Character Study: Egeus of A Midsummer Night's Dream

Hello, my name is Egeus.  I am 48 years old and a citizen of Athens Greece in the current year (for me) and I rather like living here in this area.

My wife died several years ago, leaving me with four daughters; the youngest of which was still quite young at the time.  The older daughters were already grown and out of the house.  Sadly we didn’t have much contact with them because they married young men who were conscripted to fight in the army and away most of the time.  There is no animosity or ill-will among the family members, we simply don’t spend a lot of time together.

My youngest, Hermia, was only 8 when her mother died.  Since we were the surviving two in the household, I brought in servants to take over the household duties and a governess to tutor and attend to the needs of Hermia as she grew up.  Hermia is now 16 and in the prime years of her eligibility for marriage.

It is my responsibility as a father to see to it that she has a suitable mate, a man with whom I feel comfortable.  One who will fit into the existing family structure and who would be a good steward for the family fortunes, as are the spouses of my other daughters.  I have found such a man in Demetrius.

The family fortunes are not monumental but rather sufficient for the needs of all of them.  They will have to do their part in increasing those fortunes for their offspring.

We live in Athens, in quarters that are rather simple and functional.  Outside of the city, I own a villa and farm lands that are tended by hired people, most of whom live in a village not far away.  There are a couple of housemaids who live at the villa.

The villa has several rooms around an atrium and pool.  There are livestock, gardens, and an orchard for necessary food, and vineyards that allow us to make and enjoy good wine.  As with other produce, our grapes are of one variety and we trade with others to allow all concerned to enjoy the different produce.

I like so spend as much time as I can at the villa because Athens is crowded and, quite frankly, stinks.  I must spend enough time there to attend to political and business matters as I protect my interests.  Otherwise I am at the villa for the majority of the time.

There have been, for the past several years, some problems with Hermia.  She, being without a mother and without the influence of her older sisters, has developed a rather headstrong attitude towards the conventions that are in place.   This is something of a nuisance to me. 

Just yesterday, I was relaxing by the pool, being fed grapes by my favorite housemaid, when Hermia pops in and says she wants to marry Lysander.  She was very saucy about it and, I think, disrespectful.  It irks me to no end to have to put up with this since she is the last of the four and I am rather looking forward to the peace and quiet of the country when the house is finally empty of children and I am able to keep myself occupied as I see fit.

We had a very difficult discussion about this and she is unwilling to let it go.  She insists upon continuing to see Lysander and even to marry him instead of Demetrius.

Well, I’ve had enough of it.  Duke Theseus will be here tomorrow, victoriously home from a battle with the Amazons and bringing with him the queen of the Amazons to be his bride.  I will find an appropriate moment and publicly notify all that Hermia will either abide my will or be put to death.

I must admit I haven’t thought this all the way through.  Death is an extremely unfortunate outcome for her but there are other things to consider.

If she successfully defies my will, others will take encouragement from that and could do it to their fathers; then my reputation will be tarnished as a strong citizen.  There are many who will criticize me for having her put to death and many more who would criticize me for allowing her to have her way.  

I can only hope for the best outcome, which would be for her to marry Demetrius and let life go on.  We’ll see what the Duke has to say.