Introduction
A Midsummer Night's Dream was written by William Shakespeare in 1595/96. The comedy focuses on the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta, and the events surrounding the events. In the play, Shakespeare plays with different themes such as themes of love, imagination, art, and dreaming to show the general meaning of his work. Quince’s disordered prologue is used to mirror the distorted reality that characterizes the dreamy, nighttime woods to exhibit the need for dreaming and imagination to maintain loving relationships. The purpose of this essay is to discuss how in Shakespeare's "AMidsummer Night'ss Dream” the theme of opposition is represented in males as opposed to females.
The theme of opposition is represented in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by more males than females. Rübsamen pointed out that “the opposition between male and female in the woods as well as in the town is a mirror image of the opposition between the forest and the wilderness” (p. 4). For instance, Athens is the realm of civilization orders forced to overrule the females, which represents the flux. Thus, man and woman are in constant opposition to each other, especially between the unequal couples of Oberon and Titania, Theseus and Hippolyta, and the arch-conservative Egeus and Hermia, his daughter (Rübsamen 4). For example, Theseus is opposed to Hippolyta’s beliefs in romance, which builds the theme of opposition. Thus, there is male dominance in terms of sexual power structure, which creates much opposition as opposed to females. Oberon is Theseus’ equivalent, and his relationship with Titania suffers from the strain resulting from Oberon’s jealousy. In the end, the opposition by Oberon compels her to give in to his demands by making the boy part of the household.
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theseus is bothered by the untruth, which is related to a web of lies. Theseus’ character is portrayed as one whereby he depends on truth and fact. As noted by Richter, “he stands in opposition to the poet, the artist who transcends the material world to make sense of the supernatural world” (1). Thus, in comparison to Hippolyta, Theseus can reject what is fanciful because he believes in the truth alone. The Athens is a representation of the physically grounded world which is characterized by facts, whereas the woods are a representation of the metaphysical world based on the poet’s imagination. For instance, Hippolyta is attracted to romantic love and the world of dreams and, Shakespeare has designated it as the woods. Contrary, Theseus opposes the world of dreams and ironically provides an accurate description of the world as one that is based on the poet’s imagination. Theseus opposes Theseus unknowingly speaking a truth which he quickly attempts to dismiss. In Act V, Hippolyta seems to voice her desire for the romantic love experienced by Hermia and Helena. In response to Theseus’ opposition to the lovers’ stories, Hippolyta argued, “But all the story of the night told over, / And all their minds transfigured so together, / More witnesseth than fancy’s image, / And grows to something of great constancy” (Gay 49). Thus, Hippolyta believes the lover’s tales more and trusts their romantic notions, whereas, Theseus, rejects such a world because according to him it does not exist.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there is a conflict between young lovers and the older generation. For example, Hermia’s father Egeus seems to oppose the union between Lysander and Hermia (Rahn 1). This is because he tends to prefer Demetrius compared to Lysander. In the process, Egeus does not listen to his daughter Hermia and subsequently becomes furious because Lysander seems to have taken away his daughter’s loyalty. Accordingly, Egeus seeks the help of Theseus who is the ruling Duke of Athens, to ensure that his will is followed. Rahn (1) contended that the Duke is also opposed to the marriage and, when Lysander and Hermia seek protection of his wealthy aunt, the only route available is via the woods. In this context, a further conflict which is related to Julia and Proteus is presented between Helena and Demetrius who has affections to Hermia. Both Helena and Demetrius pursue Lysander and Hermia into the woods. Both Lysander and Demetrius are opposed to what people expect from them, and they risk their lives to possess the love of the woman of their choice.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the theme of opposition is dominant in A Midsummer Night's Dream and it is portrayed by the different couples in the story. Love in the comedy is characterized by opposition which is more dominant among the males as opposed to the females. Sexual dominance, jealousy, and possessiveness are attributed to opposition whereby Oberon, Theseus, and Egeus are opposed to their women's views and opinions. Also, Hermia’s father Egeus is portrayed as a dominating male who is in opposition to the union between his daughter and Lysander. In the marriage between Theseus and Hippolyta, there is a sharp contrast, equality because Theseus assumes a domineering role.
Works Cited
Gay, Penny. “The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare's Comedies.” Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print.
Rahn, B. J. “Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Sex, Satire and the Supernatural. N.d. web. 27 June. 2017
Richter, Natasha L. "A Midsummer Night's Dream: Imagination, Romantic Love, and the Creation of Art."
Rübsamen, Silja. “Structure and Chaos: Binary Pairs in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". GRIN Verlag, 2002. Print.
