Throughout the play, Hermia, Hyppolita, and Helena have become some of of my favorite Shakespearean women. They are women who aren't afraid to stand up for themselves in a patriarchal society that would not allow for such missteps. I think this play is one that would benefit high school aged girls as far as having sympathetic female characters.
First we have Hyppolita who is an Amazon Queen who became a war prize. Despite the fact that she lost or was wooed, Amazons are a tribe of women known for their abilities to survive well without men. She reminds me of the book Herland wherein the women were all powerful and really decided what their fate was. Hyppolita is a strong woman, and if she chose to, she could probably take Theseus in a fight and win. Maybe she really does love him afterall. In act V we are shown she does have a softer side when she feels no one should be laughing at the poor fools in the play for the abomination that awaits them. She is everything a woman should be, at least in today's day and age, strong and caring. She is a great role model character to expose young girls to.
There is also Hermia who slightly resembles Hyppolita. The difference is, Hermia chooses to defy the social norms set forth for her in the time period. Her father tells her she is going to marry Demetrius, she tells him she is in love with Lysander. When they bring the matter to Theseus, she talks back and defends her choice to marry Lysander. When she doesn't like the answer, what does she do? She plans to run away with Lysander so they can marry and live happily ever after out of the reach of Athenian Law. I'm not quite sure how well this would really work, though. If Hermia was to run away, wouldn't she then leave with absolutely nothing? During this time, wouldn't a dowry be paid to Demetrius for taking her as his bride, thereby causing her to forfeit this dowry and render her entirely dependent upon Lysander? Or is it just that Lysander wouldn't really care? Would a girl in this time really just run away and risk being killed for love? I don't know how believable that part truly is, but regardless I like that she is going after what she wants in the only way she knows how to get it. Eventually she is even allowed to have it when she is basically permitted to marry Lysander after Demetrius admits he is no longer in love with her.
I also love that they make Hermia real. When she believes Helena has stolen Lysander, she reacts like people expect a girl to react (sorry ladies, I know we aren't all like this, but it's what you always see and read about)...she doesn't get mad at Lysander, but at Helena blaming her for his falling out of love with her. Hermia is even prepared to have a physical fight with Helena over a man which is not something I ever expected out of a character. I find it interesting that women are still portrayed as catty and jealous hundreds of years later. It makes her a realtively more sympathetic character and one that high school girls might be able to relate to.
Girls may also find they are able to relate to Helena. Every girl has, at one point, been "in love" with someone and then he decides he wants someone else. She is, however, classy, and doesn't take this sadness and frustration out on her friend. It's not until she feels everyone, including her best friend, is playing a joke on her that she really lets her feelings out. She feels hurt, betrayed, and unloved by those she loves. Most people have probably felt like this at some point which also makes her a sympathetic character to young women.
I'm still torn on how I feel about Titania, though. The story of the changeling varies, so it's hard to know which story to believe. She and Oberon seem to be more menacing characters that I feel would be more symbolic than anything. They toyed with people's emotions for their own enjoyment, but it makes me think of fate instead of a character. It makes me wonder who is really in charge of our fate...is it really ourselves or an outside player just doing whatever he chooses for his own enjoyment? This would be something worth discussing in a group of high school students as well.
Overall, I loved this play. It was the first time I had ever read a Midsummer Nights Dream, and I wish I had read it in high school. I feel like I would have gotten so much more out of it than I did from Romeo and Juliet. Maybe when I have my own classroom in the future, I'll introduce this play so the girls finally have strong female characters to relate to.
5 comments:
I definitely agree! I think that it would be a great play to introduce in high school. The women are good role models as far as their strength is concerned and how they're not afraid to go after what they want. Helena and Hermia definitely display these characteristics throughout the play and it might very well benefit younger women. I also agree with you regarding Hyppolita. She demonstrates love, sympathy and strength. I also felt the same way about Titania. I'm not so sure what her purpose was other than to play with emotions, but I feel like Oberon played a bigger part in that role. I think that girls could definitely relate to the whole love triangle aspect of the play. We've all pretty much had the experience and it usually happens in high school.
I agree that in parts of the play Hippolita, Helena and Hermia all display admirable characteristics. However, to claim they are overall positive role models for young girls I believe goes too far. In the beginning of the play I recognize that each woman stood up for her own thoughts or beliefs and defied the social pressures of their time. The actions of the three women by the end however, are a direct example of their inability to defy society’s expectations. Helena and Hermia both become silenced and revert to personalities closer to women of their time than rebellious teenagers. Hippolita’s character is particularly frustrating. She is I agree a strong woman however, at the end has left her life as an Amazon and accepts the life as a wife. I see nothing wrong with marriage; however I think that in this day and age the messages about marriage and a woman’s role after being married are a negative portrayal. All three women are not the strong independent, rebellious women they started as. I am just not sure that I would want young High school girls to regard the three women’s choices as ideal.
Amy, I think I just have to disagree that the female characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream are worthwhile examples of strong female characters. At the end of the play I found myself extremely disappointed in the characters they became.
The women in the story are somewhat oppressed. For example, Hippolyta- QUEEN OF THE AMAZONS is getting married? Really? If she’s queen of woman who live in a society without men, she must be going against something she strongly believes in. Even if she changed her mind and decided that marrying a man would give her a better life, that's fine, but I'm not buying her strength of a female character. If anything reading into it further she might have found that it would just be easier to marry Theseus rather than fight (or is she honoring her word and accepting she is a war prize?) That's terrible as well though, I don't think that Theseus would have accepted his fate if the tables were turned. Does Hippolyta's marriage just mean she's smart at avoiding more of a fight? Either way she is
Also as I mentioned in class the other day Titania's little boy is stolen from her and Shakespeare never gives her a chance in the actual text to rebuttal Oberon's very rude trick.
Helena and Hermia don't have a last word in the play and spent most of the time chasing the men they are in love with/obsessed with. Their absence in the last scene suggests a final silencing, as they move into their roles as wives.
This is such a great post, and the topic is so relevant to today's time. My Adolescent Psychology professor once told us that girls between the ages of 11 and 15 have the lowest self esteem of anyone in any other age group, and that it is during this time that their self esteem begins to solidify. He mentioned how important it is for those who become teachers to make a special effort to instill confidence in these girls. What better way than to teach them about strong, confident, and compassionate women like Hippolyta, Hermia, and Helena! My favorite female character is definitely Helena. Movies and tv sometimes make us forget how difficult it can be to go up to someone and profess our love for them. I can't imagine the strength required to profess this love in Shakespeare's time, particularly from a woman! As someone who wants to teach as well, I think presenting this play as a story with strong female characters is an amazing idea!
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