriarchal society. This idea is mirrored several times throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for example, when Titania is made a fool of by Oberon after displeasing him. This shows how she belongs to him; how he is free to play tricks and make a fool of to her.
Overall, Egeus’s two options show us how in a patriarchal society, women are viewed as inferior and belong to men. This idea is mirrored by Oberon and Titania’s storyline. Egeus also exemplified how the patriarchal view was that if daughters didn’t comply with the father’s wants, they were useless - so much so that they could legally be
A Midsummer Night’s Dream begins with a scene in which Egeus brings his daughter to Theseus in a final attempt to get her to conform to his wishes. He wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, which is shown by him saying, ‘this man hath my consent to marry her.’ However, Hermia has fallen in love with Lysander, who Egeus believes ‘hath bewitch’d the bosom of my child.’
For an unknown reason, Egeus believes that Lysander is not truly in love with Hermia; that he …show more content…
Fathers were legally allowed to arrange a marriage for their daughters; in fact, often in ancient Athens, the couple did not even meet before their wedding.
The second option Egeus offers Hermia is to be killed.
While this may seem barbaric to more modern generations, in this historical period and patriarchal society Egeus is legally permitted to kill his daughter as she is seen as belonging to him. As he says, ‘I beg the ancient privilege of Athens; as she is mine, I may dispose of her.’
These options show how women are seen as inferior and belonging to men in a patriarchal society. This idea is mirrored several times throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for example, when Titania is made a fool of by Oberon after displeasing him. This shows how she belongs to him; how he is free to play tricks and make a fool of to her.
Overall, Egeus’s two options show us how in a patriarchal society, women are viewed as inferior and belong to men. This idea is mirrored by Oberon and Titania’s storyline. Egeus also exemplified how the patriarchal view was that if daughters didn’t comply with the father’s wants, they were useless - so much so that they could legally be