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A Midsummer Night's Dream Differences Between Men And Women

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There are many differences in the way others view and treat men and women. For example, some believe that men are superior to women, and women are incapable of performing certain tasks. In William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the main characters, Hermia, has issues with her father over her marriage. Her father wants her to marry one man while she wants to marry another and threatens to have her killed if she does not marry the man of his choice. She runs away with her lover, planning to be married to him outside of her father’s control, and the two end up running into many different problems and circumstances involving the fairy King, Oberon, and his wife, Titania. In the end, Hermia as she is able to marry the man that she chooses, even though it angers her father. Moreover, Shakespeare poses many differences between the roles of men and women. The differences are displayed by the relationship between father and daughter, the dominance of men over women, and the expectations of women. The relationship between Egeus and Hermia is very distinct. Egeus expects Hermia to marry the man of his choice despite Hermia’s wishes to marry another man. Egeus disregards his daughter’s feelings on the subject, and gives her an ultimatum: either marry Demetrius or die (1.1.40-45). Egeus feels that since he is Hermia’s father, he gets to decide what happens in her life and make all her …show more content…

He represents the expectations people hold women to, demonstrates examples of men’s superiority over women, and shows a relationship between a father and a daughter that is not typical of most families. Through the many marriages that were never planned, the love potion that took a turn for the worst, and a man who had his head turned into that of a donkey, Shakespeare brings many laughs with his shenanigans and insults embedded throughout his

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