B.F.F.’s and the Bard: Reclaiming the Importance of Female Friendship in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

As written, William Shakespeare’s popular A Midsummer Night’s Dream relies upon the agency and actions of a pair of girls. Unsophisticated and irresponsible choices made in cutting, casting, and conceiving the play for mass consumption not only devalue Helena and Hermia and their pivotal role in the plot, but are indicative of a neglectful attitude towards the experiences and relationships of young women. Rigorous textual analysis and considered production choices have the potential to reclaim A Midsummer Night’s Dreamas a significant contribution to a theatrical canon in which depictions of complex female relationships are much needed and seldom seen.