Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream relates to conventional Elizabethan views of marriage in several ways. To begin, Elizabethan marriage customs were relatively strict and conservative. Women were expected to remain virgins until their wedding night (it is debatable whether this rule also applied to men), and would then become the property of their husbands. Men always exercised the control and authority, even in choosing suitors for their daughters. For example, Egeus, an Athenian nobleman and father to Hermia, has chosen Demetrius to marry Hermia, despite her wishes. According to Elizabethan custom, love is not the number one reason to marry, but it may happen if you are lucky. Rather, marriage is a joining of assets: women are wed to successful men that will be able to support them, and men in return "own" a beautiful new accessory they may do what they wish with. It is clear Hermia is not in love with Demetrius, but instead Lysander, but her father does not care and only grows angry with her because of her protests.

As a result of Hermia's resistance, Egeus takes the dispute to Theseus, duke of Athens, at the high court. It was normal in these times to settle difficulties in a high court, as the law would favor a man's position and force Hermia to wed Demetrius.

A large portion of the play takes place in the forest, which in my imagination is whimsical and dreamy, complete with fairies, magic, and spells. The image in my mind is colorful and playful, and characters wear ribbons, flowers, and soothing pastel colors. This connotation is also synonymous with wedding attire. There are three women about to marry: Hermia, Helena, and Hippolyta. It is no surprise then that all the women are wearing ribbons, flowers, and flowing dresses. Their attire is symbolic of their upcoming nuptials.

Lastly, the craftsmen's "play within a play" that takes up most of Act V is a hilarious spoof