In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the characters Hermia and Lysander face a difficult situation when they decide to marry and consequently see each other forbidden to do so by Hermia's father, who instead wishes her to be married to another young man, Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander were forced to plead his case to his father and the Duke of Athens, Theseus. But the only words Theseus speaks to Hermia are those telling her that she must obey her father. His calls are essentially ignored. Although it is unfortunate that his thoughts are not considered, the audience is generally quick to judge Hermia's father as an old man bound by tradition and determined to ruin his daughter's happiness. In fact, it should be important to understand that the unfortunate circumstances of the two lovers constitute one facet of the driving force of the play. This reveals a lot about the nature of love, especially in younger years. Even though we as an audience can identify with both, cheer them on, and be satisfied at the end of the play with their happy union, it is important to question the real intelligence of entering into marriage, only in the the interest of the other. a starry love, stubborn and idealistic given the context of their situation. It seems unlikely that they really know what they're getting into. Certainly, if someone decides to marry their first love, they should do so carefully if they want the relationship to last. A relationship takes commitment and determination, especially when both are so young. First love, in particular, requires special determination to make it successful. There is no doubt that when entering into a relationship, and especially one as serious as Hermia and...... middle of paper ... the future, we readers can only hope for the best. Greece: Wilson, NG “Demography”. Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. New York: Routledge, 2006. 214. Print. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Shakespeare, William, Gail Kern Paster and Skiles Howard. “Act 1, scene 1.” A Midsummer Night's Dream: texts and contexts. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. Print. Romeo and Juliet: Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ware:worth Classics, 1992. Print.NCHS: Copen, Casey E., Ph.D, Kimberly Daniels, Ph.D, Jonathan Vespa, Ph.D and William D. Mosher, Ph.D. Early Marriages in the United States : data from the 2006-2010 national survey on family growth. Rep. Number 49. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2012. Print.Infoplease: “Median age at first marriage: 1890 to 2010.” Info please. Info please, 2009. Web. April 5. 2014.