Gender In A Midsummer Night's Dream

In another example, Abigail also draws the attention off of herself and onto another. For instance,the play begins with Rev. Hale and Rev. Parris Abigail of consorting with the Devil. Abigail begins to panic, and frantically decides to blame Tituba in order to get the attention off of herself.

In the play A Midsummer’s Night Dream by William Shakespeare, many of the characters relentlessly pursue their goals in the face of illogical decisions, and, while fictional items such as the “love-in-idleness” flower are used to explain the character’s sudden love for each other, the play does illustrate how love and ambition can lead to unforeseen consequences. For example, when Puck accidently anointed Lysander’s eyes with the “love-in-idleness” juice, he started a chain of events leading to Lysander and Demetrius fighting over Helena while Hermia is treated as though she is worthless. Moreover, at one point, Lysander and Demetrius even threatened to duel each other when Lysander awoke after being anointed with the flower 's juice and said, "Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word is that vile name to perish on my sword" (61). This shows how the character’s love for certain other characters, and their ambition to pursue said love, can lead to the destruction of previous relationships and lead them to make dangerous decisions.

Upon seeing his wife, Oberon calls her a,“rash wanton,” which translates to a hasty willful creature (2.1.63). Oberon belittles Titania with words and actions in an attempt to gain not only the upper hand, but the Indian boy. It presents his capability to set aside emotion in order to get his way. When Titania refuses to hand over the Indian boy, Oberon becomes furious and plots his revenge by putting love potion on her eye (2.1.179-183). Oberon’s motive proves his willingness to perform any action for his benefit, even if it takes away from his wife.

She accepts knowledge of her end, and lives on with it. As these are some valid points, Creon is the true tragic hero due to his fiery arrogance and even more drastic change in character. When in a heated argument with Ismene and Antigone, he makes a furious remark to the two girls claiming that ”One has just now lost her mind; the other, It seem, has never had a mind at all,” (2.149-150). No noble or fair king would reply in that sense, as it is both disrespectful and mean-spirited. On the other hand, he does go through a humiliating change at the end, now believing in fate and having to face the fact that "[It] has brought all [his] pride to a thought of dust.”(Exodos.138).

Furthermore, Lady Macbeth has power comparable to man’s but is then cast aside by her husband at the end. Shakespeare thus presents masculinity in both a positive and negative light. In Act 1, Shakespeare presents Macbeth with admired masculine qualities countered with Lady Macbeth criticising his idiosyncrasies. Lady Macbeth’s definition of a man is disparate to others’. In Scene 2, the captain labels Macbeth as “brave”.

Moreover, Claudio's quickness on believing that Broachio, who claims to be Hero’s supposed lover, comes to show that he is unworthy of her. On their wedding he publicly shamed her by stating, “Give not this rotten orange to your friend…Behold how like a maid she blushes here” (4.1.32-34). This then causes Leonato to fake Hero’s “death” so that Claudio can grieve her memory and admit that he was wrong on publicly bashing her. Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing revolves around the manipulation and deceptions. Benedict and Beatrice are deceived for their own good.

The play commences with the courtship of multiple individuals. First, Shakespeare challenged the policies of the day was through examining the role of courtship using the single women of the play, Helena and Hermia. One way was through the belief that women should have the right to reject men. Hermia says: “I do entreat your grace to pardon me/I know not by what power I am made bold/Nor how it may concern my modesty In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;/But I beseech your grace that I may know/The worst that may befall me in this case/If I refuse to wed

This creates as awkward dynamic between the two, for the relationship he craves seems to romantic, yet Cordelia knows better than to allow this to be true. As a result of his damaged masculinity, Lear banishes her, to regain what he has lost in his masculine authority. As the play progresses and his daughters turn against him, he loses all his followers and his power, representative of his masculinity. In the end, he is left with nothing, and is beaten in battle by his daughter; the ultimate in masculinity defeated by

To try to prove his masculinity to Katherina, he berates and abuses his servants as to make him look manly. He wants to bend Katharina to his will and is willing to be cruel to her, to prove he is able to tame his wife and be virile. This, in turn, causes Curtis to state “By this reckoning he is more shrew than she” (act four, scene one), but Curtis has known Petruchio before this event and has not seen this shrewish side to him before. This suggests Petruchio is only putting on an act and is only presenting himself like that to Katherina, and his true nature is not so shrewish. Petruchio is also described as a shrew on his wedding

This then made Hermia mad at Helena, because now Lysander loves Helena. Now Hermia is wanting to get at Helena but Lysander keeps stepping in the middle to protect Helena and insult Hermia. He says, “Away you Ethiope...Get you gone, you Dwarf; you minimus, you hindering of knot grass made; you bead, you acorn.” (3.2. 228, 329-331). When Lysander calls Hermia an “Ethiope” he is making a racist joke.

As already mentioned at the beginning of the story, she was “seizing at every chance to change Bailey’s mind” (O’Connor 112) regardless of his opposition, which is a clear act of manipulation. Another evidence of her influenceable behavior shows up during her conversation with the chief criminal “I know you are a good man” (O’Connor 121). By this statement, Bailey’s mother tries to influence the Misfit so that he will change his mind. Also, she repeatedly evokes religious belief, as a way to convince the Misfit to “pray” (O’Connor 123), and ask for forgiveness to Jesus Christ. Moreover, failing to achieve her goal, she calls the Misfit “one of my babbies” (O’Connor 125), which upsets him and causes her death.