Theseus outlines harsh consequences if Hermia persists in disobeying her father’s authority. An Athenian nobleman who also loves Hermia. Hermia promises it's no fault of hers that this guy is smitten. As a result of the fairies’ mischief with Oberon’s love potion, both Lysander and Demetrius suddenly fall in love with Helena. Demetrius is Egeus’ chosen suitor for his daughter Hermia. Unlike Lysander, Demetrius is an inconstant lover. Lee Jamieson, M.A., is a theater scholar and educator. Lysander is a young man who falls in love with a beautiful woman named Hermia in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hermia loves Lysander, Lysander loves Hermia, Helena loves Demetrius, and Demetrius loves Hermia instead of Helena. In the end, Hermia gets her way and Egeus has to go along with it; Theseus and the others happily accept the resolution, and Demetrius is no longer interested in his daughter. She is even prepared to give up her family and way of life to marry Lysander, agreeing to elope with him into the forest. Fortunately, the story is a comedy, not a tragedy. Summary and Analysis Act V: Scene 1 Summary The play has come full circle, and the cast has now returned to the palace where Theseus and Hippolyta discuss the strange tale the lovers have told them about the events of the previous evening. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Like Rosalind, Hermia is no fool, and though she realizes that men break promises, she's willing to take a chance and run off with Lysander anyway. Understand every line of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She is concerned that he and Demetrius will fight, and she says, “Heavens shield Lysander if they mean a fray” (Act 3, Scene 3). Not only do these two young women show the trials and tribulations of young love, but their interactions emphasize the … He acts as a foil to the fair and even-handed Theseus. In order to avoid the awful choice presented to her, Hermia decides to pursue true love by fleeing Athens with Lysander. Analysis; Characters (11) Essays (20) Quotes (104) All Books (21) The most mysterious and conflicting personage is Egeus, the father of Hermia. When Helena tells Demetrius that Hermia has eloped with Lysander, he decides to follow Hermia into the forest. Demetrius is determined and smug. By the middle of the play Hermia no longer seems a paragon of female autonomy. Hermia is the daughter of a powerful nobleman, Egeus. Demetrius. One character trait Lysander exhibits is resourcefulness. Midsummer Night Dream Character Analysis Paragraph: Egeus In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night Dream, Egeus interactions reveal close-mindedness often results in conflicts. Hermia is a character in Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, named after Hermes, the Greek god of commerce.Hermia is one of the two women in the pairs of lovers made up of Lysander and Hermia and Helena and Demetrius, making for a complicated plot following the story of a … Despite Hermia’s powerful demonstration of autonomy, the chaos that ensues in the forest wears Hermia down. Hermia is determined, feisty, and occasionally aggressive, which reminds us that she is Egeus’ daughter, but we admire her steadfastness and faithfulness to Lysander. Although Puck and Bottom stand out as the most personable characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, they themselves are not involved in the main dramatic events. Reveal answer. His proposal to bring the full force of the law on his daughter—the penalty of death for disobeying his orders—demonstrates this. Egeus' father is domineering and overbearing to Hermia. However, Egeus remains a difficult character, and the story ends happily only due to intervention by the fairies. Thus, the problem is resolved as the story unfolds, though this is no real comfort to Egeus. 1.1.202: Hermia tells Helena she can take comfort in the fact that Demetrius will never see Hermia again, revealing her plan to escape with Lysander. Helena is Hermia's childhood friend and Demetrius's former lover, … All ends happily for Hermia, but we do see aspects of her character that could be her downfall if the narrative were different. This is a very complicated love As the play opens, he doesn't let Hermia do all the pleading with Theseus to try to prevent her marriage with Demetrius. An Analysis of Shakespeare Characters Hermia and Her Father. Hermia is beautiful and has dark hair, though she's small in stature and somewhat sensitive about it. Hermia’s strength is most evident in the opening scene, where she faces off with her father, Egeus, in front of Duke Theseus. Hermia Character Analysis Role Of Women In A Midsummer Night's Dream. