Act One: Scene On!
And so it begins:
Act One Scene One begins with the introduction to Theseus and
Hippolyta. Theseus is the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta is the Queen of
the Amazons. Thesus captured Hippolyta and we know they are
seemingly excited to get married. Emphasis is on the seem because
Hippolyta does not say much other than four days will be quickly here. In
four days they will wed once the new moon has come. The reader
should note two things: 1) Theseus has obtained Hippolyta by capturing
her and he "wooed her with his sword." Hippolyta's marriage to Theseus
is not because she chose a suitor, but because the suitor chose her.
This may set the tone for the rest of the play. 2) Note the focus on the
moon throughout the play. This is all an allusion to Diana the Roman
goddess of hunt, chastity, and the moon. The Amazon women
worshipped Diana as a god-like figure. Diana's primary weapon was a
silver bow which Hippolyta makes a direct reference to. Egeus the unhappy
The audience is then introduced to Egeus who is an Athenian lord. Egeus expresses his
unhappiness with his daughter Hermia. Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, and hates her
other suitor Lysander. The problem? Hermia dislikes Demetrius and wants to marry Lysander.
Egeus gives Hermia an ultimatum: either marry Demetrius or face death. Walt Disney presents A Midsummer Night's Dream
Theseus speech immediately following Egeus entrance reveals something very interesting
about the role of the father (lines 47-52). Theseus says to Hermia, "to you your father should be
as a god." Theseus feels that Hermia should respect her father's decision simply because he is
likened to a god. But his speech reveals some oddly disturbing imagery. According to Thesus,
Hermia is of wax, and was imprinted by her father. Egeus has composed Hermia - Egeus, in this
instance, is explained as if he has given birth to Hermia (which we know is impossible since he
is a man). Meanwhile Hermia is likened to a raw material. This is similar to many Disney movies. Meet (female), she has a problem (usually love related)
and her father disagrees with her actions (she just wants to read all the time, just loves the
wrong kind of boy, wishes she wasn't a mermaid, or kissed a frog or something) so we have
another third party person chime in (Gaston, Scar, Ursula, Evil Step Mother, Egeus) and they
feel strongly in one direction, and (female) is strong-willed and hates the situation and wishes
they could talk to her mother (who is of course dead by some unknown reason probably
childbirth, poison, or something equally painful). Choices
So now with Theseus' input, Hermia has three choices. Get married to Demetrius and
be unhappy, get married to Lysander and die, or remain a virgin for eternity. She has
four days to think it over, but already our story is looking bleak for Hermia. Note the
location that she will have to make her decision (Diana's alter).