Midsummer's Night Dream Theseus Character Analysis

Improved Essays
Theseus Character Sketch

An old proverb once said: “Killing a dragon may make a man famous, but does not make the lad a gentleman”. In the notable comedic play, Midsummer's Night Dream by Shakespeare, Theseus is portrayed as a fair and kind ruler to the citizens of Athens with a touch of romantic fervor, and is able to make healthy connections with all characters in the play. He is first seen talking about the forthcoming nuptial, giving the choice of life or death to Hermia. This choice later develops the relationships between Theseus and his subjects. Throughout the story, it is evident that Theseus is kind, generous, full of justice, and well liked by all.

Theseus is presented as a warrior that “won thy love, doing thee injuries”(19), as well as the duke of Athens. This
…show more content…
Being the most powerful man in the play, he is charismatic with an aura of respect. This leads him to his fiancee, Hippolyta, who is a spoil of war. Instead of being disgusted, she looks forward to the marriage with Theseus. This type of love relationship is different than Hermia and Lysander’s, probably to show contrast between the real love of the two rulers, and the illusion caused by the flower. Theseus also is the one to trust and come to with troubles. For example, “our renowned duke”(24) is asked by Egeus to review his complication. Theseus manages to find a solution that benefits everyone, therefore building his credibility. Egeus then mentions: “With duty and desire we follow you”(132), meaning that they follow him not only because he is their duke, but also because they regard him with admiration. Also, he is in good standings with the group of lovers, because Theseus does not impose a death penalty, but instead invites them to his wedding. The way his cheerful personality affects his interactions with other characters makes him a prominent man, both respected and a suitable leader of

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by the poet and playwright William Shakespeare(1564-1616), was first published in the Quarto edition in 1600, although it is suggested, that this play was ‘first put on in court in 1595’ (Salgado, 1975: p. 116).Whether this play was made in the early 1580s or later than that, became a controversial matter. Francis Meres’ in his Palladis Tamia Wits Treasury (1598), mentioned A Midsummer Night’s Dream as ‘one of a dozen Shakespeare plays’(Stritmatter, 2006:…

    • 2114 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The film may seems like it is about ancient Athens, but as the movie progress, audience who read the book before will realize that Michael Hoffman’s 1999 film version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” transformed the play as if it is about an Italian village in 19th century. Theseus isn’t a conquering warrior Duke, but instead an old man who is useless…

    • 63 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Prompt One: During A Midsummer’s Night Dream, a play occurs during two of the characters’, Hippolyta and Theseus, wedding. While the play occurs, Theseus supports the ‘bad’ actors, saying that the audience should give them praise for at least trying. This relates to what Shakespeare wants during his play, respect for the actors. Shakespeare is saying that no matter the performance or lack of talent that the actors convey, the audience should respect them and everything they are doing. He wants the theater to be a place of respect and encouragement.…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Theseus: A Hero Analysis

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Some may believe that Theseus was not capable of being called a hero because of his mistakes and poor actions. However, his very heroic traits outweigh all of his cons. According to the traits of a hero, a hero should have married a princess; Theseus had a relationship with Ariadne, and then he married her sister, Pasiphae. Theseus, much like Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games, volunteered his life in place of another one. He offered to take part in King Minos’s punishment of the Athenians.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Hippolytus Myths

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Myth uses the medium of a story to describe the activities of the gods and larger than life humans, emphasising interpersonal relationships. These stories were neither singular nor static but evolved with different versions and were manipulated to highlight different values and ideologies. I agree with the statement and will argue that the myths of Hippolytus and the foundation myths of Roman were used by ancient societies to bind its members into a cohesive unit. This essay will explore the ways in which myth were used to bring members of an ancient society together by instigating and reinforcing civic identity and pride. Explore how the role of myths defined and unified the elite.…