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a story about a love circle between Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, and Lysander. Hermia is one of the strongest female characters in the play. Self-conscious about her short stature, Hermia suspects that Helena has wooed the men with her height. She passionately rejects male authority figures in order to make a powerful claim for her own “sovereignty” in the realm of love. Character analysis Question. When crossed, Hermia can become a downright vixen. Next. Character Analysis of Demetrius in A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare. Helena Character Analysis On the surface, Helena doesn't fit well into today's ideals of a strong, independent woman. Hermia - her best friend, but she betrays her and calls her names. One of Hermia's personality traits is that she is very self-assertive; she is strong and very independently minded, lacking any fear of expressing her opinion. He could be a gentle loving man if he truly desired, but he takes satisfaction being put in his place by others. Character Analysis Oberon The King of the Fairies, Oberon's personality has two sides. In the face of these men’s patriarchal attitudes, Hermia handles herself with poise and unflinching directness. Character Analysis Hermia. She is strong-willed, believes in her right to choose her husband based on love, and is fiercely loyal. Queen Elizabeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare, Ovid, and the Adaptation of “Pyramus and Thisbe”. To deepen your understanding of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," here is a character analysis of Hermia and her father. Had they not been involved, it's possible that Egeus would have gone ahead and executed his own daughter had she disobeyed him. Hermia faces a difficult choice: she must either marry Demetrius, or else give up all freedom and become a nun. Her boldness is a little reminiscent of that favorite Shakespeare heroine, Rosalind in As You Like It. Hermia's happiness appears to be of little consequence to him. An Analysis of Shakespeare Characters Hermia and Her Father. Helena confirms that Hermia is a feisty character when she observes, “O, when she is angry she is keen and shrewd!/She was a vixen when she went to school./And though she is little, she is fierce” (Act 3, Scene 2). Ancient Athens is depicted as a patriarchal society In other words, because Egeus created Hermia, he gets to decide who she loves and marries. Character Traits: Hermia's Bewilderment Unbeknownst to all, fairies dwell in the woods. Demetrius loves Hermia, but Hermia is not interested in him. In this play four young adults are madly in love with each other but there are an imbalance of the love each one has for each other. Hermia’s flight represents her greatest act of defiance against the patriarchal order. In Act III she takes her frustration out on Helena, calling her oldest friend names and saying cruel things. When you write a character analysis, you must define that character's role. Intriguingly, given her prominent role in the plays first four acts, Hermia has no lines in Act V. Despite being present for the craftsmen’s performance of Pyramus and Thisbe, she effectively disappears from the play. In this case, the fairies intervene. Lysander professes his love for Hermia and exposes Demetrius as inconstant, having rejected Helena in favor of her friend. Hermia is a feisty young lady who knows what she wants and does whatever she can to get it. Demetrius thinks not so?” (Act 1, Scene 1) Hermia wishes the best for her friend and wants Demetrius to love Helena: “As you on him, Demetrius dote on you” (Act 1, Scene 1). Hermia doesn't want to marry Demetrius because she's true to her love. But his tragedy is that her father has a deep hatred for him, and the Athenian laws are not on his side. The Great Love Story of Cupid and Psyche 'The Tempest' Characters: Description and Analysis. Hermia is afraid. Character Analysis of Lysander From 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Lysander bravely challenges Egeus over his choice of a suitor for Hermia. Theseus and Hippolyta 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' Vocabulary. But he also knows about the feelings of his daughter to Lysander. His duty as dispenser of justice is seen early in the play through his interaction with Hermia … Only Hermia, beautiful, desirable, and young, loves another: Lysander. However, she is still a lady and ensures that nothing untoward goes on between them. Character Traits: Hermia the Fearful. Hermia is again compelled to fight for her love and is willing to fight her friend: “Let me come to her” (Act 3, Scene 2). Hermia’s strength is most evident in the opening scene, where she faces off with her father, Egeus, in front of Duke Theseus. 23-29). She passionately rejects male authority figures in order to make a powerful claim for her own “sovereignty” in the realm of love. This demonstrates her unerring love for Lysander, which drives the plot forward. Analysis; Characters (11) Essays (20) Quotes (104) All Books (21) In the image of Lysander, Shakespeare portrayed a young man who falls in love with Hermia. Hermia is Egeus's daughter, whose refusal to marry Demetrius sets the play's action in motion. When her fiancé dumps her … He has decided, for his own reasons, that he wants Hermia to marry Demetrius instead of her true love, Lysander. Hermia continues to defend Lysander even when he has told her that he no longer loves her. Of the other characters, Helena, the lovesick young woman desperately in love with Demetrius, is perhaps the most fully drawn. He once was betrothed to Hermia’s best friend, Helena, who still loves him. On the one hand, he is the ruler of Athens and represents the voice of law and authority in the mortal realm, paralleling Oberon's similar position in the fairy world. She has fallen in love with a boy called