A Midsummer Night's Dream and Measure for Measure Time Period Analysis

William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written in the 1590’s and probably with the expectation of Queen Elizabeth I viewing the play, as she was Queen of England at the time. After the Queen’s death, James I took the throne in England, and shortly after, Shakespeare had written Measure for Measure. The two plays are vastly different in their views of marriage, sex, and power. This difference in these views probably has a lot to do with the time periods in which they were written, as well as the views and politics of the powers in England.

The plot for A Midsummer Night’s Dream mostly revolves around marriage and the romantic confusion that takes place. Traditionally, in that time period, a woman would marry who her father said she is to marry. This is portrayed in the play when Egeus tells Hermia that she will marry Demetrius, die, or become a nun. Hermia defies her father and chooses to run away with Lyslander because she loves Lyslander and does not want to marry Demetrius. The fact that Queen Elizabeth did not marry a man and remained a virgin until her death is significant because it shows that Shakespeare drew from the Queen’s independence as a strong woman and leader to use those same qualities in Hermia. Hermia displays these similar qualities as she made her own decision not to marry Demetrius because she did not love him.

Later in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare makes another reference to Queen Elizabeth when Oberon tells Puck that Cupids arrow once missed its target, the target he was aimed at was “At a fair vestal throned by the west” (2.1.159). The fair vestal throned by the west would of course refer to Queen Elizabeth. The fact that Cupids arrow missed her must have been the reason she was a virgin. Shakespeare had two queen characters in the play, Hippolyta Queen of the Amazons, and Tatiana Queen of the fairies. Even though neither of the Queens are rulers, it still displays the relevance of a woman’s role in...