A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Marriage
Does A Midsummer Night’s Dream affirm or challenge early modern ideals of marriage?
Introduction
Alison Findlay in Women in Shakespeare: A Dictionary defines marriage as “the most important
life-changing event” for women during the early modern period as they were forced to move
away from their homes and family. She describes married women as “feme covert” due to the
cultural and legal shift that they had to face, which meant that the women became subsumed
under the identity of their husbands.
Marriage is rarely presented as a happy event in Shakespeare’s texts, and in many of his works,
such as Othello, The Winter’s Tale, and The Merchant of Venice, marriage is depicted as equal
parts comedy and tragedy. Marriage in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no different, yet the
relationships shown simultaneously affirm the early modern ideals of marriage and endorses
marriage as an institution.
Women were seen as property. Egeus, when discussing Hermia’s marriage in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, declares that “as she is mine, I may dispose of her”. In the early modern period,
a woman was simply an owned object that moved from the house of her father to the house
of her husband. She was something to be exchanged between men, as Egeus proves by stating
“thereby to have defeated you and me - you of your wife, and me of my consent, of my
consent that she should be your wife”.
During the early modern period, marriage was meant to reflect the hierarchy and the order of
the state - the husband represented the authoritative ruler who was superior to the rest of the
family, while the wife was a subject who was meant to obey her husband’s every whim.
Marriage and family served as “a little commonwealth”, which can be seen both literally and
metaphorically by the relationship between Oberon and Titania.
Oberon and Titania
Oberon and Titania are the only married couple at the start of the play, yet their marriage is
obviously failing. The royal fairies are warring with each other, causing chaos across the natural
world. Both their own personal commonwealth and the commonwealth of their subjects are in
disarray as a result. They trade barbs and insult one another, further revealing the distance that
has grown between them. They expose each other’s extramarital affairs and claim that they are
no longer together, as Titania declares “I have forsworn his bed and company”. This upsets the
unity of marriage, as Oberon’s identity of being the “lord” of his family is reliant on Titania’s
compliance. Since she has rejected this ideal and refuses to recognize him as her husband, his
position is no longer authoritative which results in a chaotic, disordered state.
Their failing relationship affirms the early ideals of marriage, as at its most basic level, the
disobedience of the wife causes strife across the land. The “ideal” husband is threatened by this
disobedience, and the only solution to restore their marriage, and therefore restore peace, is
Does A Midsummer Night’s Dream affirm or challenge early modern ideals of marriage?
Introduction
Alison Findlay in Women in Shakespeare: A Dictionary defines marriage as “the most important
life-changing event” for women during the early modern period as they were forced to move
away from their homes and family. She describes married women as “feme covert” due to the
cultural and legal shift that they had to face, which meant that the women became subsumed
under the identity of their husbands.
Marriage is rarely presented as a happy event in Shakespeare’s texts, and in many of his works,
such as Othello, The Winter’s Tale, and The Merchant of Venice, marriage is depicted as equal
parts comedy and tragedy. Marriage in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no different, yet the
relationships shown simultaneously affirm the early modern ideals of marriage and endorses
marriage as an institution.
Women were seen as property. Egeus, when discussing Hermia’s marriage in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, declares that “as she is mine, I may dispose of her”. In the early modern period,
a woman was simply an owned object that moved from the house of her father to the house
of her husband. She was something to be exchanged between men, as Egeus proves by stating
“thereby to have defeated you and me - you of your wife, and me of my consent, of my
consent that she should be your wife”.
During the early modern period, marriage was meant to reflect the hierarchy and the order of
the state - the husband represented the authoritative ruler who was superior to the rest of the
family, while the wife was a subject who was meant to obey her husband’s every whim.
Marriage and family served as “a little commonwealth”, which can be seen both literally and
metaphorically by the relationship between Oberon and Titania.
Oberon and Titania
Oberon and Titania are the only married couple at the start of the play, yet their marriage is
obviously failing. The royal fairies are warring with each other, causing chaos across the natural
world. Both their own personal commonwealth and the commonwealth of their subjects are in
disarray as a result. They trade barbs and insult one another, further revealing the distance that
has grown between them. They expose each other’s extramarital affairs and claim that they are
no longer together, as Titania declares “I have forsworn his bed and company”. This upsets the
unity of marriage, as Oberon’s identity of being the “lord” of his family is reliant on Titania’s
compliance. Since she has rejected this ideal and refuses to recognize him as her husband, his
position is no longer authoritative which results in a chaotic, disordered state.
Their failing relationship affirms the early ideals of marriage, as at its most basic level, the
disobedience of the wife causes strife across the land. The “ideal” husband is threatened by this
disobedience, and the only solution to restore their marriage, and therefore restore peace, is
