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The loneliness was tempting him again. He no long had Hippolyta so he was lonely and saw a chance to have the most beautiful woman as his wife. When her brothers Castor and Pollux came to get her Theseus was lucky in that to he was on his way to the underworld for they were furious.
Lysander compares himself to Demetrius, saying that he is equal to him in every way. Lysander then points out that he has something Demetrius will never have, Hermia 's love. He makes it clear that the couple will do anything to be together. After Egeus denounces his daughter 's chosen love, Hermia and Lysander,
“ I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: as she is mine, I may dispose of her, which shall either be with this fine gentleman (Demetrius) or to her death according to our law, immediately provided in that case” (1.1.45-48). Hermia wishes to marry her true love Lysander, who in turn loves her as well; however, even though he is as good a man as Demetrius, status-wise, Hermia’s father, Egeus, would rather kill her or turn her into a nun than let Hermia control her life. This practice was widely done by the Elizabethans. Daughters had no choice but to marry the man their father
The union of both sexes is a notable metaphor in both “Symposium” and “Lysistrata”; however, the nature of the love between the sexes draws a distinction between both works. In Symposium, Aristophanes described how both sexes were so powerful when united; and when they were separated, human beings still strived to be united once more by any means. On the other hand, in Lysistrata the characters were already married and united; however, women found their true strength when they started a psychological war on their men. Even though both works drew the readers’ attention to the need for love, Symposium emphasizes the union of sexes in a way that the characters in Lysistrata will never reach; where love is not only about sex and physical attraction, but it’s also about a healthy relationship occupied with affection and caring.
Second of all, false love is Theseus see Hippolyta as a "war prize" from fighting and sparing her life, and consequently, Hippolyta is wedding the man nearly act of goodwill. It is too early into the story to tell if Hippolyta has any emotions towards Theseus the way he does towards her, be that as it may, we can see that affection isn 't something that is alive in the couple 's relationship. Theseus discussion of the moderate time going amongst now and the wedding, "Four happy days get Another moon-but O, methinks how slow This old moon wanes!"(1.1 2-4). Accordingly, Hippolyta clearly in no scramble for the wedding answers, "Four nights will quickly steep themselves in the night, Four night will quickly dream away the time" (1.1 7-8).
Theseus and Hippolyta wake up Lysander, Hermia, Helena, and Demetrius because Hermia has to make her final decision. With the love juice on his eyelids still, Demetrius confesses that he no longer loves Hermia and wants Helena to be the love of his life. Theseus overrides Egeus’s wishes, and he says the three couples will have a triple wedding. After Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus leave, all of them are unclear what exactly happened. Helena even says, “And I have found Demetrius like a jewel,/mine own, and not mine own” (4.1.176-177).
What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you see a woman with a man? You automatically think that the man is the one calling all the shots in the relationship. You also wonder why some women act as if they are the man of the relationship. But in the play Macbeth ;Shakespeare wanted to show that gender doesn't mean anything. From the year of 1040-1057; Macbeth was a king that actually existed in Scotland.
The theme of sexual desire isn’t only present in the male characters of the play, as it often is in many plays of the time. In fact, the level of sexual desire fluctuates between all of the characters. Hippolyta reveals in her response to Theseus that she too cannot wait until their wedding night, but she is far better at hiding it. It, however, is not the case that women are forced to hide their sexual wants due to it being considered ‘unsuitable’ for women, as can be seen in the case of Helena and
Lysander’s unbridled love for Hermia shows obvious respect towards females, making him out to be one of the few characters admired by the audience. In our scene, Lysander’s subtext is an excited yet mannerly teenager who fears Theseus yet still stands up for himself and Hermia. When he saw that his relationship was being threatened he stopped cowering and pushed Egeus and Demetrius away pleading his case to Theseus. Hermia, who has a similar definition of love, trusts the emotion and thinks of it as a driving force in her life. When given the choice between spending the rest of her life as a nun and being forced into a loveless marriage, she decides that staying perpetually celibate would be the superior choice: “‘So will I grow, so live, so die my lord, ere I will yield my virgin patent up unto his lordship, whose unwishèd yoke my soul consents not to give sovereignty’”
Throughout many years of humanity, society’s view and men’s respect towards women has slightly altered from Shakespeare’s time up until modern day. Shakespeare writes Helena in Midsummer’s Night’s Dream to express her idea that men should be gentlemen. She says, “If you were men, as men are you show, You would not use a gentle lady so…” (3.2.155). He writes that men, if they consider themselves men, should act as a gentlemen towards ladies and respectful in every way. However, he also writes that character Oberon abuses his power to manipulate his wife Titania into giving him what he desires.
The vision of a strong, vivacious man conquering a challenging contender with unwavering success is what comes into mind when people think about the mythological, immortal hero Theseus. Many people know about the marriage of Theseus and his wife, the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, but the question is do the people actually know about their marriage? Hippolyta came from an utopia of women being unsubmissive to men. It was said that Theseus wanted a queen so bad that he kidnapped Hippolyta; however, Shakespeare’s early play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, portrays the love between Theseus and Hippolyta. It shows how Theseus is solely in love with Hippolyta.
At that time in history, the status quo and social norm was simple. Patriarchy was the predominant force as men were regarded as superior to women, both in society as well as the relationship scene. Shakespeare attempted to change this perception through his multiple works of literature. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare uses the theme of gender roles to express the idea that the status quo and social norm in the Elizabethan era can be challenged through courtship, father-daughter relationships, and wedlock. The play commences with the courtship of multiple individuals.
Lysistrata tells the women that they must resist their men in order for them to stop fighting in war. These women swear on oath, by pouring wine in a bowl, to not have sex with their husbands until the war is over. They will try to seek the mens attention by dressing vulgarly and wearing a lot of makeup but they will not have sex. Once the war is over the Spartans and Athens get together with Lysistrata and the goddess Reconciliation. In this scene Lysistrata tells them what to do so they could make peace, she explains to them how they have both done many good things for each other so this is why they should not be going to war.
The male roles in the family seem to be above females’ because they get to make decisions for girls. Men feel dominant to women, so the same behaviors as the women are acceptable for them. Along with these, the ladies are not expected to crave love and affection like the gentlemen do. The gender issue of men being dominant and women being submissive used in the drama, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, shows the differences in the roles, behaviors, and expectations appropriate for each gender and is an example of an outdated stereotype. Unlike the time frame of this literature, women in the present are valued equal to men.
The male characters in this play often feel uncomfortable when their female counterparts break gendered stereotypes. This is the same feeling that drove Theseus to war with the Amazons. An equally important woman is Hermia: Theseus and her father have in mind Demetrius for Hermia’s groom, yet she still refuses even after a small threat from Theseus, “Be advised, fair maid. To you, your father should be as a god” (1.1.47-48). Here in patriarchal Athens, fathers are the head households and hold influence over near-all decisions.