Joanelle Morales



Joanelle Morales

ENL 4333

February 23, 2003

A Woman’s Strength Is A Man’s Weakness

Women are emotional and passionate creatures. Their strong desires lead them to getting what they want, how they want it, and nothing can stop them. It is a fact that women have high tolerance for pain, a characteristic that keeps them motivated, persistent, and strong. William Shakespeare demonstrates the woman’s superior qualities in his characters, Juliet and Hermia, from Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream, respectively. Both his plays work together to show how women are the constant characters of love and their rational minds and incredible will power gives them control within the relationship. Instead of portraying women as the typical weak and vulnerable characters, Shakespeare uses a role-reversal with the couples in his stories. Though doing so may seem unorthodox, it is the type of issue that makes Shakespeare a mastermind of women and the greatest romantic of all time.

One reason why both Juliet and Hermia are considered the constancies of love is because of their fight with their fathers. In both cases, the daughters are being forced to marry someone that they did not choose, and most importantly, whom they do not love. The desire of rebelling against their fathers, the authority figures of the plays, gives them additional motive to develop into strong characters. Even the chorus in Romeo and Juliet explains, “And she [Juliet] as much in love, her means much less To meet her new beloved anywhere. But passion lends them power, time means, to meet,” (11-14, 2.0, Romeo and Juliet, The Norton Shakespeare). The daughter has to learn how to fight for themselves, for their own wants and needs, and follow their own hearts, instead of being ordered around.

It is evident that Juliet and Hermia know what they want and are usually the ones that tell what the lovesick Romeo and Lysander what to do. For example, Juliet is the one that makes the wedding plans. “If that thy bent of love be honourable, Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, By one that Ill procure to come to thee…” (185-188, 2.1). She tells him what will happen the next day and basically initiates the proposal for their nuptial vows. It is usually the male who proposes but in this case, Juliet is in charge. In the same scene, there are figurative clues that further indicate that Juliet has control. During the balcony scene, Romeo wants to swear by the moon how much he loves her and she exclaims, “O swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon That monthly changes in her circled orb,” (151-153, 2.1). Literally, she cuts him off in the middle of his “vow” and tells him what to swear, or rather, “not swear at all” (154, 2.1). Figuratively, her remark about the inconstant moon implies that she wants consistency in the relationship. Romeo is so love struck that he would immediately do what she says in the drop of a dime. His imprisonment in her love is illustrated when Juliet comments, “And yet no farther than a wonton’s bird, That lets it hop a little from his hand, Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gives, And with a silk thread plucks it back again, So loving-jealous of his liberty” in which the mesmerized Romeo automatically responds, “I would I were thy bird” (222-227, 2.1). Juliet has him wrapped around her little finger.

Hermia also knows what she wants and articulately suggests it to her lover, Lysander. “If then true lovers have been ever crossed, It stands as an edict in destiny. Then let us teach our trial patience, Because it is a customary cross, As due to love as though, and dreams, and sighs, Wishes, and tears, poor fancy’s followers” (150-155, 1.1, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, The Norton Shakespeare). Her “persuasion” implies that she is wiling to suffer the consequences of their unfortunate trial just to remain true to her self and to their love. Her high sense of dignity persuades her to stay faithful to her principles, which is a highly respectable quality. The power of her values and her strictness to following them is demonstrated again when Hermia and Lysander are in the woods, escaping from authority’s pressures. Before they take a rest, Hermia requests that Lysander lie down away from her. “[F] or my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet; do not lie so near” (49-50, 2.2). Though Lysander at first refuses, he still does what she says.

Juliet and Hermia are not afraid to speak their mind even if it insults authority. Their courage to rebel and their courage to follow their hearts though the risky consequences demonstrate the strength of their characters. Hermia, under the pressure of death if she decides not to marry Demetrius, handles the situation smartly and bravely. Theseus proclaims “Demetrius is a worthy gentleman” and she quickly states, “So is Lysander” without fear that she can get reprimanded for talking back to the Duke. Then, confidently and sophisticatedly, she offers a hypothetical question, which shows that she is in control of the situation even though it causes her grief. “I know not by what power I am made bold, Nor how it may concern my modesty In such a presence here to plead my thoughts, But I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me in this case If I refuse to wed Demetrius” (59-64, 1.1). When given the choice “to die the death, or to abjure For ever the society of men,” she quickly responds, “So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord…My soul consents not to give sovereignty” which means she has made up her mind and her desire to be with Lysander is strong enough to oppose authority’s law and rules (65-66, 79, 82, 1.1).

Juliet has a similar rebellious attitude. Her desire to be with Romeo instead of Paris drives her to a precarious plan that will tragically end with death. Her famous soliloquy, “O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, Of if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (74-78, 2.1) depicts the development of her desire to not abide with the Capulet’s rules. She does not care for them, nor will she follow them. When Juliet is asked to marry Count Paris by her mother, an ironic and humorous response is given. “I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear It shall be Romeo-whom you know I hate-Rather than Paris” (121-123, 3.5). Disobeying her parent’s demands reveals how confident Juliet is and how steadfast she is to her values, as well as to her husband. It is obvious that she has made up her mind and she is in control of her expectations and plans for her future. She gracefully walks out of that stressful situation and quickly devises a plan to seek the Friar when she realizes that she is on her own in this conflict. Her subtle sarcasm towards the unhelpful Nurse shows her independent thinking and inexorable willingness to solve the problem her own way. “[To the Nurse] Well, thou hast comforted me marvelous much, Go in; and tell my lady I am gone, Having displeased my father, to Laurence’ cell To make confession and to be absolved” (230-233).

