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Stereotypes In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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An Athenian Toy Story: Objects that Come to Life Objectification obscures the inner thoughts and places a mask over one’s true self. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, the Athenian women are governed by very fixed stereotypes: they must fight to remove the masks and assert their independence [3]. This play confronts the issue of gender equality which arises in complicated family decisions and romantic relationships. While in the Athens society, it is common that men are dominant over women, in contrast, women dominate over men in the Amazonian system of gender. As time progresses in this play, one can see the shift from strict patriarchal rule to a balanced perspective. The men in the Athens society had total control over the women, leaving women to feel helpless. Through Theseus’s example of a true partnership with Hippolyta, the other Athenian men must come to accept the importance of a woman’s perspective and voice. Women in the Athens society were viewed as childish and compliant and helpless, and have no …show more content…

As both men and women have equal say, more balance has been attained and a deeper understanding lies within the couples. The women were seen as pawns and objects who were easily controlled but are now more humanized. In Disney’s film, Toy Story, the toys exist for the seeming pleasure and enjoyment of Andy their owner. Cowboy, favorite toy, group leader, ----Woody, has many internal feelings and desires but is unable to vocalize them, leaving him to feel powerless. [6] The women in A Midsummers Night’s Dream also face a similar position of powerlessness because of the restraining nature of their society. As both characters from the play and film face this obstacle, they are able to overcome it and obtain their desires. To have a successful society all voices need to be heard, even those who are overlooked and

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