He was Greek warrior who was known for many feats including the killing of the minotaur, a mythical monster. There are many accounts of how his marriage to Hippolyta came to be. The following sources might have influenced Shakespeare narration of the popular story.

Link 1: Plutarch's biographical narrations (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/14033/pg14033-images.html#LIFE_OF_PLUTARCH). During the Amazonian war, Hippolyta was influential in brokering, peace between the Athenians and her people. She was set to marry him but died on the battlefield.

Link 2: Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Texts and Contexts, edited by Gail Kern Paster and Skiles Howard, Bedford/St. Martins, 1999

Christine De Pizan (1405 - 1521), wrote a popular text about how women should conduct themselves. She also wrote on the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta. In her version, Theseus ambushed the Amazonians because they were afraid of their influence. On the battle field, Theseus saw Hippolyta and kidnapped her. In order to bring peace, the queen, Orythia, allowed Theseus to marry Hippolyta.

This implies that she was tricked by Lysander into falling in love with him. It downplays Hermia's agency in her relationship with Lysander.

Egeus' determination to marry Hermia off to Demetrius without any specific reason other than he is his chosen preference brings into question the relationship between Demetrius and Egeus

This speaks to the role of women in the Elizabethan era. It might not have been that extreme as the Shakespeare's Athenian laws, but it speaks to the expected relationship between fathers and daughters. Hermia does not seem to have a lot of agency since her father has decided the trajectory of her life, with Demetrius or death.

This line might take from the account where Hippolyta and Theseus get married after the war Theseus waged on the Amazonians. Hippolyta was a fierce warrior and fought Theseus on the battleground. He was so impressed with her, he asked her to marry him or she was kidnapped and then forced to marry him.

Diana is known to go hunting at night and she is very fond of her "silver bow."

She was an Amazonian warrior who fought bravely when the Athenians led by Thesues attacked her homeland. Plutarch writes that she died on the battlefield. Other accounts claim that she was kidnapped by Theseus whom she later married and a child with.

Egeus as a "god" in this comparison produces an ironic effect. Clearly, Egeus cannot be regarded as a god when he does not have any physical power other than what society and the law provides him. Additionally, Theseus advising Hermia to see her father as a god is an indication of the extreme patriarchal environment of the play.

In Hermia's pleading, she begins by acknowledging her powerlessness against Theseus and her father. This acknowledgement humbles her and reaffirms the power of the two men. It makes appeal to not marry Demetrius more sorrowful and more likely to have an empathetic ear.

The imagery of the "cold fruitless moon" implies the Theseus' dislike or disagreement with the lives of nuns. It could also extend to his dislike with the moon herself.

The word "maiden" here is taken from the word "maid." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "maid" refers to virgins, so "maiden pilgrimage" speaks to the virginal characteristic of nuns.

Another example of Theseus' disdain for the life of nuns, especially with the phrase, "withering on the virgin thorn." He clearly considers a waste of a woman's life.

Diana is related to chastity and is known for support women and virgins.

There are a lot of claims about ownership and who has any rights to Hermia. The word "right" has been repeated by Egeus and even the preferred Hermia. This claim of ownership brings into question if these men truly care for Hermia or are simply fighting because their authority has been challenged. Does Egeus prefer Demetrius because it allows him to assert his dominion over Hermia? For Lysander, is his love for Hermia real or her father's rejection of him pushes him to fight for her?

The wax comparison here takes away from Hermia's humanity. The wax takes leaves no room for any deviation from Hermia. Theseus is reminding Hermia that she has no choice.

Hermia's virginity is the "rose distill'd" and her distillation is used for marriage and the childbirth that follows.

This sentence downplays the Hermia's intelligence and maturity. Essentially, it labels Hermia as gullible and prone to deception.

It would have been interesting to hear from Hippolyta because she is a woman who did not grow up under the direction of a man.

The sword is a metonym for the war that had just played out between Theseus (Athens) and Hippolyta (Amazons). In diminishing the war to his sword and comparing it to a courtship tactic, it also downplays the real tragedy for the Amazonians who lost their independency. Theseus is promising Hippolyta that their wedding will be different from their first meeting which was in a war.

His absent-mindness in here shows how unimportant Hermia or even Egeus' reason to marrying his daugther off to Lysander. Theseus' sided with Egeus solely because he is a father, and views him as the authority figure.

