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Midsummer Night's Dream Thesis

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THESIS STATEMENT In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare modeled the relationships between Hermia and Egeus, Titania and Oberon, and Theseus and Hippolyta after the Elizabethan hierarchy, yet challenged the traditional gender roles through his dominant female characters. PURPOSE STATEMENT Through critical analysis, historical reference, and literary interpretation, a comparative study between the Elizabethan era and A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be presented to express Shakespeare’s literary objection to the tradition male hierarchy. INTRODUCTION Representing a large assemblage of social classes, the Elizabethan audience shaped the personalities and ideologies of Shakespeare’s characters. By capturing the human condition of his contemporaries, Shakespeare founded the beliefs and tendencies of his characters on the common man in England. “The synthesizing impulse …show more content…

However, Hermia’s heart had already been “flinched” by Lysander, and she refuses to obey her father’s command. Egeus knows, “As she is mine, I may dispose of her, / Which shall be either to this gentleman / Or to her death, according to our law” (1.1.42-44). The law of Athens places Hermia in an unjust situation, to choose either loosing Lysander for Demetrius, perpetual virginity, or death. Theseus, acting as the stately father, reinforces Egeus’ demands and further expounds, “To you your father should be as a god— / One that composed your beauties, yea, and one / To whom you are but as a form in wax / By him imprinted, and within this power / To leave the figure or disfigure it” (1.1.47-51). Patriarchal Athens, modeled after Elizabethan England, acts as a dictatorship, endowed with the power to give life or impose death. Hermia is a victim of her situation, forced to either speak out or conform to her father’s

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Toba Beta once said: "“Justice could be as blind as love.”   Shakespeare 's play A Midsummer Night 's Dream captures the blind bias of both love and justice.   Egeus, a respected nobleman in Athens, arranged for his daughter, Hermia, to marry nobleman Demetrius.   Egeus tells his daughter that she must obey his wishes: if she does not, she can either choose to become a nun, or die.   Hermia, much to her father 's dismay, is deeply in a mutual love with a different nobleman, Lysander.

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“ 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

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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.

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To accomplish this analyzation I have structured this paper into an intro paragraph, four body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The first body paragraph explains how Penelope’s forced marriage with Odysseus supports the patriarchy. The second paragraph analyzes Penelope’s character, and how the story diminishes her character to make men seem more powerful. The third paragraph dives into the relationship with the suitors and Penelope. I analyze how Penelope uses her situation to her advantage, and how that undermines the patriarchy.

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Elizabethan and Jacobean England was an exceptionally hierarchical society, where social order and class remained stringent and impermeable. King Lear and Twelfth Night are examples of how William Shakespeare dramatically engaged with these stratified boundaries by focusing on the characters who attempted to transgress and subvert them. However, as one investigates these social shackles, a ‘social order paradox’ can be found according to Whitney Graham. Graham defines this as, ‘the way in which he effectively critiques and challenges the claim that social hierarchies are inherently rigid, while he, at the same time, simultaneously reinforces and supports these very notions contextually. Thus, though Shakespeare creates worlds in which characters

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Egeus sets Hermia up for an arranged marriage with a man named Demetrius. However, Hermia is in love with a man named Lysander. Her father does not care that his daughter is in love. Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius because Egeus wants to be linked through marriage with a highly ranked family. Egues has no regard for what his daughter's heart wants.

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Oh the excitement, fall rush of freshman year. You’ve been waiting for this all summer. You got your outfits coordinated for each day of the week. You also have positive expectations. The week is finally here and your journey begins.

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Some people feel that it`s quite challenging locating differences between a written story and its film, though, however, some people find it considerably simple to detect differences between the pair. A Midsummer Nights Dream was undoubtedly great cinematic film made in 1999. However, the written play of A Midsummer Nights Dream was much more detailed and more informational. The differences I noticed were the following: The Indian boy and his role, the setting, characters and examples of similarities. First of all, the primary anomaly I noticed implies the Indian boy and his role during the piece.

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Paul Vu Dr. Elizabeth C. Ramírez THTR 475A.03 2 May 2017 Macbeth and Medea: Breaking Expectations Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Medea by Euripides are known for their powerful critiques on the social expectations of women. Women during the time of Elizabethan and Greek theatre were often stereotyped and considered the weaker sex. Men were depicted as strong individuals who supported and protected women. However, both Shakespeare and Euripides broke expectations by portraying strong and iconic female characters in their respective plays. The idea of a strong female character was often unheard of during the time of Elizabethan and Greek Theatre.

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Introduction The purpose of this essay is to investigate the women’s role in Classical Greece society and literature (5th/4th century b.C.). Therefore, I decided to discuss and analyse one of the most controversial comedies of that time, “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. This text shows how women, sick of their submissive and powerless position in the political scenario of Athens and Sparta, come on the scene and, through a smart stratagem, achieve their expected result.

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Today, men and women have equal rights, but that does not mean life has always been simple for both genders. When Shakespeare writes A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are roles, behaviors, and expectations for the dominant men and submissive women. This literature portrays the major changes in the lives of both sexes throughout the years, which shows the advances women gain with time. 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.

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In this essay I will discuss the entire life of William Shakespeare, what it was influenced by in terms of spirituality, ideal and social force behind his work (arts). Further, the challenges he faced both personally and professionally in pursuing social relevance in his plays and the historical significance portrayed in his whole work. Also, I will discuss the development and times of the Elizabethan theatre with the Elizabethan ideal of the core and how Shakespeare was influential in that period. Lastly I will reflect on the elements of Macbeth as a genre to illustrate my research findings.

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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.

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