In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Great Chain of Being is a concept demonstrating that everything in the universe has a place in a “divinely planned hierarchal order” (The Great Chain of Being). God is at the top of the hierarchy and it descends, from kings to peasants, to husbands andto wives. All four female characters women break The Great Chain of Being in different ways: Hermia goes against her father’s wishes and runs away with Lysander, Helena seeks after Demetrius despite the fact that it goes against the status quo of Athens, Titania disobeys Oberon by not giving him the Indian boy, and Hippolyta breaks it by being the Queen of the Amazons. Breaking of the chain is a threat to rulers since their status is given
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In the opening scene, Theseus reminds Hippolyta, the conquered Queen of the Amazons, that he “wooed [her] with [his] sword” (1.1.17). Hippolyta was so powerful as Queen that she may be regarded as mythical, but she has since been conquered by a man and is forced to marry him. Despite the fact that Hippolyta fought Theseus as a warrior, her power has been stripped, and she is now forced to be his bride. Just as Hippolyta is forced into a marriage against her will, Hermia, too, is being forced into an arranged marriage. Egeus disapproves of the man Hermia wants to marry and Theseus clarifies the law of Athens for Hermia: “To you, your father should be as a god,/One that composed your beauties, yea and one/to whom you are but as a form in wax/by him imprinted, and within his power” (1.1.45-51). Hermia is compared to a wax figure, dehumanizing her, and making her seem like an animal. Similar to Hippolyta, her say in her future does not matter: Hermia has been conquered by father just as Theseus did to Hippolyta. In their society, no matter how much good women do, they will always be property under the ownership of a …show more content…
Theseus finds the lovers in the woods, and decides that they will all marry: “Egeus, I will overbear your will,/For in the temple by and by, with us,/These couples shall be eternally knit” (4.1.185-8). Hermia put up a good fight against Egeus and ran away to elope, but ultimately it is Theseus who makes the final decision on Hermia’s fate. Theseus was just in a good mood and decided to let it slide, Similarly, Titania will not hand over the Indian boy to Oberon and he is furious because she is disobeying him, Oberon mentions how he is “thy lord” and Titania strikes back with “then I must be thy lady” (2.1.65-66). Titania presents herself as a powerful being, but in reality she is just a property of Oberon. In the end, she simply hands back the Indian boy and all is restored in The Magic Forest. She acquires a happily ever after ending, including a now fine marriage and dancing into the night with
In the opening scene, Theseus reminds Hippolyta, the conquered Queen of the Amazons, that he “wooed [her] with [his] sword” (1.1.17). Hippolyta was so powerful as Queen that she may be regarded as mythical, but she has since been conquered by a man and is forced to marry him. Despite the fact that Hippolyta fought Theseus as a warrior, her power has been stripped, and she is now forced to be his bride. Just as Hippolyta is forced into a marriage against her will, Hermia, too, is being forced into an arranged marriage. Egeus disapproves of the man Hermia wants to marry and Theseus clarifies the law of Athens for Hermia: “To you, your father should be as a god,/One that composed your beauties, yea and one/to whom you are but as a form in wax/by him imprinted, and within his power” (1.1.45-51). Hermia is compared to a wax figure, dehumanizing her, and making her seem like an animal. Similar to Hippolyta, her say in her future does not matter: Hermia has been conquered by father just as Theseus did to Hippolyta. In their society, no matter how much good women do, they will always be property under the ownership of a …show more content…
Theseus finds the lovers in the woods, and decides that they will all marry: “Egeus, I will overbear your will,/For in the temple by and by, with us,/These couples shall be eternally knit” (4.1.185-8). Hermia put up a good fight against Egeus and ran away to elope, but ultimately it is Theseus who makes the final decision on Hermia’s fate. Theseus was just in a good mood and decided to let it slide, Similarly, Titania will not hand over the Indian boy to Oberon and he is furious because she is disobeying him, Oberon mentions how he is “thy lord” and Titania strikes back with “then I must be thy lady” (2.1.65-66). Titania presents herself as a powerful being, but in reality she is just a property of Oberon. In the end, she simply hands back the Indian boy and all is restored in The Magic Forest. She acquires a happily ever after ending, including a now fine marriage and dancing into the night with