Affirmation Of Patriarchy In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Women in the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare are degraded and treated as objects. Agreeing with The Plays Affirmation of Patriarchy by Shirley Garner, I believe that the women of the play are not respected and treated as though they are subjects to the men. Shirley’s essay brings up detailed and specific examples in which women are degraded. Women throughout the play are forced into situations in which they do not want to partake in. Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and Hermia, daughter of Egeus are forced into marriages. Women are also taken advantage of throughout the play by the men they love. Helena, a young woman in love with Demetrius, is taken advantage of by him, and Titania, queen of the fairies is put under a spell by Oberon. The treatment of the women by the men in this play is inappropriate and disgusting. …show more content…

In the play Hippolyta is getting married to Theseus, the duke of Athens, at the next new moon. In the beginning of the play we find out that Theseus conquered her home and took her as a bride when he says, “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injuries. But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with revealing” (1.1.16-19). Theseus takes Hippolyta from her family, destroyers her home, and takes her for his bride. All these facts contribute to the fact that Theseus forces Hippolyta into marriage, and treats her as an object that can not make up her own mind. Another women in the play forced into marriage is Hermia. Hermia’s father Egeus wishes for her to marry Demetrius instead of her true love Lysander. Egeus goes to Theseus to force his daughter's marriage and forbid her from marrying Lysander. After hearing their situation Theseus tells

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