A Midsummer Night's Dream Hermia Character Traits

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MIP - A key trait that Hermia has in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is that she is determined, and like a monarch butterfly, she is able to fly freely. SIP A - Hermia is a determined woman who is not afraid to break rules. Due to the Athenian law, Theseus compares her situation to a rose, growing, living, and dying on a vine. Hermia throws these words back at him by saying, “So will I grow, so live, so die, my Lord. Unto his lordship, whose unwishèd yoke, “My soul consents not to give sovereignty” (1.1 79-82). She would rather become a nun than marry Demetrius, even though marrying Demetrius would seem like a better option from an outsider’s perspective. The difference in views shows that she will always go for the choice that feels right for her. …show more content…

He then further attempts to change Hermia’s mind by describing how life as a nun would be terrible, lost, and boring because she is not surrounded by men. Moreover, Hermia is able to stand up for herself, and is not easily swayed or manipulated into listening to her father, or the duke. She attempts to argue her right to choose her own path, and wants to know what would happen if she does not marry Demetrius. Her determination to resist forced marriage shows her strength and unwillingness to be controlled by others. By asking, “The worst that may befall me in this case / If I refuse to wed Demetrius” (1.1 63-64), she shows that she is ready for whatever issues that come from rebelling against her father in order to be happy. To make matters more interesting, Hermia also says ““I do entreat your grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold. In such a presence here to plead my thoughts. / ” (1.1 58-61), which allows one to acknowledge that Hermia talking to a duke is not a societal normal. At that time, women were not seen as equal to

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