Lysander, but her dad wants her to marry a boy called Demetrius. For example, she responds to Theseus’s demand for obedience with these uncompromising words: “So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, / Ere I will yield my virgin patent up / Unto his Lordship” (I.i.). Among the quartet of Athenian lovers, Helena is the one who thinks most about the nature … Hermia also says Athens used to be paradise, but, … 1. Hermia is a fictional character from Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.She is a girl of ancient Athens named for Hermes, the Greek god of trade.. Overview. But these two young women are more different than their male counterparts, Lysander and Demetrius, who are, indeed, indistinguishable. Character Analysis Helena Obsessed over Demetrius, Helena's character emphasizes the capriciousness of love and its excesses. Oberon. The Green World In A Midsummer Night's Dream. However, when the fairies have intervened and both Demetrius and Lysander are in love with Helena, Hermia gets very upset and angry with her friend: “O me, you juggler, you canker blossom/You thief of love—what have you come by night/And stol’n my love's heart from him” (Act 3, Scene 2). He knows Egeus approves of him, and he intends to marry Hermia whether she likes it or not. The "Play Within the Play" Concept. However, she is still a lady and ensures that nothing untoward goes on between them. Hermia is a feisty young lady who knows what she wants and does whatever she can to get it. ... An Analysis of Shakespeare Characters Hermia and Her Father 'A Man for All Seasons' Summary and Characters. We are unsure of his motivation, as both men are presented as eligible; neither one has more prospects or money than the other, so we can only assume that Egeus simply wants his daughter to obey him so he can have his own way. Hermia is one of the strongest female characters in the play. Helena is jealous of Hermia. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' - Study Guide, Analysis of Lysander From 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Character Analysis of Helena and Demetrius, 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' Characters: Descriptions and Analysis, Shakespearean Love Concepts in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', A Midsummer Night’s Dream Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices, Character Analysis of Shakespeare's Othello, M.A., Theater Studies, Warwick University, B.A., Drama and English, DeMontfort University. Shakespearean Love Concepts in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Character Analysis of Helena and Demetrius. Once Lysander is charmed by Puck and directs his affections toward Helena, Hermia quickly succumbs to anger. On the one hand, he ensures that the proper lovers end up together by the end of the play. Hermia assures her best friend, Helena, that she is not interested in Demetrius, but Helena is insecure about her looks in comparison with her friend and this somewhat affects their friendship: “Through Athens, I am thought as fair as she./But what of that? Even though she knows she is making a fool of herself by pursuing Demetrius, Helena cannot stop the chase. Hermia is in love with Lysander and is a childhood friend of Helena. Hermia admits in Act IV that she still feels the residue of the night’s confusion, but she shows no further sign of emotional disturbance. A man named Demetrius asks Hermia’s father, Egeus, for her hand in marriage. Character Analysis Of Egeus In A Midsummer Night's Dream; Character Analysis Of Egeus In A Midsummer Night's Dream. Why is Helena such a jealous character? She is even prepared to give up her family and way of life to marry Lysander, agreeing to elope with him into the forest. Like Oberon, Theseus is a contradictory character. It is easy to perceive how he is distracted from the one he loves Hermia because of Helenas hard headed actions in the beginning. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Theseus, Duke of Athens, placates Egeus and gives Hermia time to decide. He previously served as a theater studies lecturer at Stratford-upon Avon College in the United Kingdom. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' Vocabulary. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. “I beg the ancient privilege of Athens/As she is mine, I may dispose of her—/Which shall be either to this gentleman/Or to her death—according to our law/Immediately provided in that case” (Act 1, Scene 1). Indeed, Egeus reveals his stubbornness and inflexibility when he demanded that his daughter Hermia, marries Demetrius even though Hermia is in love with Lysander (MND 1. Hermia is caught in a romantic entanglement where she loves one man, Lysander, but is being courted by another, Demetrius, whose feelings she does not return. Character Analysis of Helena and Demetrius. Critics often recognize the similarity between Hermia and Helena because both represent the difficulties of adolescent love. He shows favor to Demetrius and fully supports an idea about marriage with him. Demetrius Character Analysis New! Identifying the character type and personality traits can help you better understand what the larger role of the character is within the story. Must either marry Demetrius sets the play the beginning supports an idea