The Elizabethan era (1558–1603) was a short period near the end of the Renaissance and corresponding to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was during this time that William Shakespeare wrote several of his plays, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, first published in 1600. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy in five acts focused about three intertwined plots: the experiences of four young Athenians blinded by love. , six amateur actors rehearsing a play and noble fairies at war. Shakespeare is known for his use of satire in his plays, and A Midsummer Night's Dream is no exception. Humor is used to expose traditional gender inequality of the 16th and 17th centuries as unfair and abhorrent. At the beginning of the play, the Duke of Athens, Theseus, is discussing his upcoming marriage to his fiancée, Hippolyta, when Aegeus bursts in with his daughter. , Hermia; her lover, Lysander; and the man Aegeus wants her to marry, Demetrius. Egeus goes to Theseus to ask him to confirm the power he has over the person who will marry his daughter. Aegeus says this". . . I ask for the ancient privilege of Athens: as she [Hermia] is mine, I can dispose of her, which will either fall to this man [Demetrius], or at his death. . . " (1.1.43-46) The consequences of failing to follow your father's orders were not as serious as being put to death in Elizabethan England. This is not only a dramatization of the. authority that fathers had over their daughters, but also the control that men had over women At the time this play takes place and was written, women did not have much say in their lives. Following this scene, Lysander and Hermia escape and run to the nearby woods pursued by Demetrius and his crazy admirer, Helena, desperately trying to spark mutual admiration... middle of paper ... and calls herself Ganymede. Entering the forest, she said: “A valiant bending ax on my thigh, a boar's spear in my hand, and in my heart the hidden fear of the woman will be there. martial on the outside like many other male cowards have done, they erase it with their appearances. (1.3.18-23) Yet, a product of her times, Rosalind equates her fear with being a woman, but then points out that being a man does not make you inherently courageous. As a strong female character, Rosalind challenges traditional assumptions of women being passive and men being dominant. All of these instances and many others show Shakespeare's penchant for questioning and drawing attention to gender roles and stereotypes in Elizabethan England. Although he is full of humor, Shakespeare still conveys his idea to those who can find meaning in all the crazy women and cross-dressing..