There are many traces of lenses in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The lens I have chosen to explain is the gender lens. Since a lot of time has passed, women were not treated the same as men. Women were treated like objects, like property. Men were the rulers of everything, they made the big choices. Hermia was treated as property wanted by Demetrius, even though Lysander already “owned” and Aegeus (Hermia's father) lent to people. It seems like a sexist world then. Let's talk about Helen and Demetrius first. Elena is “damaged goods” because of Demetrius. Demetrius is still a perfect match for anyone. Girls in Athens right now are not respected and are seen only as objects that can be owned. In the play it says: “Your wrongs create a scandal in my sex/We cannot fight for love as men do. (2.1.244-245) In the play, because men are highly respected, they can do whatever they want and do not have to pay the consequences. Since Helena has the “broken seal,” she is not respected and no guy wants her. Yet, Demetrius is the same way, except no one cares whether he is or not...