A Midsummer Night's Dream Analysis

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens as Theseus, Hippolyta and Philostrate are together discussing the wedding between Theseus and Hippolyta. Thesus complains about how their wedding is four long days away but Hippolyta counters and says that the days are going to go quickly and they will be married very soon. At this point it is obvious to see that Theseus is very excited for the wedding and Hippolyta is not as thrilled. They continue to discuss their wedding and their life after they get married, telling Philostrate and presumably the other guests present to leave. Not even five lines are read before the two are quickly disrupted by Egeus along with Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius. Egeus is distraught because his daughter is in love with Lysander …show more content…

Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth. Turn melancholy forth to funerals; The pale companion is not for our pomp. [Philostrate exits.] Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword And won thy love doing thee injuries, But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.17-20)

I wish to discuss how Theseus is addressing Hippolyta and why he is discussing how he literally won her heart. This sets up the rest of the play and the possible hostility that could be involved in all aspects of Shakespearean life.
The start of Theseus’ statement is telling Philostrate to leave the two of them alone to discuss their wedding. Although it isn’t directly stated I believe that the tasks given to Philostrate are supposed to keep him away for a while. That being said it seems like a hostile environment that Theseus is creating over a simple …show more content…

This is where I don’t see a connection to love and battle, the sword. It seems to me that Theseus had “won” Hippolyta and in turn forced her to marry him. Upon further research I found that Hippolyta is an Amazonian woman. These women are considered women warriors and Theseus, duke of Athens, captured the Amazonian woman Hippolyta. Upon reading this I understand now why Theseus “wooed” Hippolyta with his sword. Reading this with the information that I now have really makes Hippolyta seem like a servant or slave that is now being forced to marry Theseus against her own will. This gives me a different perspective about Hippolyta and after this I have read her lines in a different tone, as if she is unhappy with everything going on and does not want to be married to Theseus. I think a realization about a character such as this one can really change the way that a play is read and why it is perceived the way that it now is. This opened me up to a new idea of what is going on in the story and other characters that can have different outcomes in the play because of their

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