Unlike Juliet, Romeo is dependent, irrational, impulsive, and very inconsistent. The role-reversal is evident when Romeo runs to the Friar after hearing the news of banishment. Romeo overreacts and becomes hysterical, completely out of control. He falls upon the ground even after repetitive commands by the Friar to stand up. Like a pathetic and pitiful baby, he is “on the ground, with his own tears made drunk” (83, 3.3). Even the Nurse insults him by saying “Stand up, stand up, stand and you be a man” (88, 3.3). Romeo, being irrational, offers to stab himself because he cannot take his sentence of banishment. He is lucky that Friar Laurence is always there to guide him and to tell him what to do, unlike Juliet who makes all her decisions on her own. Friar Laurence scolds him and exclaims, “Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art. Thy tears are womanish, the wild acts denote The unreasonable fury of a best. Unseemingly woman in a seeming man…like a mishaved and sullen wench…Take heed, take heed, for such dies miserable. Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed. Ascend her [Juliet] chamber; hence and comfort her” (108-111, 142-146, 3.3). Romeo is never consistent with his behavior and his impulsiveness gets him in trouble, in which the Friar has to bail him out.

The inconstancy of love is projected through the male characters, specifically Romeo and Lysander. First of all, Romeo in the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, was in love with Rosaline, whom he cannot possess because she vowed her life to chastity. Like a lovesick puppy, he was supposedly miserably in love with her: “Many a morning…With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs…And private in his chamber pens himself, Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, And makes himself and artificial night” (124-126, 131-133, 1.1). All of a sudden, he meets Juliet and completely forgets Rosaline, the woman he was pining for and was presumed to be obsessed with. The Chorus mocks Romeo and sings, “Now Romeo is beloved and loves again, Alike bewitched by the charm of looks,” which suggests that love to Romeo is fleeting, that he falls in and out of love quick because he bases “love” to personal appearance. Infatuation is always mistaken for Love and is often the cause of the inconstancy of love. Even Friar Laurence observes, “Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes…Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline. And art thou changed?” (65-68, 77-79, 2.2). It is a normal reaction to be skeptical; Friar makes a good point, how does Romeo know that he is in love?

Instead of infatuation, another mind-trick plays in Lysander’s case. It is obvious that Hermia is the constant lover throughout the entire story. She was not enchanted by the pansy potion therefore she loved and only loved Lysander. Lysander, however, became cruel and callous to her when he “fell in love” with Helena. He nonchalantly leaves Hermia in the woods as he follows Helena and completely denies any love for Hermia. The first indication that the basis of his love for Helena is false is his explanation that “The will of man is by his reason swayed, And reason says you [Helena] are the worthier maid…Reason becomes the marshal to my will, And leads me to your eyes, where I o’erlook” (121-122, 126-127, 2.2). Will (Passion) and Reason are two opposites in constant conflict with each other; hence, what he feels is not real love. Real love is driven by good passion, just like the passion Juliet and Hermia carry for their lovers. Hermia’s faithfulness and dedication to Lysander is clearly witnessed when Lysander consistently mistreats her and instead of crying off and walking away, she remains by him, denies his words, and questions him. At one point, Lysander exclaims, “Hang off, thou cat, thou burr; vile thing, let loose, Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent” and she replies, “Why are you grown so rude? What change is this, Sweet love?” (261-263, 3.2). Hermia does not back off and continues to be steadfast to her love towards Lysander until everything is fixed and is worked out.

Juliet, as well, is a faithful lover. Even after the unfortunate events that occurred between Tybalt and Romeo, she did not give up on her future with her husband. The oxymorons she used to describe them both (“Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical! Dover-feathered rave, wolvish-ravening lamb!…A damned saint, an honourable villain.” [75-75, 79, 3.2]) indicates her confusion as an understandable reaction for such a tragedy; but in the end, as a loyal wife, she protects Romeo from her Nurse’s curses and decides that he is more important to her than any one. “Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband…Which modern lamentation might have moved?…Romeo is banished’-to speak that word Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, All slain, all dead. ‘Romeo is banished’-There is no end, no limit, measure, bound, In that word’s death” (97, 120-125, 3.2). Her devotion to Romeo is clear. It remains consistent to their very deaths.

Women in both plays are undeniably the characters of strength. Their desire to be with their chosen lover overcomes any obstacle they may encounter. Unlike the men of the plays who were weak, fickle, and inconsistent, the women were clearly the heroic figures. A Midsummer’s Night Dream is a comical response to Romeo and Juliet’s tragic story, which reiterates the same theme. Women wear the pants in the relationships, as they rightfully should do so. Though this statement may be a bit feminist, the wonderful William Shakespeare does not seem to disagree.

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