A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
There are various types of “love” found in A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, which Shakespeare explores through the constant evolution and changing of relationships between the characters. The first of these relationships is that of the duke, Theseus, and his bride-to-be, Hippolyta. Although his enthusiasm over their wedding can be interpreted as a sign of love, it belies his actual dominating nature. He had “wooed” Hippolyta with his “sword”, and “won (her) love doing (her) injuries”. This is a clear example of how Theseus is not the righteous man he claims to be, another example of which is given in Act II Scene I: we discover that he had “ravished” Perigouna, and “broke his faith” with Aegles, Ariadne, and Antiopa for Titania.
The Fairy Queen’s relationship with her husband Oberon is where we once again see male domination and female subservience, as was common in Victorian society. But in reciprocal, Ritania is depicted as a strong woman who is loyal to and cares for her friends, even if one such friend was a “votress of her order”. Oberon is, comparatively, rather shallow, bordering on cruel. Throughout the play, he shows more companionship towards his servant Robin Goodfellow than his own wife, calling her a “rash wanton”. He demands that she hand over an Indian changeling boy to be his “henchman” solely because he is her “lord”. He fails to see, however, that she is his “lady”.
