Hermia

Hermia is a fictional character from the Shakespeare play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream". She is usually portrayed as being short and brunette. She is caught in a romantic accident where she is loved by two men, Lysander and Demetrius. She loves Lysander, but her father, Egeus, wants her to marry Demetrius. Hermia's refusal of her father's wishes would result in her death sentence or residence at a nunnery in Athenian law. Thus Lysander and Hermia elope. On the way out they meet Helena who is depressed by Demetrius, with whom she is hopelessly in love. Hermia tells her not to worry, for Lysander and she will flee the place and that Demetrius will no longer see her face. Helena tells Demetrius, hoping that he will realize her love for him if she tells him the truth. But Demetrius immediately chases to the forest with poor Helena desperately following.

After a scene with Demetrius trying to make Helena stop following him and Helena declaring her love, Oberon (Fairy King), who has been watching the whole time, being invisible to humans, orders his sprite, Puck, to place a drop of a magical flower on Demetrius's eyelids so that he will fall in love with Helena, and everyone will be content; however, Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius; therefore, when he sets his sights on her, "he" falls in love with Helena instead. After realizing the mistake Puck places a drop the magical flower on Demetrius and sends him chasing after Helena with Lysander.

Hermia is best friends with Helena, who is besotted with Demetrius. When both Demetrius and Lysander chase after Helena, Helena accuses Hermia of being part of a cruel joke. Hermia feels betrayed by the accusation and retorts that she would never hurt her friend that way.

Puck finally places the antidote on Lysander's eyes - but not on Demetrius's. They all wake up the next morning when Theseus, Hippolyta and Egeus finds them. Realizing that this is the day Hermia is to makes her choice to marry Demetrius, enter a nunnery or die, they call them all to the temple. The lovers wake up dazed, not being able to explain how they got there - muttering about a strange dream. But Demetrius, now permanently under the love flower's spell, says that he loves only Helena, so everything ends well and Hermia and Lysander get to be together for the rest of their lives.

Context

Hermia's name may be based on Hermes, the greek god of commerce and dreams. This connects with the economic reasons Demetrius and Lysander desire her, as well as their demands to be in control of her psyche, or dreams.Marshall, David. "Exchanging Visions: Reading A Midsummer Night's Dream." "ELH" 49.3 (Autumn 1982) pp. 543-575]

Analysis

The characters surrounding Hermia constantly seek to have control over her. Her father, Egeus, views her as part of his property, or estate, which it is his right to distribute as he wills.

By presenting Hermia as a character whom other characters see as a puppet and a mind to be controlled, Shakespeare introduces questions about the effect of plays on the minds and actions of others. When "Pyramus and Thisbe" is performed, the players make an impression on the minds of the audience—is this a theft of the audience's will? By asking this question, Shakespeare delves into the debate over the ethical politics of media that continues to this day. Hermia's struggle to make her own decisions also explores the tyranny of men over women in romantic and other relationships.

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