William Shakespeare’s comedy play A Midsummer Night’s Dream has a variety of characters, a determined nobleman, a love-struck woman, a meddlesome fairy, but most importantly, a man of rationality, Theseus. He is the Duke of Athens and if any citizen has any sort of dilemma, they would feel obliged to go to Theseus. In the 5th and final act of Shakespeare’s play, Theseus goes on a poetic rant on how the main characters of the play are exaggerating on their enchanted night, and how he sees poetry and love to be foolish. Theseus’ speech is appropriate to him in the way that his character is the pure embodiment of rationality. (Shakespeare 5.1.2-22) Thus, he tries to reason and challenge many of the things he witnesses, which may help him as a Duke, but is also critical for him as he cannot understand the simplest things.
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In the first act of the play, Theseus and his fiancé, Hippolyta, are talking about waiting 4 days for their wedding (1.1.1-11). In that same scene, we found out that Theseus won Hippolyta’s heart by “wooed [her] with [his] sword and won [her] love” (1.1.16-17) These 2 lines are proof that Theseus does not love Hippolyta like Lysander loves Hermia, but he simply married her because he defeated her in combat, and wanted her to become Queen of Athens, as he is the Duke of Athens. Marriage like this was common around the time Shakespeare wrote this play (late 1500s), so people could gain political power or monarchy. But of course, this type of marriage was not the only type around. Love marriage is the strongest marriage, in terms of emotions and happiness. Theseus deems love to be “of imagination” (5.1.8) and states that the main characters, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena, are of lunacy and how being in love is just pure
In the first act of the play, Theseus and his fiancé, Hippolyta, are talking about waiting 4 days for their wedding (1.1.1-11). In that same scene, we found out that Theseus won Hippolyta’s heart by “wooed [her] with [his] sword and won [her] love” (1.1.16-17) These 2 lines are proof that Theseus does not love Hippolyta like Lysander loves Hermia, but he simply married her because he defeated her in combat, and wanted her to become Queen of Athens, as he is the Duke of Athens. Marriage like this was common around the time Shakespeare wrote this play (late 1500s), so people could gain political power or monarchy. But of course, this type of marriage was not the only type around. Love marriage is the strongest marriage, in terms of emotions and happiness. Theseus deems love to be “of imagination” (5.1.8) and states that the main characters, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena, are of lunacy and how being in love is just pure