# Egeus — A Midsummer Night's Dream character guide

> Egeus in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** good Egeus, Egeus Scornful Lysander

**First appearance:** 0001-act-i

## Snapshot

Hermia's furious father, who drags his disobedient daughter before the Duke and demands the ancient right to choose her husband—or her death.

## Who they are

Egeus arrives at Theseus's palace 'full of vexation,' accusing Lysander of stealing Hermia's heart with rhymes, rings, and moonlight serenades. He insists she marry Demetrius, and when she refuses, he invokes an Athenian law that lets a father dispose of his daughter absolutely. His unbending claim of ownership is the spark that sends the young lovers into the forest, where the play's real argument about who gets to choose love begins.

## Relationships

### [Demetrius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_midsummer_nights_dream_se/characters/demetrius)

_social_

Egeus supports Demetrius as a suitor for his daughter Hermia.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_midsummer_nights_dream_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i)

Brings a complaint against his daughter Hermia for refusing to marry Demetrius, invoking Athenian law.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_midsummer_nights_dream_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i)

Identifies the sleeping lovers and insists on the law against Lysander.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_midsummer_nights_dream_se/characters/egeus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_midsummer_nights_dream_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_midsummer_nights_dream_se/characters