Patriarchy In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare lived in a time ruled by the societal patriarchy. Though there were powerful women the majority of the gender lived under male control. During the Elizabethan era, the majority of women acted as mothers and household caretakers. The duties of women were somewhat class dependent in that wealthier women were more likely to tend to the servants of the house rather than accomplishing the tasks themselves. However, the level of authority women possessed is similar across the class system. Women were to mind their fathers and subsequently their husbands, who were chosen by their fathers. It was a life of “ignorant freedom”, women had no power and thus no “real” responsibility. The contrast to this is modern feminism, defined as “the advocacy

Arranged marriages in the 17th century were a major component of maintaining a strong patriarchal society. Men were given the choice of woman based on their social class and women did not have the choice to refuse the marriage once their father approved As shown by Theseus’s statement of “Be advised, fair maid./ To you your father should be as a god,”(A Midsummer). The father role gave absolute power over daughters but still, Shakespeare created a strong female character who made decisions outside of the structured patriarchy and instead fought for her own choices. This character is Hermia, who defied both her father and the Duke who ordered her to marry. Her choice defied not only her father but the law itself during this time period. She made the decision for her future to marry Lysander. She revoked the idea that she was property and could be bargained for. Additionally, in her truancy, Shakespeare portrayed and often overlooked part of feminine society, female sexuality. Male characters were often crass and flaunted their sex in both gender and physicality. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream we see a female character who does not directly repress her sexuality. This is elaborated upon by Melissa Sanchez who examines the theories of sexuality and feminism written into this play (Sanchez). By giving a leading female character an amount of sexual independence Shakespeare is exhibiting feminism beyond his time. Additionally her sexuality was not only present but a point of her strength rather than it being a character flaw. It was in direct opposition to the marriage system that sexuality outside of wedlock was immoral. This choice ended up giving her more power in the end since their actions allowed their subsequent marriage. Her decision to oppose the marital system gave her power as a feminist in her