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Duty Vs. Desire In A Midsummer Night's Dream By William Shakespeare

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Duty Vs. Desire In A Midsummer Night's Dream By William Shakespeare
In his play A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare explores the various themes of opposition, and the effect they have on his characters. One such theme is that of duty as opposed to desire. Duty can be a moral or legal obligation, an action or task that one is required to perform. While desire is a strong want or longing for something.

The first example of duty versus desire comes within the first monolog of the play. Theseus, the Duke of Athens is frustrated that his wedding is four days away. He complains that time is moving too slowly. He is impatient. He desires the nuptial day to arrive so he may wed and then bed Hippolyta. As the Duke, he could of course order the wedding to take place immediately, but he won't. That would go

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