Power In A Midsummer Night's Dream

In the time of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Queen Elizabeth was the authority that ruled England. She became a very important figure to the 16th Century. Tensions arose out of her control of both State and Church. Jennifer Clements’ describes the tension, as “anxiety about female dominance and male inadequacy,” (Clement). Titania, the fairy queen, holds the power over the fairies and the natural world, while Oberon holds a power similar to that of Theseus, a power that resides in the power of status. However, Oberon does not entertain his power to the extent of Theseus. Oberon does not have the power over the fairies, except for one, Robin Goodfellow or Puck. Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, represents the power of male dominance, that
Yet marked I where the bold of Cupid fell. It fell upon a little western flower,
Before, milk-white, now purple with love’s wound”
(A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act II, Scene I. lines 167-173)
The flower in which the liquor comes from is the result of Cupid’s arrow striking a virgin girl and her lack of acknowledgement of it. This liquor is an erotic desire enhancer causing the recipient to fall in love with the first thing they see. Oberon in his jealousy and his anger devises to use it on Titania. Oberon’s use of power here is that of erotic desire, yet not a direct use for him.
Returning back to the virgin girl who was unresponsive to the shaft of Cupid. Clements argues that “The term "imperial vot'ress" links power and femininity” and it also, “highlights religion as an essential aspect of [Queen] Elizabeth's authority, since the word "votaress" means a woman devoted to religious service.” (Clements). Elizabeth was perceived as virginal and in that created a tension within heteronormative relationships. Many critics have related this image of the virgin girl back to the Queen. Earlier in that same scene Titania explains of her own vot’ress, whom she was very close with. In her argument Clements draws on the idea that this closeness of Titania and her vot’ress may have been a direct commentary on the suspicion of sexual deviance (Clements). But in the wake of this company within the vot’ress, Titania seeks
In her argument with Oberon, her husband and the King of the Fairies, she claims to him that she and the fairies haven’t been able to dance anywhere. That ever since the ‘midsummer night’, which holds power in itself that the lack of dancing has caused the weather to change. Leaving the fields flooded and the mortals in a maze. Oberon’s response to her is “Do you amend it, then. It lies in you”, her power and her spiritualness with the fairies can fix the chaos the world is going through. Titania can accomplish things without the use of magical liquor, unlike Oberon. Titania’s power also allows her to disobey Oberon. He desperately wants the young Indian boy, whose mother has died, to become a knight of his and to serve him. Titania however swears that she will not give up the boy for all of Fairyland. The woman who gave birth to the boy was Titania’s “vot’ress”, a woman that leads a life of servitude to Titania, she also worshipped Titania. This power that Titania holds is that of a superior being. Much like Clements established with Queen Elizabeth’s perception of her divine right and a messenger of God, titania in a sense embodies the role of her divine right, she is worshipped and is powerful beyond the magicalness and need for the