midsummer nights dream &chocolat
Through Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Lasse Hallstrom’s film “Chocolat”, the composers have proposed similar perceptions on both the role of women in society and magic through the context and the relationships each character shares with the surrounding societies.
Both texts use characters to signify the role of women in society and the struggles of overcoming patriarchy and strict moral code in a sustained society. Each composer’s purpose was to bring forward a response to the role of women to be submissive, silent and subordinate. This is revealed in the opening scenes of Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The opening of the play depicts a harsh, patriarchal society that contributes to the shaping of the role of women as well as the surrounding society’s identity. This is clearly explored throughout the juxtaposition of both the mortal and fairy world where Shakespeare makes it evident that the patriarchal hierarchy is a key element that dominates the freedom over women. A strong representation of this is in Act 1, Scene 1, where a resonant voice from the Duke, Theseus empowers
“To you your father should be as a god, what say you Hermia? Be advised fair maid. To your father should be as a god, one that composed your beauties; yea, a form in wax and one by him imprinted, and within his power to leave the figure, or disfigure it.”
Shakespeare uses a resonant voice for this particular statement to congress the idea that men should be considered rather as gods and that a woman’s rights are to be overshadowed by a father or male authoritative figure. Theseus states that Hermia is a possession of her father “a form in wax, by him imprinted and within his power”, signifying that Hermia is not allowed to speak out, think for herself or develop her own interests without her father’s consent. Egeus backs up this statement with his own:
“As she is mine, I may dispose of her: which shall be either to this gentleman, or to her death
Both texts use characters to signify the role of women in society and the struggles of overcoming patriarchy and strict moral code in a sustained society. Each composer’s purpose was to bring forward a response to the role of women to be submissive, silent and subordinate. This is revealed in the opening scenes of Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The opening of the play depicts a harsh, patriarchal society that contributes to the shaping of the role of women as well as the surrounding society’s identity. This is clearly explored throughout the juxtaposition of both the mortal and fairy world where Shakespeare makes it evident that the patriarchal hierarchy is a key element that dominates the freedom over women. A strong representation of this is in Act 1, Scene 1, where a resonant voice from the Duke, Theseus empowers
“To you your father should be as a god, what say you Hermia? Be advised fair maid. To your father should be as a god, one that composed your beauties; yea, a form in wax and one by him imprinted, and within his power to leave the figure, or disfigure it.”
Shakespeare uses a resonant voice for this particular statement to congress the idea that men should be considered rather as gods and that a woman’s rights are to be overshadowed by a father or male authoritative figure. Theseus states that Hermia is a possession of her father “a form in wax, by him imprinted and within his power”, signifying that Hermia is not allowed to speak out, think for herself or develop her own interests without her father’s consent. Egeus backs up this statement with his own:
“As she is mine, I may dispose of her: which shall be either to this gentleman, or to her death