Personification of the moon: Theseus refers to the moon as "she," perhaps in reference to mythology or to emphasize how he looks forward to his wedding day.

Step-dame means stepmother and dowager means widow. In this case, his reference to both these women is in reference to their dependency on "young man's revenue." The young man is a son or the man in charge of their upkeep. He is therefore comparing how these types of women's finances take away from the men they depend on, to how much the slowness of the moon's changes takes from his time to be with Hippolyta

This entire section ends with a punctuation. Each line by Theseus requires a pause, to emphasize how the wedding and perhaps the marriage will not be reflective of how it came about.

Diana is most associated with the moon or sometimes as the moon. She is also viewed as a guardian of virginity and fertility. When Theseus complains about how the "old moon wanes," perhaps he is complaining about the moon/Diana might be lingering on purpose delaying his marriage to the virginal Hippolyta

Links:

[(https://commons.mtholyoke.edu/arth310rdiana/the-moon/#:~:text=Diana%20was%20not%20only%20a%20moon%20goddess%3B%20she,the%20Sun%2C%20father%20of%20Phaethon%2C%20is%20presumably%20Apollo.)

[(https://www.gods-and-goddesses.com/roman/diana/)

(https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Diana_(mythology)&oldid=972698)

Melancholy is the "pale companion"

It is a pagan holiday celebrated on the night of June 23rd and on the day of June 24th. It celebrates the incoming summer season and the commemoration of St. Johns. The day is marked with singing, dancing and making bonfires. It is also associated with supernatural appearances.

Diana is most associated with the moon or sometimes as the moon. She is also viewed as a guardian of virginity and fertility. When Theseus complains about how the "old moon wanes," perhaps he is complaining about the moon/Diana might be lingering on purpose delaying his marriage to the virginal Hippolyta

Links:

1. [(https://commons.mtholyoke.edu/arth310rdiana/the-moon/#:~:text=Diana%20was%20not%20only%20a%20moon%20goddess%3B%20she,the%20Sun%2C%20father%20of%20Phaethon%2C%20is%20presumably%20Apollo.)

2. [(https://www.gods-and-goddesses.com/roman/diana/)

3. (https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Diana_(mythology)&oldid=972698)

It is a pagan holiday celebrated on the night of June 23rd and on the day of June 24th. It celebrates the incoming summer season and the commemoration of St. Johns. The day is marked with singing, dancing and making bonfires. It is also associated with supernatural appearances.

This entire section ends with a punctuation. Each line by Theseus requires a pause, to emphasize how the wedding and perhaps the marriage will not be reflective of how it came about.

Step-dame means stepmother and dowager means widow. In this case, his reference to both these women is in reference to their dependency on "young man's revenue." The young man is a son or the man in charge of their upkeep. He is therefore comparing how these types of women's finances take away from the men they depend on, to how much the slowness of the moon's changes takes from his time to be with Hippolyta

He was Greek warrior who was known for many feats including the killing of the minotaur, a mythical monster. There are many accounts of how his marriage to Hippolyta came to be. The following sources might have influenced Shakespeare narration of the popular story.

Link 1: Plutarch's biographical narrations (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/14033/pg14033-images.html#LIFE_OF_PLUTARCH). During the Amazonian war, Hippolyta was influential in brokering, peace between the Athenians and her people. She was set to marry him but died on the battlefield.

1. Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Texts and Contexts, edited by Gail Kern Paster and Skiles Howard, Bedford/St. Martins, 1999

Christine De Pizan (1405 - 1521), wrote a popular text about how women should conduct themselves. She also wrote on the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta. In her version, Theseus ambushed the Amazonians because they were afraid of their influence. On the battle field, Theseus saw Hippolyta and kidnapped her. In order to bring peace, the queen, Orythia, allowed Theseus to marry Hippolyta. Hisotry

Personification of the moon: Theseus refers to the moon as "she," perhaps in reference to mythology or to emphasize how he looks forward to his wedding day.

His absent-mindness in here shows how unimportant Hermia or even Egeus' reason to marrying his daugther off to Lysander. Theseus' sided with Egeus solely because he is a father, and views him as the authority figure.

