Marriage and Expectations in Midsummer
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is playfully written about the exploration of love, marriage, and the unrealistic expectations that can inexorably come along with them. This essay will explore at how marriage is portrayed as limiting and diffficult but ultimately worthwhile.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is playfully written about the exploration of love, marriage, and the unrealistic expectations that can inexorably come along with them. This essay will explore at how marriage is portrayed as limiting and diffficult but ultimately worthwhile.
Commensurate with its origins in a court marriage this drama speaks throughout for a sophisticated renaissance philosophy of the nature of love in both its rational, and irrational forms. This is shown by depicting that there then existed significant disparity in the expectations placed on men and women. Hermia embodies this struggle as she defies her father Egeus’s wishes to marry Demetrius showcasing her desire for automony and true love rather then just fulfilling only her duty to her society.
Conversely men are generally afforded a broader range of achievements and aspirations. They are encouraged to pursue careers, adventures, and personal accomplishments that can lead to social recognition. Demetrius for instance, initially pursues Hermia out of a sence of entitlement, thinking he can claim her because, that is what society expect of her.
Another example is the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. Their relationship is rooted in conquest and power dynamics, which reflects the expectations of a hierarchical society. Theseus, as the Duke of Athens, represents a figure signifying his authority, and his marriage to a conquered queen, Hippolyta, suggests that marriage can also be about control and possession rather than something much purer.