Gender issues in Midsummer Nigt's

Dream

Alba Campos Fragueiro

Jesús Fernández Míguez

1º BACH B

In this play Shakespeare makes us think about the role of women and men in a relationship.

For the first time, women don't play the role of an obedient and scared wife or daughter. Here, they give their opinion and fight for what they want.

The problems are between this couples

Titania and Oberon

Hermia and Egeus

Hippolyta and Theseus

Hippolyta and Theseus

Theseus is the duke of Athens and he is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. They have a lot of problems because Hippolyta isn't a girl who stands aside with her eyes downcast and she always gives her opinion. Theseus is the common powerful man who wants everything he says done.

Hermia and Egeus

Hermia loves Lysander, but his father wants her to marry Demetrius and if she decides not to do it, she will have to become a nun or die.

As she doesn't want any of those things, she runs away through the wood with Lysander to get married in a far place.

Egeus is a conservative father and he wants his son-in-law to be someone important in society.

Hermia is a girl with a strong personality in a world where all women stand aside with her eyes downcast. She really loves Lysander so no way she will marry Demetrius.

Titania and Oberon

They are the queen and king of the fairies so human lifes depend on them.

Oberon is very jealous and he shouts at her but Titania also gets very furious with him and she even threatens him to split up and run away.

Then, Oberon decides to take revenge on her with Puck's help. They get a special juice from a flower and put it in Titania's eyelids. This makes the queen fall in love for the first person that she sees. In this case, it was an ugly person with a donkey's head. At the end, Oberon decides to release her from his enchantament.

Undoubtedly, Titania is the most rebel girl of this three.

So, what were women in Shakespeare play?

In our opinion, this women reflect Elisabethan society. They are opressed by their husbands, fathers or brothers.

But, unlike them, they don't hide their opinions and they try to take part in the decisions that affect their lifes.

The End