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Madeleine Paulson ’23

A girl, a script, and a bird. Credit: Emma Reid ’20

Though She Be But Little She Is Fierce

I remember the first time I read A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. It has a wildly complex plot that takes place in an enchanted forest full of witty characters, caught in a dramatic love triangle—it was just my speed. I recall feeling swept up in the magic of it and whisked into the vividly descriptive world of the play.

Above it all I distinctly recall the moment that the character Hermia enters in Act I, Scene 1. When we first meet her, Hermia is pleading with her father to grant his permission for her to marry the man she loves. He, however, being the stubborn man that he is, is convinced that she should marry someone else. It was at this point that I decided I didn’t like the play very much. I was so disappointed. A classic patriarchal tale in which a woman is forced to obediently marry a man she resents and has no say in the matter at hand. I knew exactly where it was going… Or so I thought.

As I read on, I discovered my assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only did this fiery young woman refuse to follow her father’s orders, she had also secretly arranged to meet with her lover and concocted a plan to run away with him into the sunset. I couldn’t believe it. I was so pleasantly surprised and thrilled to be finally reading a story about a girl taking charge of her future that I couldn’t help but fall head over heels for this exceptional young woman; I followed her arc closely for the rest of the play. I sympathized with her as she struggled to make sense of the love triangle she was caught in, and I had her back when she became enraged by her best friend who she believed had betrayed her. I loved her because she captured my imagination and was everything I strived to be; cunning, intelligent and bold. Most importantly she was unafraid to speak her mind.

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Growing up, I often found it difficult to take up space in the room and make myself heard. Since the first grade, I have always been the smallest one in the room, making it an even more prevalent issue. On top of this, I also used to find confrontation really difficult. For the most part, I avoided problems and let things resolve themselves on their own, out of fear of coming across as too aggressive. I omitted my point of view from most discussions and periodically let others speak on my behalf. I felt immensely misunderstood and I found myself falling into the ‘quiet girl’ role that people painted me out to be.

This insecurity showed up in many ways. It started off as something simple, like failing to raise my hand to contribute to a class discussion, but it soon evolved into a much bigger problem. At first it was only little things. I would let people make decisions about plans that I pretended not to care about, when in reality I did. As the insecurity deepened, it only got worse. I could feel my control slipping away through my fingers. I can recall some seriously horrible experiences with boys who treated me terribly and really took advantage of me. They would make disgusting remarks about my body and sometimes even touch my body without asking in the middle of class. I remember there was a time that a guy slipped his hand up my skirt during Spanish class. What’s bizarre is I remember feeling embarrassed. I always assumed that I would feel angry if someone disrespected me like that, but I was so caught off guard that more than anything else I was just overwhelmingly embarrassed. I was scared to speak up for myself. For some ridiculous reason all I could think to myself at that moment was that I didn’t want to come across as “impolite.” I just allowed him to keep his hand there for the majority of the class. I’m ashamed that I didn’t say something to him, but at the time I didn’t truly believe that my words would make much of an impact.

Being introduced to Hermia at this particular time in my life determined why I felt such a deep connection to her as a character. Throughout the story, Shakespeare toys with the concept of power dynamic as it relates to height differences between both female characters, Hermia and Helena. Hermia was petite, but she happened to be tough, loud, and resilient. A firecracker personality, if you will. She exuded confidence and took care of herself even when no one else did. That kind of power, especially coming from a female character who was supposed to be short and little, was so exciting. A quote from Helena about Hermia is, “Though she be but little, she is fierce.”

When I read that I couldn’t help but smile and think to myself: fuck yeah. Here I was feeling insignificant, believing that my height and what I looked like defined who I was, while Hermia was proudly speaking her mind, even in the face of fear. She reminded me so much of myself, and yet I failed to display any of these characteristics that I knew were a part of who I was. I began to realize that by biting my tongue and not taking care of myself, I was ultimately letting people make decisions on my behalf and take advantage of me. As a result of this, I was regularly not taken seriously, and other individuals assumed that I didn’t have a lot to say or contribute to a conversation. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I had a lot to say. In fact, quite frequently I had too much to say. Becoming close to this character reignited the fire in me and reminded me of an important truth, which is that I have lots of worthwhile things to say. And that what I say really matters, and has an impact on the circumstances around me. I was reminded of my worth and the value of my words. And most importantly, I was reminded of the power I possess as a young woman and the reality that no one can take that away from me.

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My experience with this character impacted deeply. She taught me how to take care of myself and take up the space I deserve. I am still on the journey of learning to speak up and finding my voice, but I have made huge progress. It shows up in recent decisions and changes I have made in my life to take care of and better myself, as well as the practice of doing things that bring me joy. If someone makes offensive comments or does anything that I feel is inappropriate, I have no problem confronting them.

This is one of many of Shakespeare’s female characters that have inspired me to be ambitious and courageous, and own the power of my voice. I especially admire how truthfully his female characters are written. They are multifaceted and they experience a plethora of complex emotions in each play. They feel big things and make rash decisions. They think with their head and sometimes their heart. They are written thoughtfully, given intriguing backgrounds, and are rich in wisdom. They are everything opposite of one dimensional, and that makes them interesting and worth listening to. I find it especially profound that Shakespeare was writing female characters who were so dynamic and ambitious in a time when women were not valued and respected in the way they are now, and weren’t even permitted to play these roles that were written for and about them.

Ultimately, Hermia and Shakespeare’s other powerful female characters are a  reminder that everyone has something to bring to the table and that people are way more than what they appear to be, if we take the time to find out.