A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by William Shakespeare, shows the strong presence of male dominance in the treatment of women; reflecting the social standards of the time during the 16th and 17th centuries. Women were raised to obtain an obedient and inferior position compared to men. Men, in contrast, were seen as superior and were expected to be treated as such. Louis Montrose explains in his article the “representations of gender and power in a stratified society in which authority is everywhere invested in men…” (Montrose 244). By using characters during their role reversals and exchanged dialogue, Shakespeare makes this standard stronger as the play progresses. It provides some cases that create concrete demonstrations. During the Renaissance age, fathers had the ability to choose their daughters' grooms. Shakespeare describes this example of the dominant male role at the beginning of Act I. Theseus is interrupted by Aegeus' complaint against Hermia, his daughter. By refusing to marry Demetrius, the man her father chose, she dares to challenge that idea by claiming she has a say in who she marries, defying her father's wishes. Aegeus states that Lysander has "turned his obedience (which is due to me) / In obstinate harshness..." (Shakespeare 1. 1. 38-9). It is believed that men treat women like a piece of land where they decide who gets it. Montrose presents the idea that Hermia's “own words suggest that the female body is a supreme form of property and a site of contestation of authority” (247). Hermia resists her various male authority figures by realizing that she can choose who she marries. She comes to terms with the knowledge that her father doesn't care who he prefers, rather, who he prefers. Anyone who has...... middle of paper ......nce is played by all the characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream in their dialogue and actions. Shakespeare reflects male power over women with that of the social standards of that era. Louis Montrose does a great job showing the relationship between domestic hierarchy and power exchange. It makes it obvious that the woman had to respond obediently to the man. By relating their gender status to expected role performance, it is clear that the relationship between them connects. Women were expected to act inferior to man, while man acted superior to all women who held control and power. Works Cited Montrose, Louis A. “Shaping Fantasies: Figurations of Gender and Power in Elizabethan Culture.” Shakespearean criticism. vol. 29. New York: Gale Research, 1996. 243-47. Print.Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. New York: Pocket, 1958. Print.