The honorable murder
Although the play is written as a farce as many of his comedies are, Shakespeare opens A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a rather serious situation. It’s not meant to be focused on, but my mind can’t help seeing a parallel to our modern society. In the very first scene, Theseus and Hippolyta have their conversation about their upcoming wedding interrupted by the entrance of Egeus with his daughter Hermia and her two suitors. Egeus wants Thesus to allow him to exercise his right over his “property” and make Hermia marry Demetrius (dad’s choice) or have her killed. “Be it so she will not here before your grace/Consent to marry with Demetrius,/I beg the ancient privilege of Athens./As she is mine, I may dispose of her–/Which shall be either to this gentleman/Or to her death—according to our law” (Act I, scene 1, lines 39 – 44).
Now of course, this play is a work of fiction and daddy-o is quite flippant here about the possible death of his daughter. But this fictitious character brings up the very real fact about the existence of honor killing. As much as we humans like to think we’re living in “civilized” societies, our very real, modern world lays witness to about 5,000 honor killings annually according to The United Nations Population Fund. These murder victims are almost exclusively women who are perceived to have brought “dishonor” to their families. A father, brother or husband can simply suspect his daughter, sister or wife of being dishonorable and their society allows them and quite often celebrates their “right” to kill her. This is sick.
Around April 7th of this year, a 17 year old girl named Du’a Khalil Aswad was stoned to death in Iraq for allegedly converting to Islam to marry an Iraqi Sunni Muslim boy. While it was disputed whether or not she actually converted, the very allegation was enough to warrant an attack on her life and for thirty minutes she was pummeled by large rocks and concrete by a mob of men (which included her own relatives) while armed police stood by and did nothing. No one came to her aid and this celebrated murder was even filmed on camera phones and distributed on the Internet.
Even sicker, because these killings are considered “private family matters” the perpetrators are rarely prosecuted. Nothing like enabling violence against women.
~ by dirtworshipper on August 16, 2007.
Posted in Shakespeare, if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention
Although parts of “Midsummer” may be farcical, I can’t agree that the play as a whole is a farce (not as we understand the term). Perhaps you are thinking of the broad humor in the play as being farcical?