Gender Stereotypes In A Midsummer Night's Dream

Imagine a society where the only purpose of women is to be wives and bear progenies. That’s primeval Athens, where females are seen as the property of men. However, the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, projects the opposite notion, which is uncommon because the play was written in the 16th century. In the play, a young Athenian woman, Hermia, disagrees to marry Demetrius, the man of her father’s choice. Hermia is depicted as having dominance through her bold actions that go against her father’s authority. Power of women is also displayed when Shakespeare upends the responsibilities of gender when Helena, a close friend of Hermia’s, chase after Demetrius’s heart. Shakespeare conveys that women are not the property of men by portraying Helena and Hermia possessing power and revolting against the gender stereotypes of their society. Helena defies the accustomed gender clichés by audaciously pursuing love. She flouts the rules of her sex by chasing after Demetrius …show more content…
For example, while men are customarily expected to be bellicose, women are expected to remain submissive and unassertive. However, Shakespeare demonstrates that this isn’t inevitably the case. In the forest when Helena and Hermia are fighting, Helena says, “Have you know modesty, no maiden shame,/ No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear/ Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?/ Fie, fie, you counterfeit, you puppet, you!” (III.ii. 300-304). They insult each other in a language women are not to utter in their society. It goes from derogatory remarks to aggression when Hermia says, “How low am I? I am not yet so low/ But that my nails can reach into thine eyes.” (III.ii.312-313). Hermia is not afraid to get her nails digging into Helena’s eyes. Their actions show them breaking the gender stereotypes in their society by being aggressive rather than remaining