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POSITION:
Egeus is a noble men and is very wealthy
Due to this he has a high rank in the society
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PERSONALITY:
Egeus appears to be an angry and a stubborn man. These traits become evident when Hermia defies him and goes against his decision of marrying Demetrius.
INFLUENCE ON THE PLOT OF THE
PLAY:
His actions trigger conflict in the play and therefore create further drama
His anger towards Hermia makes her run away with Demetrius and therefore trigger problems
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• KEY QUOTES: • Scornful Lysander, true, he hath my love, And what is mine my love shall render him; And she is mine, and all my right of her I do estate her unto Demetrius. • Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia. • Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me, To stubborn harshness. And, my gracious duke, Be it so she will not here, before your grace, Consent to marry with Demetrius, THE FUNCTION HE SERVES IN LEARNING
ABOUT ELIZABETHEN ENGLAND:
In the play Egeus portrays the role of a dominant male. With this portrayal, the notion of women being owned by males becomes clear. Egeus also represents the theme of law versus love as he constantly refuses his daughter's plea to marry Lysander and forcing her to marry Demetrius
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KEY SCENES:
In Act 1, Scene 1, Egeus enters the Duke's court and discusses the matter of his daughter's marriage
When providing options for Hermia, Egeus gives her the option to either marry Demetrius or be executed
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PROGRESSION THROUGH THE PLAY:
Egeus plays an important role by creating conflict and therefore triggering further action in the play
In the initial scene Egeus portrays his 'vexation' towards his daughter Hermia as she disagrees to marry the suitor of his choice (Demetrius) as she wants to marry who she loves (Lysander).
Faced by this situation Egeus presents himself and his daughter in front of the duke, Theseus
During a heated argument in the court, Egeus offers his daughter to either marry Demetrius or be executed. Before exiting the scene, he gives her four days’ time to decide.
Because of this Hermia and Lysander decide to elope
This creates further drama and action in the play
Egeus appears again in act four, in the scene where Theseus allows Hermia to marry Lysander he appears to be stubborn as he doesn’t give his opinion and therefore portrays his stubborn-­‐ness