Having power and control is very damaging, allowing people to function on impulses without considering the world around them. In Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” many of the characters damage each other in parasitic ways, making others the victims of their wishes. Through the characters Oberon, Egeus, and Bottom Shakespeare illustrates that having power and control is corrupting and can lead people to doing bad things, despite being good people.
Arguably the most important character in the play, Oberon was guilty of letting his power allow him to do whatever he wanted. He set his sights on an Indian boy after seeing Titania’s affection for him and he then used his power to possess the boy. The small issue of Oberon wanting to take …show more content…
When the issue of Hermia’s marriage came, Egeus was blind and unwilling to listen to his daughter. He was willing to let his daughter die just so that he could keep control of her to the very last moment. When Egeus took Hermia to Theseus he described his daughter as an object saying, “As she is mine, I may dispose of her”(1,1,42). These words, while being filled with negativity prove that Egeus is ready to let his daughter be killed. Egeus was corrupted by the power of law, which gave him control over his daughter. He abused this power without need. He had no good reason to force his daughter to marry Demetrius, but Egeus did not put any priority to Hermia’s wishes. Lysander argued that Demetrius had no advantage over him, he told Egeus “I am, my lord, as well derived as he, … my fortunes every way as fairly rank’d … I am beloved of beauteous Hermia”(1,1,99-105). He had a good argument that he was as rich as Demetrius, he had a good future ahead of him and above all Hermia actually loved him. Nonetheless, Egeus did not reply to this argument and was not willing to compromise. Egeus did not fill the role of being a father well. Instead of empowering his daughter like a good parent, he exercised his own power over her in an …show more content…
Bottom was not a character designed to be hated by the audience, like Egeus or Oberon. He was a funny guy, that got along well with many of the other characters like the men in the “Pyramus and Thisbe” play and the fairies. Unfortunately, his need to be the center of attention and the power that he got, allowed him to take advantage of others. Bottom abused any power or influence he had the moment he got it. When Titania was forced to fall in love with Bottom, she wasn’t the only person who had things happen against her will. Bottom and the other men in the play were practicing when suddenly he turned into a donkey, Titania fell in love with him, and he was thrust into a position of great control. Bottom used to be powerless, but he suddenly has the ability to order around the fairies. He then starts ordering the fairies around to fulfil his own impulsive desires. He told one fairy to kill a bee for its honey, while another two fairies scratched his back, all while more are playing music for him and getting him peas and hay. Bottom liked exercising his power and did not talk with the fairies with the same tone he talked with before he understood his power. The sympathy is hard to find in Bottom’s words when he orders Peaseblossom. He tells Peaseblossom “Scratch my head, Peaseblossom”(4,1,8-9), while earlier Bottom was joking with Peaseblossom saying, “I pray you,
Arguably the most important character in the play, Oberon was guilty of letting his power allow him to do whatever he wanted. He set his sights on an Indian boy after seeing Titania’s affection for him and he then used his power to possess the boy. The small issue of Oberon wanting to take …show more content…
When the issue of Hermia’s marriage came, Egeus was blind and unwilling to listen to his daughter. He was willing to let his daughter die just so that he could keep control of her to the very last moment. When Egeus took Hermia to Theseus he described his daughter as an object saying, “As she is mine, I may dispose of her”(1,1,42). These words, while being filled with negativity prove that Egeus is ready to let his daughter be killed. Egeus was corrupted by the power of law, which gave him control over his daughter. He abused this power without need. He had no good reason to force his daughter to marry Demetrius, but Egeus did not put any priority to Hermia’s wishes. Lysander argued that Demetrius had no advantage over him, he told Egeus “I am, my lord, as well derived as he, … my fortunes every way as fairly rank’d … I am beloved of beauteous Hermia”(1,1,99-105). He had a good argument that he was as rich as Demetrius, he had a good future ahead of him and above all Hermia actually loved him. Nonetheless, Egeus did not reply to this argument and was not willing to compromise. Egeus did not fill the role of being a father well. Instead of empowering his daughter like a good parent, he exercised his own power over her in an …show more content…
Bottom was not a character designed to be hated by the audience, like Egeus or Oberon. He was a funny guy, that got along well with many of the other characters like the men in the “Pyramus and Thisbe” play and the fairies. Unfortunately, his need to be the center of attention and the power that he got, allowed him to take advantage of others. Bottom abused any power or influence he had the moment he got it. When Titania was forced to fall in love with Bottom, she wasn’t the only person who had things happen against her will. Bottom and the other men in the play were practicing when suddenly he turned into a donkey, Titania fell in love with him, and he was thrust into a position of great control. Bottom used to be powerless, but he suddenly has the ability to order around the fairies. He then starts ordering the fairies around to fulfil his own impulsive desires. He told one fairy to kill a bee for its honey, while another two fairies scratched his back, all while more are playing music for him and getting him peas and hay. Bottom liked exercising his power and did not talk with the fairies with the same tone he talked with before he understood his power. The sympathy is hard to find in Bottom’s words when he orders Peaseblossom. He tells Peaseblossom “Scratch my head, Peaseblossom”(4,1,8-9), while earlier Bottom was joking with Peaseblossom saying, “I pray you,