8: Midsummer act III paragraph

Due Thursday 6 May. Moodle it in.

Here's a sample we wrote together today:

In act I, Shakespeare wants the audience to see Egeus as uncaring in his attitude about love and his treatment of his daughter. In describing the relationship between Hermia and Lysander, we see his lack of caring. He says that Lysander has ‘bewitched’ her (I.i.27) and calls the gifts of courtship ‘love tokens’ (I.i.29). By using this language, he is suggesting that love is something supernatural and wild, not the caring relationship others see it as. He sees Lysander as a person who has tricked his daughter. He says, ‘With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart’ (I.i.36). ‘Cunning’ suggests a trick, rather than something more romantic, while the word ‘filched’ means to have stolen something. What Egeus is describing is the normal romantic relationship between a boy and a girl, but he sees it instead as a dishonest and mysterious trick, betraying his uncaring personality. (This would be the first half of the paragraph.)

Here are some bits that will help you: