Act 1, Scene 1


Egeus agrees with Theseus that a child's relationship to his or her parent is "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" (I, i, 46-53). What does he mean when he uses this image? Explain why you agree or disagree. Explain how this is relevant to our world.

36 comments:

  1. What Thesus meant when he said these words was that the father which is in this case Egeus is the person who molded and created, printed his daughter and he could change her the way he wants. That means he could make her marry whoever he wants not who she wants. He also means that she is like his property, he could do whatever he wants with it. I disagree what Thesus says because I think a person should have the choice to marry whoever he or she want and no one should choose for him or her. I also disagree with Thesus because a child should be able to do what he wants but the father or mother can disagree and not let him do what he wants, but they shouldn't kill them for doing something wrong. Nowadays kids have rights and should have a choice of what they want to do but if the parents dont let him then he should obey them because the parents are in charge of their kids, and they are the people who brought them to life. Parents are very important and have rights on their children.

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  2. First of all, I'm going to talk about how much I hate blogspot. I already typed everything, and was publishing it, when blogspot decided to tell me, "Whoops! That's an error!" Which lead to me losing everything I wrote. Thanks, blogspot.
    When Theseus said "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" (I, i, 46-53), he could have been referring to actual wax. Back then, they would pour wax onto the backs of their envelopes to seal them, and then stamp them, often imprinting it with some kind of crest, or other design. Basically, it could be one big metaphor. Egeus, being the father of Hermia, placed her into this world; pouring the wax. And as she grows, he raises her, shaping her into who she will grow up to be; the stamping.
    In other words, something to be created and shaped, for the sole purpose of being sent away to another.
    Personally, I agree with the actual statement, who a child becomes is greatly influenced by how they're raised and who they grow up around. In a way, the child is definitely like wax, imprinted by their parent; many children do share similar characteristics compared to their parent, as a result of many years together.
    I do, however, disagree with the meaning behind it. Just because they were "crafted" by the parent, they should not be considered their property. As human beings, we each have a level of intelligence that allows us to make our own decisions and reflect on the mistakes we make. Yes, this was back when women were not seen on the same level as men, but that doesn't make it any less wrong.
    In my opinion, this is relevant to our world, mainly because things have not changed much. Perhaps we are not as discriminating, and we do not exactly have the right to sentence a child to death for disobedience, but we still seem to have the same morals. It's been hundreds of years, and things like arranged marriages are still around. Parents have that same level of authority, telling kids what is right from wrong, and that's perfectly fine! I mean, at least the majority do not deny them their basic rights! But, of course, in this world, there will always be exceptions. Bottom line, things have not changed much; children still rely on their parents, have them make decisions for them, but things are certainly not as severe nowadays.

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  3. Theseus meant Egeus is the creator of Hermia and Hermia was the wax figure that Egues made.So an other word she was his property and he could do what ever he wants.He could of modified the form of the wax by marrying someone else,or over the years he could have change her daughter way of thining.I also think that u have the right of expression,Hermia has the right to marry who ever she wants,instead of her father deciding her husband.Egeus wouldnt no Hermia s feeling for a man.I highly disagree that children are the property of the parents because you dont have the right to kill them,they are also free.I think that u should take any consideration of theres parent opinion in life

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    1. Ben!!! Don't write "u". It's Y-O-U!!! This is extreme ragamuffin behaviour.

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  5. What Theseus meant was that Hermia was just a creation made by Egeus. In different words she was his, he owned her and that she should do what he says when he says it, if he would say jump she would have said how high. I completely disagree with Theseus everyone should be able to live there own life and should not be thought of as just a disposable wax figurine and the fact that people would think of another human life in such a way his quite honestly just sickening. Although I do agree with the fact that children should listen to their parents, if the children do not listen u should not put them to death and I thank god that this is not the case in present day life.

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  6. To best explain this image, I’m going to reference it to candle making. When making a candle you firstly melt a few pieces of wax, and then pour the hot wax into molds, or let them cool off, and then shape it to your preference. By using this image Theseus, is trying to explain that a child’s parent is the child’s creator (the candle maker), and that a parent has the power to mold, form and shape his or her child however they like, as if the child is a wax figure. It’s saying that the parent can control his or her child like a puppeteer, and make it do whatever they wish for it to do. I disagree with this statement. I disagree because I think that a child has the right chose what they want to do with their own life. I also believe that a child should have the freedom to be who they truly want to be. I do believe that a parent has the right to control, and tell his or her child what to do, but there’s a limit. A parent doesn’t have the right to control every single aspect of their child’s life. A parent has the right to tell their child to clean their room, but not who to marry. Only the child has to right to make his or her important life decisions.
    This is relevant to our world because to this day there are still parents who think that they can control and make their children do whatever they want. I know some parents who force their children into picking a specific career, like being doctor or engineering, because they want their children to be engineers or doctors. Although, the children doesn’t want to be those things they are left with no choice. Another example to why this image is relevant to our world is, because forced marriages are still happening. Parents are still forcing their children to marry who they want, and only who they want.

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  7. He meant that he can do anything with his daughter, like a wax statue. He controls everything she does, he technically controls her. He decides what she does. He basically owns her and can do whatever he wants with her, he can also kill her. She is his “property”. Back in those days it was the law for the daughter to obey her father, which I find really unfair. I disagree with this because everyone has the right to do whatever they want. People should have the right to make their own decisions. This is relevant to our world because the child is kind of depended on their parents, so their parents control their decisions till they are mature enough to take care of their self. But the only difference is that the parents aren’t as strict as in those days. We are protected by law, we have rights.

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  8. He means that he has the power to change and mold Hermia just like a wax figure because he is the reason that she exists. He thinks that if he brought her into this world he should have complete control of her and be able to kill her if he wishes to. I disagree with this statement because I believe that Hermia should have the right to make her own decisions and she should not be controlled by her father. This is relevant to our world because even today in certain countries women still have no power and their lives are still run by men who make all of their decision for them for example in many countries there are still arranged marriages where the woman does not have any choice of who she wants to marry.

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  9. Theseus means that he practically owns Hermia and gets to decide her future. for example, Egeus wants her to marry Demetrius but she is saying no because she wants to marry Lysander. i do not agree with Theseus's statement because every human should have the right to choose who they want to marry not their parents because you are the one who will be living with that person for the rest of your life not your parents. almost all of the world gets to decide who they want to marry but in some countries parents still decide who there child will marry. this mostly happens in asia.
    -jaskaran


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  10. When Theseus said "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted (I, i, 46-53), he meant that since he's the parent of his daughter, he has the ability to change or form her into his preferable choice, just like a wax statue. For example, if you're an artist that creates wax sculptures, you can mold it, imprint a design on it or even sell it to a costumer. The point is it would be your responsibility to shape the was sculpture to your desire. If you look at it from Theseus prospective, he wants to change or rather I say force his daughter into his personal preference.
    If you ask me, I would say I agree and also disagree that you are your parents properties, or possession. I said that I agree because since you are you parents son/daughter, you should listen to your parents because they are trying to chose what's best for you. Also you shouldn't rebel based off your parents choices just because you don't like them and you are being stubborn or selfish! But, I also disagree, I know I said that you shouldn't rebel from your parents and you should listen to them, but their choices may not always be correct. They could be making bad or good choices, but it depends on the parent.
    I believe that this is relevant in our world. I find that parents can be very forcing on their children. Still in our society, many countries have different rights that children have. But really, we shouldn't try to live against our parents decisions, they are just trying to make your life more easy and we should rely on them.

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  11. What Theseus meant is that since your parents created you they own you. Your parents are sculptors and you as their child are only their wax figurine that they could mold, remold or dispose of. I also think what Theseus meant to say was that since Egeus is Hermia’s creator he should be the one to choose her future, he is her god. I disagree with Theseus completely because in the present day it would be unacceptable for a parent to dispose of their child for not doing as they are told. Everyone should be able to choose their own path in life; no one should choose it for them. Parents still do mold first few years of their child’s life since they choose where you live, what school you go to, etc. Theseus’s theory of a parent molding his/her child’s future still exists but is not as severe as in the time of the Athenians.

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  12. When Egeus says that a child's relationship is "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted", he means that he is the creator and she is the wax creation, which he can dispose of whenever he pleases. He also means that since he is the creator, he can choose whatever Hermia does and does not do. I agree with the fact that you should listen to your parents and do what they ask, but disagree with your parents choosing your entire future. People should have the right to choose their own future. It is okay for parents wanting to have their child do something they want, since they probably want what they think is best for you, but it is not right for parents to force their child into doing something that will make them unhappy for the rest of their lives. This situation still happens in different places around the world, but it doesn't come to the point of the parent(s) killing their child.

