Midsummer Night's Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream

Short Anwers

1.

The 'law of the father' is revealed to the audience in the first scene. In this scene, Egeus is enraged that his daughter Hermia is reluctant to marry Demetrius because she loves Lysander. The play indicates how the Athenian law gave a father the authority to punish his children (Bevington, 2008). This is understood from how he is willing to send his daughter to a nunnery if she fails to comply wih his instructions. In the worst case, the father can even demand the death penalty for his daughter. Since Egeus is incensed at his daugther's ...