Explore the ways marginalised groups are presented in The Merchant of Venice and A Summer jNight s Dream
Monday 23rd June 2014 Jagoda Horozanska 9c
Explore the ways marginalised groups are presented in The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Shakespeare was very subtle when introducing the problems marginalised groups faced during the era the plays were set. The characters in the plays ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ are frequently used to portray and convey Shakespeare’s feelings and views on the 16th century’s society. The language especially exposed his technique and intelligence; the way he managed to use the characters to present the society and the way it treated its population, particularly women – who, at that time in history were considered less equal than men , and were frequently discriminated against by them - amongst other marginalised groups; the views especially based on the issues of discrimination, sexism, Anti-Semitism and racism.
One of the marginalised characters in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is the character of Hermia; a young daughter of an aristocrat, who through hew rebellious nature shows the audience that though women were ‘ruled’ by men, they are the neck to the head. In the end they get what they desire, even at a cost of losing something or someone in return.
For instance; the character of Hermia ‘thou’ she is ‘according to’ the ‘law’ a property of Egeus and has clearly no jurisdiction over her life. The audience can relate and understand, to a certain extent, the extremes she had to undergo to be with the one she loves, especially when Egeus gave away ‘hath’ ‘consent to marry her’; This shows us just how cruel the society was back then – being a woman, Hermia is not able to make any choices, including the decision about her marriage.
Egeus is being selfish and inconsiderate of Hermia’s needs and wants, he doesn’t consider her opinion – this behaviour is compound by Theseus’ reaction, ‘within his power’ neither
Explore the ways marginalised groups are presented in The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Shakespeare was very subtle when introducing the problems marginalised groups faced during the era the plays were set. The characters in the plays ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ are frequently used to portray and convey Shakespeare’s feelings and views on the 16th century’s society. The language especially exposed his technique and intelligence; the way he managed to use the characters to present the society and the way it treated its population, particularly women – who, at that time in history were considered less equal than men , and were frequently discriminated against by them - amongst other marginalised groups; the views especially based on the issues of discrimination, sexism, Anti-Semitism and racism.
One of the marginalised characters in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is the character of Hermia; a young daughter of an aristocrat, who through hew rebellious nature shows the audience that though women were ‘ruled’ by men, they are the neck to the head. In the end they get what they desire, even at a cost of losing something or someone in return.
For instance; the character of Hermia ‘thou’ she is ‘according to’ the ‘law’ a property of Egeus and has clearly no jurisdiction over her life. The audience can relate and understand, to a certain extent, the extremes she had to undergo to be with the one she loves, especially when Egeus gave away ‘hath’ ‘consent to marry her’; This shows us just how cruel the society was back then – being a woman, Hermia is not able to make any choices, including the decision about her marriage.
Egeus is being selfish and inconsiderate of Hermia’s needs and wants, he doesn’t consider her opinion – this behaviour is compound by Theseus’ reaction, ‘within his power’ neither