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  13. Theseus meant when he said “but as a form in wax/By him imprinted” is that since Hermia is Egeus’s daughter, he can force her to do whatever he wants her to. Even if she agrees or disagrees with him, she still has to do it. I totally disagree with Egeus’s logic, because it’s not right for him to decide what his daughter has to do. If she was 5 years old, than yes of course he’d be deciding for her, but the fact that Egeus is deciding whom Hermia should marry and whom she should spend the rest of her life with is just not fair. This is relevant to our world, because our parents still choose choices for us, like what school we go to, or where we live (since they’re paying for the bills) but I would hope that no parent in the century would make such a big decision for their child’s life, because it can very much affect them. Also our parents do force us to do stuff, cleaning our room, doing our homework but not whom we’re going to be spending the rest of our life with. Maybe they’ll be upset because they don’t like him, but once they see that you’re happy with him and your life, they’ll appreciate him.

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  14. To me, what Theseus meant by "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" was that as a parent, you have the ability to mold your child into what you want. For example, when you are born, you can be compared to a block of wax. From there, you grow and learn from the people and environment you are exposed to, which is compared to was being moulded to how the artist wants. I agree with this statement to a certain extent, because my parents raised me and taught me what they knew. I think it is somewhat relevant in our everyday life, because nowadays a parent can only do so much to prevent their child from doing bad things. Also, our parents shouldn't have the right to tell us who we can/can't love.

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  15. When Theseus told Hermia "bus as a form in wax/By him imprinted", it meant that since Hermia is Egeus' daughter, he forces her to do whatever he says, and if she disobeys him (does the opposite of what he expects her to do), he would kill her. I disagree with this because I don't find it fair at all that Egeus does this to his daughter. If Hermia is in love with someone, she shouldn't have to worry about her father killing her. She shouldn't be afraid to love someone. Her father should want her to be happy. Hermia wouldn't end up being happy if she didn't marry the guy she was in love with. I think this is relevant to our would because it sends out the message to follow our heart, and instead of always doing what pleases others, do something that pleases you. You shouldn't have to worry if you're doing something that no one wants you to do, as long as you want to do it, nothing else should stop you. If someone forces you to do something you don't like, you will end up unhappy.

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  16. What Theseus means is that the parent could “mold” the child into whatever he or she becomes. “as a form in wax” means that the child is like wax and can be molded or transformed into whatever the parent wants. I agree with Theseus slightly because the parent does have control over most of what the child does or doesn't do but they don't take all of the decisions. They teach the child right from wrong and good manners (or bad manners), but shouldn't be able to tell you who you should marry or where you want to work. This quote still does apply in our era because as I said, parents teach us the way of life but do not force us into what THEY want us to be.

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  17. From my perspective, Theseus meant that the creator owns there creation and can do whatever they desire with it. In this case, Egeus is the creator and Hermia is the creation. In Theseus' eyes, it is the same concept. It can also be looked at as someone molding clay into whatever shape they want it to be. Most parents take this into consideration whether they care about your future or not. I think of it as parents trying to guide us by using their experiences when they were our age. Although I have disagreed with my parents before, I have learned to respect their decisions as a teenager and note that they just want to protect me.

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  18. When Theseus said that a child's relationship to his or her parent is "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted"
    What Theseus meant was that all children are just a block of wax waiting to be molded by their parents and the parents are the ones who will decide what will happen to the block of wax.
    I kind of agree and disagree to what Theseus said because he meant that all children must behave and mold into what their parents want them to be.
    I agree because,your parents are the ones who raised you and took care of you but, I disagree because parents should not be able to completely mold you into the image they want you to be
    but, be able to try to motivate you to go to the path they want you to. Nowadays kids have rights and have a choice of what they want to do but
    if the parents don't let their kid do it then they should try to go the path their parents want them to but if they don't like the path the parents gave them the parent should allow them to be what they want to be come or want to do.

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  19. When Theseus said ''But as a form in wax/By him imprinted" he means that the father is the sculptor and the child is his creation into life. He can mold her into whatever he wants, decide her future and also her opinions. He is also willing to kill Hermia if she does not obey his orders and marry Demetrius instead of Lysander. I kinda agree and also disagree with Egeus' opinion because first of all he is her father and he has to protect her, but forcing your daughter to marry someone who she truly doesn't like is not right! Hermia does not have her freedom of opinion and also speech. This is relative to today's society because the parents still have to take care of the children because they are the mentors to the child. Yet we are not forced to marry who the parents want us.
    -Panagiotis Ronco

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  20. when Theseus says that a child's relationship to his or her parent is "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" he is saying that being his daughter she is basically a mere image of what he wants her to be. She is to do as he says, when he says to do it and she will become whatever he wants her to become. He wants her to marry who he thinks is best for her and in her mind that isn't the man who she is in love with. This is relevant to our world because our parents grew up in a different generation than we did, that being said they have different perspectives on things. like Theseus thinks he knows whose right for her but his perspective on him may be different than Helena's .
    -Jessica Furt

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  21. From my point of view, what Theseus meant by "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" is that a parent needs to discipline and correct their child under any circumstance. It's as if a child is a block of wax, waiting to be customized and injected with personality like they were a zombie, and if they don't oblige, you should dispose of them. With that being said, I disagree with Theseus' opinion. Although it is alright for a parent to discipline a child, I think that Egeus is taking it to another level. A child shouldn't be instructed on how to execute their life. I find that this is relevant to our modern day life because you often hear about parents choosing who their children should marry. It is very tragic that people still live this kind of life in this modern day.

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  22. I think what Theseus meant was that a child is a shaped into who their parents want them to be. Like with wax he is saying that the candle-maker who doesn't like his candle can reshape it, and a parent who doesn't like his child can change them. Both can dispose of their creation if they don't like it. I partially agree with this. A parent to some-degree has to influence a child i.e. "Look both ways before crossing the street." and other basics of civility and culture. That being said, other than than those basics, a child should have a choice to grow up to who they want to grow up to. In the time the play takes place, Egeus' way of thinking was widespread and common. These days, not so much, but it is still there
    - Clayton Ridpath

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  23. When Egeus says this, he is trying to say that he is the one who decides what his daughter's future will be like. It used to be that a women should have a man in charge of her at all times and it is still like that in some more religious Arabian countries. However I completely disagree with this statement. It should be a parent's job to guide and educate their child into making smart choices for the future instead of deciding what their future will hold. Women were considered lesser people and weren't even given the right to vote until the early 1920s. However in today's society most countries consider women to be of an equal sex and even if this is still an issue in some circumstances I don't believe it to be a big issue in Canada's society today.

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  24. What Theseus is implying with this imagery is that Hermia is Egeus' creation. She is to him, quite literally, a wax figure. This means that Hermia is to obey to what Egeus demands of her, because she is futile, and since when were useless things allowed to have their own thoughts anyway? I disagree with this statement.
    Sure, a parent does have control over their child's life, but they should use that power to guide their children into making the right choices themselves, and to raise them into good (or at least decent, depending on how much effort they put into the task,) human beings. This does not mean that a parent should force things upon their children, or consider them to be inanimate objects.
    However, this is still the case in many countries around the world. Even in a place like North America, which is far more forward and accommodated than other continents, parents -still- force their children into certain career paths, or put insane amounts of pressure on them to be someone who they should be, not who they want to be.
    Altogether, while states have definitely gotten better over the centuries, they have nowhere reached a point where they could be considered ameliorated. Parents still force their children into doing things, and those children still continue to listen to their parents, in fear of what would happen if they refused to do so. So maybe the world hasn't advanced as much as we think it has since the Victorian Era.

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  25. When Theseus says "but as a form in wax/by him imprinted" he means that Egeus can control his daughter, Hermia. He is allowed to tell Hermia exactly what she needs to do, whether she likes it or not. He can change Hermia in any way, just like a form of wax. He can do this because without him she wouldn’t be living, she would not be in this world because he is her creator. I disagree with this because Hermia should be able to make her own decisions, she should be able to decide herself to who she will marry because it is not Egeus that is going to marry the boy and be with him and love him for the rest of his life. It is Hermia; I do not see why Egeus and Theseus think that Egeus can control his daughter like that. This is relevant to our world because in other countries there are men that control their daughters and wives. Women cannot do many things in those countries, because the men in the country do not let the women be free as they should be.

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  26. When Theseus says that Hermia is “a form in wax” that can be “imprinted” by Egeus’ power he means that since Egeus is her father he has the right to control her and make her into the woman he wants her to be. Similar to Egeus’ and Herima’s relationship, wax is a material that can be reshaped as many times as the owner of the wax desires. In this world a father should be able to change his daughter as many times as he want and should be able to mold her life in a way where she almost no say in what happens to her. As of now our world has been fairly liberal in the department of “being who you want to be” in a way that was foreign only a couple hundred years ago. That being said I do believe that parents still try to control their children to become someone they’re not. I do understand children must be disciplined and behaved but I don’t think anyone should have the right to completely change you or choose who you marry, let alone your parents. Parents should guide their children into being a good person in general not force them into being their perspective of a good person.

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  27. What Theseus is saying that Hermia was just molded by her dad and that he is controlling her future and all. He is also saying that he gets to decide her future and that he gets to do whatever he wants to do with her because he is her father, so what i am trying to say is that he is a very controlling and demanding father since he wants her to be what he wants her to be. This is relevant to the world because a lot of parents decide on there children career and what they will do in the future, and that they basically on there child.

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  28. When Theseus uses this image "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" (I, i, 46-53). He means that Hermia is a block of wax that can be molded into being whatever her dad wants her to be. Theseus is also saying that her future is to be decided by her dad and that every decision she makes has to be approved by her dad. I completely disagree with this because a child has rights and one of those rights is being the person that the child him/herself wants to be, not somebody who was "imprinted" by his/her parents. This is relevant to our world because some parents decide what you do in your future, others just put a lot of pressure on you to do well in life. Thankfully there are laws now so that children can't be murdered by there parents because they did not do what there parents wanted them to do.

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  29. what Shakespeare is trying to tell the readers is that back then in time, the men had full control over the woman and their children. Egeus is saying that she will always be a moulded the way that he wants her to be and that she will not dis obey his choices for her future. Theseus is trying to convince Hermia that she should only listen to her father's thoughts on her men and no one else. I don't think its right that the men had control to do whatever they wanted with their woman and can change them, especially kill them if they wanted, its not right and Hermia should not have to choose between lysander, her father or becoming a nun. Still today some parents react harshly on their children when they should have the right to do what they want and the kids that are troubled is probably because their parents put too much pressure on their lives.

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  30. Theseus is basically saying that Egeus is the creator of Hermia and she does whatever he tells her to do. Egeus is the father of Hermia and has full control over Hermia and has to do anything he demands her to do or there are consequences. Egeus is making Hermia grow up into the woman he wants her to be and not what she wants to be. Having full demand over your child is something I disagree with. Yes the guardian tries to make sure that their child is safe and protected but I think that the child should be able to make their own decisions and become what they want to be as they grow up not by what their guardians want them to be. They should have full demand's of their own life and doing what they want to do, at least if it's legal and safe. There are families in the world that parents have full demand of their children and want them to be exactly what they think they should be and also there are families whose children are more free with their lives and do what they want.

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  31. What Theseus is saying to Hermia is that Egeus should be treated as god sense he is here father and her Creator, Also he is stating that he gets to control her future either it can be a lovely future or a terrible one sense he is her father. I don't believe in having full control over your child, a child needs space to grow that's why I disagree with this. This is relevant to are world because a ton of parents make there children do what the parents want them to do and get what jobs the parents want them to have.

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  32. When Theseus said "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" he meant that Egeus is her father,her lord and he can mold,destroy,re-create her in any way. It is like she is the wax and he can mold her in to anything he wants he to be. I disagree with Theseus because kids should be able to chose their job, have their own life. I think parent should have some control but not all of it. This is relevant in our world today because parents still control their kids, at least not as severely anymore.

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  33. What Theseus is saying in the passage "but as a form in wax/By him imprinted" is that he is the like a god/creator of Hermia and that she is a puppet to him,that he should control her in any way and she can't do anything about it what so ever or she will have consequence. I disagree with this because it is unfair too be like "oh your a women you have no right from now on". Women are people. This is relevant in our world because some compunys still think that just because your a women it means that you should get paid less then everyone else and be treated like a dog or worse.

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