In Shakespeare's time, this was more of a fact than a stereotype, which is why it is such an important theme in his plays. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hermia wants to marry Lysander, but Hermia's father wants her to marry Demetrius. Hermia's father has the legal right to have his daughter executed or sent to a convent if she refuses to marry the man of her choice. The matter is brought before the Duke, another man, who gives Hermia until her own marriage to reconsider (Shakespeare's A Midsummer). In Hamlet, Hamlet's mother, the queen, marries her brother-in-law after her husband's death, because a woman is incapable of running a country alone. Hamlet laments this fact in one of the play's most famous quotes: "Frailty, thy name is woman!" » (Shakespeare Hamlet). In Othello, another court case demonstrates the position of men in relation to women. When Iago and Roderigo discover that Othello has married Desdemona, they tell his father that Othello stole her, creating the impression that a woman is something that can be stolen. When Desdemona's father takes the case to court, Othello explains that he did not steal from Desdemona, but rather won her fairly (Shakespeare Othello). This perpetuates the idea that a woman is something that can be gained, either by winning her or stealing her. The women of The Taming of the Shrew are closer to animals than to real people. Petruchio trains Katherine to become a circus animal