In Shakespeare's time, this was more of a fact than a stereotype, which is why it is such a prominent theme in his works. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hermia wants to marry Lysander, but Hermia's father wants her to marry Demetrius. Hermia's father has the legal right to have his daughter executed or sent to a convent if she refuses to marry the man of her choice. The case is brought before the Duke, another man, who gives Hermia time to reconsider her marriage (Shakespeare A Midsummer). In Hamlet, Hamlet's mother, the queen, marries her brother-in-law after her husband's death, because a woman cannot run a country alone. Hamlet laments this fact in one of the play's most famous quotes, "Fragility, thy name is woman!" (Shakespeare's Hamlet). In Othello, another court case demonstrates the position of men compared to women. When Iago and Roderigo discover that Othello has married Desdemona, they tell his father that Othello stole her from him, creating the impression that a woman is something that can be stolen. When Desdemona's father brings the case to court, Othello explains that he did not steal Desdemona, but instead won her fairly (Shakespeare Othello). This perpetuates the idea that a woman is something to be earned, whether by earning her or stealing her. The women in The Taming of the Shrew are closer to animals than to real people. Petruchio trains Katherine like a circus animal