A Midsummer Night Dream vs. Fraiman’s Shakespeare Re-told

               The “Midsummer Night Dream” by Shakespeare reveals different relationships between men and women in society. In the various relationships portrayed in the play, men are more dominant over women, while the women are subordinated in accordance with traditional laws governing their society. According to Montrose Adrian, Shakespeare’s play is shaped by Elizabethan context of cultural production which represents gender and power in stratified society where authority is invested in men (61).  This shows that the superiority of men over women, as portrayed in the play stems from the traditional laws of England during Elizabethan’s era. Thus the play is an example of how men and women lived in the traditional society of England where power was unequally distributed. On the other hand, the remix video of “Midsummer Night Dream” by Ed Fraiman portrays relationships between men and women to reflect the modern society. For example the dressing styles, the language of conversation, and the different relationships are represented differently from the original play. This shows that Fraiman represented the play by excluding some of the traditional aspects that embody Shakespeare’s play in order to reveal a new era. However, the play and video have some similarities as well as differences based on the different roles of men and women in relationships, which can be perceive through the relationship of Hermia and her Father, Oberon and Titania, and the four young lovers.

The dominant role of men in relationships can be perceived through the relationship between Hermia and her father in the play.  Egeus, Hermia’s father was unhappy with Hermia’s disobedience to marrying Demetrius. As a result, he wanted Theseus the Duke of Athens to grant him the ancient privilege of Athens in order to kill Hermia or send her to the nunnery if she disobeys to marry Demetrius (Shakespeare 185). On the contrary, in the movie, Hermia was represented to have parents (Theo and Hippolyta) instead of a father as in the play. Hermia’s parents were at the verge of celebrating Hermia’s engagement to Demetrius when Lysander disrupted all their plans. This shows that the values of marriage in modern societies have changed, and a girl’s marriage to a man is not decided by one parent as portrayed by Egeus in the play.

The play also portrayed Hermia and Egeus to live in a royal society where men are oblige to seek permission before using authority to sanction their daughters. Likewise, in the video the aspect of a royal society is completely absent, and parents do not seek authority to punish the daughters for disobedience. This shows that the modern societies do not accept the old traditions of royalty, and parent’s decisions to deal with the issues of their daughters are personal. However, the similarity between the movie and the play is based on Hermia’s disobedience to Egues in the play and Theo in the movie. Hermia disobeyed his father’s wish of marrying Demetrius, and she decided to elope with Lysander to a place where they will live happily. This shows that young girls often disobey their parents when they force to marry a man not of their choice, and the pressures from their parents force them to separate from the family. According to a research by Duke University, in the 16^th century society of England, a girl’s male relatives chose her future husband based on the man’s status, and a man who brings the most prestige to the family was considered the best candidate. This explains why both fathers in the movie and play wanted Hermia to marry Demetrius instead of Lysander because of his wealth and reputation. Thus, fathers always want a brighter future for their daughters, and they prefer responsible men who can take good care of their daughters.

                Moreover, both the play and the video portray women as objects of manipulation to men in society, which is apparent in the relationship between Oberon and Titania.  In the play, Oberon was angry over Titania’s disobedience to give him the little Indian boy. Because Titania disobedience, Oberon threatened to punish her; he vowed saying, “Thou shalt not from this grove till I torment thee for this injury (Shakespeare 193). Oberon ordered his servant Puck to use love magic on Titania so that she will be submissive in giving him the little boy. As a result, Titatina was manipulated to fall in love with an ass head man. Conversely, in the video, Titania had problems with Oberon because she refused to help him in saving Theo’s marriage with Hippolyta. Hence, Oberon used Love magic to disgrace her. This shows that women often receive punishments when they go against the wish of their husbands. In addition, women’s rights of possession in relationships are limited because they are restricted by men. According to a research by Duke University, during Elizabethan era most families owned livestock and women were only responsible for taking care of the animals. This shows that women have limited rights to own property in relationships, and their roles are restricted to care giving. Furthermore, the movie and the video are similar based on the fact that Titania pardoned Oberon easily without being angry with his selfish action. For example, she said to Oberon, “My Oberon! What vision have I seen! Methought I was enamored of an ass” (Shakespeare 209). This shows that women are slow to anger and very peaceful and they easily forgive than men. However, the different between the movie and the play is based on the fact that the causes of the conflicts between Oberon and Titania are portrayed differently. In the paly, Oberon and Titania quarreled over a little Indian Boy. Likewise, in the video, they had problems because Titania refused to help Oberon in saving Theo’s marriage. This shows that women often encounter different problems in marriage with their husbands, and men are the initiators of most problems because of their excessive use of power.

                The video and the play share more similarities than differences based on the relationship between the four couples (Demetrius and Helena; Lysander and Hermia). In the play, Helena’s longtime lover Demetrius falls in love with Hermia, Helena’s best friend. But Hermia is in love with Lysander instead of Demetrius who could die for her. Because of Demetrius’ extreme love for Hermia, he treated Helena with hatred and cruelty. For example, Demetrius said to Helena, “Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit for I am sick when I look on thee” (Shakespeare 193). Helena also chased Demetrius everywhere in the forest pleading for his love in despair. For example, Helena said in a desperate mood, “I am your spaniel, the more you beat me I will fawn on you. Use me but as you spaniel, spurn me, strike me, neglect me, lose me; only give me leave, unworthy as I am, to follow you” (Shakespeare 193). Similarly, the movie represented Helena as a woman who was desperate and psychologically disturb with Demetrius’ denial to love her. Hence, she followed Demetrius everywhere in the woods begging for his love.  This shows that men are very heatless in relationships and they do not care about women’s emotions. In addition, women are emotionally weak and they cannot resist the trials and temptations in relationships. According to Emily Squyer, Shakespeare used Helena as a role model to mock the modern 16^th century women who will allow themselves to be treated in that manner. This shows that women in Shakespearean era and in women in modern societies tend to act desperately in their relationships with men.

                The Movie is a good remix of the play because it only changed certain aspects about relationships in Shakespearean era that are no longer in existence in the modern societies. But some other aspects about the various relationships are left unchanged because they are coherent with relationships in modern societies, especially the unfairly treatment of women by men. This shows that societies are not stagnant in evolvement, but they undergo constant changes with time due to development. Moreover, the roles of men over women as portrayed in the movie and the play are still in existence today because fathers often attempt to choose husbands for their daughters, men are possessive in relationships, and they are always unfaithful to women in relationships.             

                                                

                                                                   Work Cited

Montrose L. Adnan. “Figuration of Gender and Power in Elizabethan Culture.” University of California        Press. Web. 5 June, 2012.   

   

 Squyer, Emily. “The Feminist of Shakespeare’s Leading Ladies.” Washington State University. Web. 12 June, 2012.

Social, Cultural, and Economic Significance. Shakespeare, William “ Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Duke University. Web. 12 June, 2012.

Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  Literature Craft and Voice. Ed Delbanco, Nicholas. New York. 2010. (184-220). Print.