The sword is a metonym for the war that had just played out between Theseus (Athens) and Hippolyta (Amazons). In diminishing the war to his sword and comparing it to a courtship tactic, it also downplays the real tragedy for the Amazonians who lost their independency. Theseus is promising Hippolyta that their wedding will be different from their first meeting which was in a war.

It would have been interesting to hear from Hippolyta because she is a woman who did not grow up under the direction of a man.

Melancholy is the "pale companion"

This sentence downplays the Hermia's intelligence and maturity. Essentially, it labels Hermia as gullible and prone to deception.

The wax comparison here takes away from Hermia's humanity. The wax takes leaves no room for any deviation from Hermia. Theseus is reminding Hermia that she has no choice.

Hermia's virginity is the "rose distill'd" and her distillation is used for marriage and the childbirth that follows.

There are a lot of claims about ownership and who has any rights to Hermia. The word "right" has been repeated by Egeus and even the preferred Hermia. This claim of ownership brings into question if these men truly care for Hermia or are simply fighting because their authority has been challenged. Does Egeus prefer Demetrius because it allows him to assert his dominion over Hermia? For Lysander, is his love for Hermia real or her father's rejection of him pushes him to fight for her?

Egeus' determination to marry Hermia off to Demetrius without any specific reason other than he is his chosen preference brings into question the relationship between Demetrius and Egeus

Diana is related to chastity and is known for support women and virgins.

Another example of Theseus' disdain for the life of nuns, especially with the phrase, "withering on the virgin thorn." He clearly considers a waste of a woman's life.

The word "maiden" here is taken from the word "maid." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "maid" refers to virgins, so "maiden pilgrimage" speaks to the virginal characteristic of nuns.

The imagery of the "cold fruitless moon" implies the Theseus' dislike or disagreement with the lives of nuns. It could also extend to his dislike with the moon herself.

In Hermia's pleading, she begins by acknowledging her powerlessness against Theseus and her father. This acknowledgement humbles her and reaffirms the power of the two men. It makes appeal to not marry Demetrius more sorrowful and more likely to have an empathetic ear.

Egeus as a "god" in this comparison produces an ironic effect. Clearly, Egeus cannot be regarded as a god when he does not have any physical power other than what society and the law provides him. Additionally, Theseus advising Hermia to see her father as a god is an indication of the extreme patriarchal environment of the play.

This speaks to the role of women in the Elizabethan era. It might not have been that extreme as the Shakespeare's Athenian laws, but it speaks to the expected relationship between fathers and daughters. Hermia does not seem to have a lot of agency since her father has decided the trajectory of her life, with Demetrius or death.

This implies that she was tricked by Lysander into falling in love with him. It downplays Hermia's agency in her relationship with Lysander.

This line might take from the account where Hippolyta and Theseus get married after the war Theseus waged on the Amazonians. Hippolyta was a fierce warrior and fought Theseus on the battleground. He was so impressed with her, he asked her to marry him.

Diana is known to go hunting at night and she is very fond of her "silver bow."

She was an Amazonian warrior who fought bravely when the Athenians led by Thesues attacked her homeland. Plutarch writes that she died on the battlefield. Other accounts claim that she was kidnapped by Theseus whom she later married and a child with.

The use of "we" here and in the stanza reiterates the universal traits of death.

he introduces death by personifying death so it becomes something concrete to think about

Each stanza ends with a period, and I think perhaps this speaks to the characteristic he expounds on about death in each paragraph

Again the use of dashes to signal list and in this case, the characteristics of death.

The introduction snaps the reader back to the present. This push to the present without an answer as to how to approach death adds to the defeated tone of the speaker. The concrete and immovable presence of the wardrobe is similar to the permanent position of death in our lives

The first-person narration being used here freezes time or carves out a specific moment in time for the narrator to really set up the what he/she is thinking before the sun comes up. More prominently, the phrase "I stare," slows down the poem and prepares the reader for what he is realy thinking.

Additionally, it is the only stanza with an "I" repeated three times, reminding readers that these are thoughts one person not a representation of others. First-person narrration is always personalised but in this poem, the contemplation of death seems so universal because everyone will face death eventually

The dashes here signal that he is doing something here, in this case, citing a list of what one could be remorseful for. I think the list also emphasizes what the narrator thinks life should be used for, or what he belives others worry about.

Words like dead, dread, and die all add to the gloomy tone of the poem and anounce why the narrator is up at dawn