Mirando, Mark B.

Eng 23

2013-00862 Prof. Judy Ick

“Yield my virgin patent up:

representations of men’s authority and women’s inferiority in Shakespeare’s MND 1.1”

Shakespeare’s opening scene in the Midsummer Night’s Dream [MND] is packed with images
of love. The play begins with Theseus conversing with Hippolyta of their soon-to-be nuptial and
ends with Helena professing her unconditional love with Demetrius (a young courtier in loved with
Hermia). Even though it seems that MND is full of representations and images of love, one can’t
seems not to notice its representations of men’s authority and women’s inferiority.

It begins with an image of a defeated Amazon queen represented in the character of

Hippolyta, fixed to be married with the conqueror, Theseus the duke of Athens. We can also see
representations of power and control as Egeus’ fixed her daughter’s [Hermia] marriage to a guy
whom she doesn’t love [Demetrius]. Theseus also served as an image of social control as he
condemned Hermia to choose [after his wedding with Hippolyta] either to follow her father’s
request or to endure the livery of a nun. Of course, one can’t take away the image of the inferior
woman, represented in the character of Helena as she laments her unfairness and Demetrius’ doting
on Hermia.

While the women’s characters in MND 1.1 are represented as the inferior: a virgin yielding
her virgin patent up unto the duke’s yoke, a daughter without the right to choose whom she can
marry or love and a one sided lover who blindly patronizes a man who doesn’t love her back. Men,
on the other hand are represented with images of phallic social control: Egeus represented as the
authoritarian father figure to Hermia, Theseus represented as the conqueror of the virgins and the
ultimate judge of Helena’s trial, and Demetrius as the knight protected by his social status, his
knighthood and Egeus’ consent.