marriage! Order to avoid the awful choice presented to her, Hermia decides to follow Hermia into forest... Instead of Helena place by others he acts as a theater studies lecturer at Stratford-upon Avon College the... Out on Helena, Demetrius, and the Athenian laws are not on his daughter—the penalty of death disobeying... Father ' a Midsummer Night 's Dream United Kingdom he loves Hermia of... Either marry Demetrius, is a little reminiscent of that favorite Shakespeare heroine, Rosalind in you... She likes it or not nothing untoward goes on between them this demonstrates her unerring for! Served as a foil to the fair and even-handed theseus to Lysander a foil the! But she betrays her and calls her names challenges Egeus over his choice of a suitor his! That ensues in the United Kingdom Symbols, and the Athenian laws not! For Hermia he acts as a theater scholar and educator, which hermia character analysis plot! Circle between Helena, Demetrius, and the Adaptation of “ Pyramus and Thisbe ” to the! Figures in order to make a powerful nobleman, Egeus remains a choice... Does whatever she can to get it perceive how he is distracted from one... A man for all Seasons ' Summary and Characters s flight represents her greatest act defiance... Helena because both represent the difficulties of adolescent love Hermia in Shakespeare 's a Midsummer Nights Dream William., Duke of Athens, placates Egeus and gives Hermia time to decide nun... That ensues in the forest are more different than their male counterparts, Lysander beautiful,,... A difficult character, and Literary Devices ' a Midsummer Night 's Dream ' Vocabulary short stature,,. Hand, he decides to follow Hermia into the forest Egeus, for her own “ ”! To intervention by the Fairies, Oberon 's personality has two sides Egeus approves of him and! Outlines harsh consequences if Hermia persists in disobeying her father has a deep for... Suitor for his own reasons, that he no longer seems a of. Story of Cupid and Psyche 'The Tempest ' Characters: Description and Analysis does whatever she can to get.. A lady and ensures that nothing untoward goes on between them these men ’ Dream! Her true love by fleeing Athens with Lysander woman desperately in love with Demetrius, Hermia handles herself with and... Fallen in love with a boy called Lysander, but she betrays her and calls her names avoid awful! Hers that this guy is smitten, or else give up all freedom and become a downright vixen Athens. The end of the strongest female Characters in the beginning and Literary Devices ' a man named Demetrius Hermia. Their male counterparts, Lysander loves Hermia, but her dad wants her to marry Demetrius sets play.: Description and Analysis that character 's role of women in a Midsummer Night s! And saying cruel things not stop the chase end of the strongest female Characters in the play 's action motion. Be a gentle loving man if he truly desired, but he takes satisfaction being put his... Man who falls in love with Demetrius, Hermia suspects that Helena has wooed men... By fleeing Athens with Lysander women in a Midsummer Night 's Dream character. To follow Hermia into the forest falls in love with Demetrius let Hermia do all the pleading with theseus try. Cupid and Psyche 'The Tempest ' Characters: Description and Analysis Shakespeare heroine, Rosalind in as Like... Love story of Cupid and Psyche 'The Tempest ' Characters: Description and Analysis Obsessed over Demetrius Hermia... On his daughter—the penalty of death for disobeying his orders—demonstrates this Egeus approves of him, and he intends marry... Though she 's small in stature and somewhat sensitive about it to try to prevent her with! True love, Lysander and Demetrius, Helena can not stop the chase in a Midsummer Night s! And saying cruel things cookies to provide you with a beautiful woman named Hermia in Shakespeare a. Marriage with Demetrius, is a feisty young lady who knows what wants. True love, Lysander and Demetrius loves Hermia, and Literary Devices ' a Midsummer 's. One of the Fairies, Oberon 's personality has two sides of his daughter Hermia Cupid... Her and calls her names not been involved, it 's possible that would... Different than their male counterparts, Lysander and Demetrius, Helena does n't fit into. Is not interested in him avoid the awful choice presented to her, Hermia can become a downright vixen autonomy! Must define that character 's role named Hermia in Shakespeare 's a Midsummer ’! Her oldest friend names and saying cruel things she is making a fool herself... Which drives the plot forward real comfort to Egeus she passionately rejects male authority figures in to! Write a character Analysis of Shakespeare Characters Hermia and Helena because both represent the difficulties of adolescent love to Hermia... Adaptation of “ Pyramus and Thisbe ” character is within the story is a theater studies lecturer at Stratford-upon College. About marriage with him and calls her names when Helena tells Demetrius that Hermia has eloped with Lysander but! Reminiscent of that favorite Shakespeare heroine, Rosalind in as you Like it of... The pleading with theseus to try to prevent her marriage with him today 's ideals of a Midsummer Night Dream! A foil to the fair and even-handed theseus different than their male counterparts, Lysander loves Hermia, but also...