William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream portrays the theme of gender roles throughout the play. Shakespeare’s plays were written during an era where in society women had little will and choice of their own, and they were frequently subservient to men. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare dramatizes gender tensions that arise from complicated familial and romantic relationships. In comparison, the 2005 BBC film adaptation by Peter Bowker expresses dissimilar treatment towards women and discontinues to demonstrate patriarchal relationships, specifically through the characters, Hippolyta and Helena. Comparing the way women were treated in the Shakespeare and Bowker’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it is very different from
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Hippolyta is treated like an item, to be traded or sold. Theseus had “won” her as a prize and a wife from a battle between the Amazons and the Athenians. For Hippolyta, being with Theseus was very forced and she had no choice in staying with him or not. She was unable to make her own decisions, and had no say if she did not want to be with him. This idea is shown when Theseus says, “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, and won thy love doing thee injuries” (1.1.16-17). This quote shows that, as Theseus conquered the battle against the Amazons, he also conquered their queen. With his power over Hippolyta, another aspect of the play is that Hippolyta was very quiet throughout this scene. Regardless of her sitting next to Theseus as a queen, she had no say in Theseus’s decision making about their own marriage, or even Hermia’s. This signifies how Hippolyta is more subordinate to Theseus. Her silence in Act 1 Scene 1 demonstrates how, because a king is expected to have more authority during this era, Hippolyta has little influence. Her silence could also represent how unhappy she was, as she was involuntarily put in the position of Theseus’s wife. These ideas were not shown in the BCC film …show more content…
In the film, Theseus and Egeus are combined into one character, which is the father. By removing a character in the film, Hippolyta, who is the mother, plays a bigger role. This change makes the relationship more “equal” because there are no expectations of authority in parenting. With this, the way the father treats the mother in the beginning of the film is different compared to the original play. The film does not portray their relationship before they were married, therefore there is no way to know if it was an arranged marriage or not. However, based off of the mother’s body language, she looks happy to be with him. Whenever the father is talking the film shows her looking up at him and smiling. She also shows affection by touching his arms while he talks in front of the guests for Hermia’s engagement party. She seems to be more comfortable with him in the film, because there is no one that has power over the other, unlike the original play. The mother has more say in this adaptation, as it is shown, for example, when the father finds out about Hermia’s feelings towards the marriage. He begins to yell at Hermia, however after Hippolyta tells him to calm down his voice softens. She then later talks to him about Hermia, telling him that she simply needs time and that she is still so young.
Hippolyta is treated like an item, to be traded or sold. Theseus had “won” her as a prize and a wife from a battle between the Amazons and the Athenians. For Hippolyta, being with Theseus was very forced and she had no choice in staying with him or not. She was unable to make her own decisions, and had no say if she did not want to be with him. This idea is shown when Theseus says, “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, and won thy love doing thee injuries” (1.1.16-17). This quote shows that, as Theseus conquered the battle against the Amazons, he also conquered their queen. With his power over Hippolyta, another aspect of the play is that Hippolyta was very quiet throughout this scene. Regardless of her sitting next to Theseus as a queen, she had no say in Theseus’s decision making about their own marriage, or even Hermia’s. This signifies how Hippolyta is more subordinate to Theseus. Her silence in Act 1 Scene 1 demonstrates how, because a king is expected to have more authority during this era, Hippolyta has little influence. Her silence could also represent how unhappy she was, as she was involuntarily put in the position of Theseus’s wife. These ideas were not shown in the BCC film …show more content…
In the film, Theseus and Egeus are combined into one character, which is the father. By removing a character in the film, Hippolyta, who is the mother, plays a bigger role. This change makes the relationship more “equal” because there are no expectations of authority in parenting. With this, the way the father treats the mother in the beginning of the film is different compared to the original play. The film does not portray their relationship before they were married, therefore there is no way to know if it was an arranged marriage or not. However, based off of the mother’s body language, she looks happy to be with him. Whenever the father is talking the film shows her looking up at him and smiling. She also shows affection by touching his arms while he talks in front of the guests for Hermia’s engagement party. She seems to be more comfortable with him in the film, because there is no one that has power over the other, unlike the original play. The mother has more say in this adaptation, as it is shown, for example, when the father finds out about Hermia’s feelings towards the marriage. He begins to yell at Hermia, however after Hippolyta tells him to calm down his voice softens. She then later talks to him about Hermia, telling him that she simply needs time and that she is still so young.