After reading "Marriage and Money" and then rereading the first couple pages of Act 1 I realized I might have judged Egeus too harshly. In the sixteenth century when A Midsummer Night's Dream is set marriage was a way of ensuring inheritances and the safety and well being of offspring so it was a family decision. Marriage was an economic move and a social one, marrying into a certain family might raise your social class or your children's social class. Families marrying off daughters needed to provide dowries so the couple could be comfortable. There were even dowers, the husband's inheritance from his father when he died, that the wife would inherit if the husband died before her ("Marriage and Money, 266). Egeus was just trying to marry off Hermia to someone he thought would be able to take care of her. The fact that Demetrius had already been engaged just proved that he was good enough to be married to. Because Egeus had spent time with Demetrius and not Lysander even if their qualifications were identical Demetrius would earn Hermia's hand in her father's eyes. He is trusting his daughter's safety and his grandchildren's safety to a man he is positive can keep them well.
Hermia's ultimately childish decision to not even consider her father's feelings or reasoning and running away instead of doing what is best for her family was what completely changed my mind about her character. Also Lysander is going to try to convince his rich childless Aunt to give him all her money which is just as despicable. I'm rooting for Hermia and Lysander to get away together because they really deserve each other.
2 comments:
A point I'd like to make is that Egeus seems to be emphasizing to his daughter that he is the paterfamilias and thus has power over her life. Perhaps there is some reason that we do not know that leads him to marry his daughter to someone who is socially and economically qualified to marry Helena but who is clearly not her choice. It seems as if he is angered and wants to punish Helena while still ensuring a suitable marriage. Demetrius was an important aristocratic name in ancient Athens whereas Lysander was Spartan and not part their aristocracy. Furthermore, Lysander was the general who defeated Athens leading to the end of the Peloponnesian War and Spartan control of Athens. Perhaps Shakespeare was teaching his audience something since he speaks of Athens, ancient Greek myths, and also of magic and an English mythology involving fairies?
On another note, I agree that Hermia as well as Lysander seem childish self-involved and perhaps narcissistic.
I really appreciate how you treat marriage as a socially-constructed institution, Liz, a point of view that gives good insight to the differences in the play. Several people have commented on the immaturity of the characters in this play, and one thing that strikes me is how young these characters are, especially when we think about how old people tend to be married now. But that's because of my cultural attitudes. In Shakespeare's time it wasn't unusual, especially in the upper classes, to be married quite young.
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