Pay Downing

Thusing
English 10
25 November 2008
Hermia

The play A Midsummer Night�s Dream by William Shakespeare takes place in

Athens, Greece and is the story of a young lady named Hermia, who is forced to
marry a man named Demetrius by her father, Egeus, and the duke of Athens, Theseus.
Demetrius has already promised his heart to the obsessive Helena, but realized he
wants Hermia, who does not want him in return. Hermia chooses to runaway with her
love, Lysander, Demetrius chases after her, and Helena chases Demetrius. Oberon, a
fairy, notices the conflict of the four and helped to resolve it. Oberon�s
�assistant� Robin got the orders confused and applied a potion to Lysander and
Demetrius� eyes, when it was only to be applied to Demetrius�, causing them to
love the first person/animal they saw upon awakening, it happened to be Helena for
the both of them. In the end Oberon and Robin fixed everything, and Lysander and
Hermia wedded, along with Demetrius and Helena, and Theseus and Hippolyta. Many
would ask, who is the protagonist of the play? The answer is Hermia. Without
Hermia, Lysander would not have a role, Demetrius would not have anyone to chase
after, and Egeus would have never needed Theseus in the opening act.
�There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee; And so that place the sharp
Athenian law cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me, then steal forth thy father�s
house tomorrow night, and in the wood a league without the town.� (I.i.161-165) If
Hermia were not apart of A Midsummer Night�s Dream Lysander would not have a role.
This is shown in the quote from Lysander by telling us the climax, when Hermia and
Lysander plan to runaway together. Without Hermia, Lysander would not have a
reason to runaway, therefore the play would have no climax.
�Where is Lysander and fair Hermia? The one I�ll stay; the other stayeth
me.� (II.i.189-190) In the quote, Demetrius is implying that he is going to find
Hermia. If Hermia were not in the play, Demetrius� role would not have a point
either. Demetrius would have no one to chase after, then there would be no reason
for Helena or him to be in the forest where Oberon and Robin applied the potion,
and the story would have no point or excitement.
�Full of vexation come I, with complaint, against my child, my daughter
Hermia.- Stand forth, Demetrius.- My noble lord, this man hath my consent to marry
her.� (I.i.22-25) That was said to Theseus by Egeus in the opening act of A
Midsummer Night�s Dream. If Hermia were to not exist in the play Egeus would then
not have a daughter to complain to Theseus about. There would be no conflict for
Hermia to choose between death, nunnery, or a marriage to Demetrius.
Lysander would not have a role, Demetrius would have no one to chase after,
and Egeus would have never needed Theseus if Hermia were not apart of the play,
those being the reasons Hermia is the protagonist of A Midsummer Night�s Dream.
Lysander was there as Hermia�s lover, and no other reasoning, Demetrius was there
as Hermia�s supposed fianc�, and Egeus only played the role of Hermia�s father.
Three important characters would not have roles without Hermia�s role.