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, the main theme of the book focuses on love and whether or not true love exists. In the book there are four main characters who fall in and out love with each other. Love is fickle as shown through these characters, proving that true love does not exist.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To be a legendary king, one must accrue a prodigious amount of honor and glory so that he may be remembered for generations. Theseus’ grandfather, King Pittheus, is speaking to a child Theseus. He is explaining to him the importance of the quality of a king—that he will live a short and honorable life, rather than a long unimportant one: “When it came time to choose among the Royal Kin, this was his sign: that he chose short life with glory, and to walk with the god, rather than live long, unknown like the stall-fed ox” (16-17). King Pittheus is relating this to how the King Horse is sacrificed after he has lived a life full of honor that he fought for and earned and become a sacrifice for all of the people of Troizen; however, he will…

    • 1092 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Have you ever thought controlling another person is possible? In the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, the author demonstrates that it is not possible to control someone else’s actions. Although you think your way is the best, the results can end up not being in your favor and short-lived. In the play by Shakespeare, two important characters demonstrate that you can not control the actions of another character. First off, Egeus, who is the father of young beautiful Hermia.…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”(Shakespeare,91) A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set both in Athens and also in the forest. Hermia is the daughter of Egeus, a nobleman from Athens, who approves of her marrying Demetrius. Hermia is not in love with Demetrius and wants to marry Lysander. The problem is that Egeus does not approve.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Midsummer Night’s Dream Rough Draft Shakespeare unfortunately died on his birthday. A Midsummer’s Night Dream, the play is about a controversial circle of relationships. Hermia is a girl in love with Lysander but he father is completely against her love. Hermia’s decisions to disrespect her father and run away affect the plot of the play by causing controversy in the woods. There is a girl named Hermia who is deeply in love with someone named Lysander, but her father doesn’t approve of Lysander but rather another man named Demetrius.…

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Helena loves Demetrius but he does not love her back. This then leads to having an imbalance of love; one women has no man to love her while the other has too many. Also, the developed and balanced love shared between Theseus and Hippolyte displays contrast when compared to the relationship of Oberon and Titania, whose love is a quarrel and leaves the world around them in shambles. A Midsummer Night’s Dream claims that marriage shows the true and utter fulfillment of romantic love. Shakespeare has a way of pulling the audience out of the emotional aspects of this play and instead uses the characters to poke fun at the agony and annoyances of those who are in love.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even Shakespeare acknowledges at the beginning of his play that their relationship is not a naturally occurring one through Theseus’ lines: “I woo’d thee with my sword, / And won thy love doing thee injuries” (I.i.16-17). They are together now because Theseus, Athenian leader, has captured Amazonian Hippolyta, traditionally a race of women who refuse to be subject to men. Yet even this strained relationship appears to bear happy promises by the end of the play, never mind that many questions remain as to how their relationship could ever reach a happy, equal level. Theseus eagerly awaits a “play / To ease the anguish of a torturing hour” (V.i.36-37) that remains before he may go to bed with Hippolyta. Though she makes no such mention of love or affection for Theseus, she calls him “my Theseus” (V.i.1), making it possible and easy for readers to assume that this relationship of questionable provenance is one that will go on happily as will the others.…

    • 1302 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shakespeare wrote this play about dreams that were forgotten or put off. The significance be of the word “Dream” in the title is by that, the readers could guess that the story is going to be unrealistic like a dream. And also the theme is important because they are related to the bizarre, magical events in the forest and the theme shows much of the characters’ happiness and depression directly throughout the play. At the end of the play, the characters realized that the dream of a house was the most important dream because it united the family. Many characters have mentioned dreams throughout the play.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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).…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, there are two prominent settings with opposing forces that are central to the context of the play. These two different settings explain Shakespeare’s underlying messages and themes that he wanted to convey to his audience. The setting the readers are introduced to first, Athens, is meant to represent the harshness of the real world, while the other main location, the forest, has a more lovable and happier notion. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the dissimilarities of the setting enhance the mood and conflicts, represent different ideas and themes, and portray Shakespeare’s personal ideas about how true love can overcome obstacles, especially with the help of imagination and altered minds.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics