Shakespearean Baby Names That Will Melt Your Heart

Shakespeare must have really, really liked the name Demetrius because it appears all over his work. Based on the Greek name Demetrios, Demetrius is also derived from a feminine name, Demeter. In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of agriculture and the daughter of Zeus, the ruler of the gods.

Shakespeare gave this name to a few characters, but not every Demetrius is created equal. In Antony and Cleopatra, Demetrius is a minor character. In Titus Andronicus, Demetrius is a chauvinistic, violent character who abuses his power and is ultimately baked in a pie. While the Demetrius portrayed in A Midsummer Night's Dream starts off as an antagonist who uses women and treats them as possessions, by the end of the play, he has turned into a nicer person (albeit as the result of a magical spell).

On second thought, maybe Shakespeare didn't like the name of Demetrius but instead wrote one of his enemies into his plays. This would certainly explain why Shakespearean characters named Demetrius tend to be bad guys. Don't let that ruin the name for you, though. In spite of being used for some unsavory characters, Demetrius is still a great name, loaded with lots of history.