Category: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Every piece of literature aims at using style and textual features to bring to the fore the author’s interpretation and perception of the world (Farmer 458). This essay compares two pieces of work; A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare and Angels in America by Kushner.

Both works focus on the events surrounding marriage, but each approaches marriage in a different style. Hence, the similarities and differences depicted in the two plays in terms of plot, general structure and the way the issues are brought up.

Similarities

The two works have some similarities as discussed below. First, both authors had the intention of passing a message on the prevailing conditions in the society. While Shakespeare’s intention was to create a happy mood contrary to the brutal and harsh renaissance era at that time, Kushner concentrated on the problems and vices of his era.

Kushner wanted people to see things as they are hence his straightforwardness with the message. In contrast, Shakespeare brought up his message in a humorous manner that can help in relieving tension. Shakespeare’s play has several humorous discussions between characters, which do not exist in Kushner’s play. For example:

Hermia: O cross! too high to be enthrall’d to low.

Lysander: Or else misgraffed in respect of years-

Hermia: O spite! – too old to be engag’d to young.

Lysander: Or else it stood upon the choice of friends-

Hermia: O hell! – to choose by another’s eyes. (Crystal 30)

Second, both authors illustrate the complexity that surrounds love. Shakespeare through Lysander says, “The course of love never did run smooth” (Crystal 30). In Kushner’s play, the actors are self-centered and do not show true love. For instance, Kushner depicts Louis as a ruthless betrayer and presents the play as a society intertwined with infidelity and the misery of AIDS.

Third, both pieces of work put a lot of emphasis on forgiveness. In Kushner’s play, Belize declares that forgiveness is only valuable because human beings can never be flawless and so he pities and forgives Roy (Kushner 35). Further, Prior forgives Louis, and Harper relieves herself from dependence on her husband by peacefully parting ways with him (50).

In Shakespeare’s play, there is forgiveness between Theseus and Hippolyta and their lovers (Crystal 85). The authors’ use of forgiveness in their pieces of work reminds the reader that forgiveness is necessary for peaceful existence.

Differences

Despite the similarities, the two plays have a lot of differences. First, the plays differ in their setting. Shakespeare’s play is in the ancient Greece and he uses Greek classical literature and myths as well as English legends in his setting. On the other hand, Kushner uses the 1980s American setting where the society is characterized by great ambition for money and power resulting from the prevailing political and social conditions. This is reflected in statements such as:

Not ideology, or sexual taste, but something much simpler: clout. Not who I fuck or who fucks me, but who will pick up the phone when I call, who owes me favors. (Kushner 45)

Second, the two plays differ in terms of tone. While Shakespeare’s tone is comedy, Kushner uses a serious tone. Shakespeare uses a lighthearted and merry tone to tell the story whereas Kushner uses a straightforward tone to bring out the ordeals that couples went through in the year that HIV/AIDS was first detected in humans.

Third, the two plays differ in their usage of characters. In Shakespeare’s play, events are illustrated through characters. As such, Shakespeare’s play is built around incidents. His characters are very easy to understand. In contrast, Kushner demonstrates the psychological maturity of his characters through incidents.

As such, Kushner’s characters are complex and are not easily understood by the reader. The characters are not opposite of each other like Shakespeare’s characters, but are the opposite of themselves. For instance, Louis changes from a harsh coward betrayer to a sincere trustworthy person (Kushner 15, 92).

Finally, the two plays differ in how the authors present dialogue issues. Dialogue is important because it brings up the plot and theme through the words said by the characters. Kushner’s play structure is presented in complicated two parts. The two parts have a deep meaning, which the reader has to keep in mind as he/she reads the play to be able to understand the story.

Each dialogue contributes to the overall understanding of the play and is presented in prose form. On the other hand, Shakespeare uses a mixture of prose and verse in his play. The style is light and easy to understand.

Conclusion

A lot of transformations have taken place in American literature, but the standards have remained the same. While Shakespeare’s play was written in the 14^th century, it has a lot of similarities with Kushner’s play written in the 20^th century. A comparison of these two pieces of work has revealed that the new literature texts have a lot to borrow from old texts.

Works Cited

Crystal, Ben. Springboard Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. London: A & C Black, 1993. Print.

Farmer, Paul. “Literature Goals: Myth or Reality?” The English Journal 56.3 (1967): 456-460. Print

Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Revised ed. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2013. Print.

Love is beautiful, love is sweet. According to Booth & Mays (2010), love is the warmth and the fuzziness that makes one feel like they are standing in the sun. It is in the name of love that many people have done wonders they did not believe they were capable of.

Love has given strength to the weak and hope to the hopeless. It has mended broken dreams and ferried ambitions and intentions. In the name of love, there have been growth and ruin as well.

The theme of love has been explored by many literature scholars. Shakespeare is one of the literature icons who in his works explored this theme.

In this paper, the author is going to analyze a character from one of Shakespeare’s plays and how the character is used to portray the theme of love.

In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses Helena to advance the theme of love. This character, however, portrays a different face of love that, ordinarily, many would fail to admit exists.

Helena displays the sad truth that, sometimes, love is just a lonely street and you could be the only one there at the moment.

Helena is a woman who falls in love with Demetrius (Berington, 2006). He however has no time for Helena and would rather think of Hermia than bear the sight of Helena.

Hermia on the other hand wants to get married to the lovely Lysander and so they decide to elope rather than hang around. By decree, Hermia is supposed to either die or be sent to a nunnery if she does not obey her father’s wish to marry Demetrius.

According to Benedetto (1999), Hermia should get married to Demetrius “…..to fit (the) fancies of (her) father’s will, or else the law of Athens yields (her) up, which by no means we may extenuate, to death or to a vow of single life” (1.1. 118-120).

Helena is desperately in love. Her love for Demetrius seems not to be returned. She is desperately seeking his attention and love but does not get it.

Her desperation first shows when she approaches Hermia and asks her what to do about Demetrius. She questions Hermia on what makes Demetrius love her so much and what she should do about it.

She wants to know how to get Demetrius to fall in love with her like he is with Hermia. She quips, “….oh that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill! Oh that my prayers could such affection move!” (Berington, 2006: 1.1. 197-200).

Helena further shows that she is jealous of Hermia. She cannot understand why all of Athens proclaims her beauty and fairness yet Demetrius chooses to fall in love with Hermia.

On finding out that Hermia intends to elope with Lysander, she gets furious. She wonders how love could be romantic and beautiful to some people. She wonders why it is different for her and what makes Hermia so lucky in love.

She mourns, “How happy some o’er other can be! Through Athens I am as fair as she. But what for? Demetrius thinks not so; he will not know what all but he does know: And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes” (Benedetto, 1999: 1.1 226-230).

Helena is a tactful and decisive lady. She discovers Hermia’s plan to elope with Lysander and devices her own strategy. She intends to lead Demetrius to the woods where the two lovers will be.

In pursuit of Hermia and Lysander, she believes she will get Demetrius alone and make him fall in love with her again. She does this ostensibly to assist Demetrius but deep in her mind she knows that this is to benefit her and not Demetrius.

She thinks in her mind, “I will go tell him of Hermia’s flight: then to the wood will he tomorrow night pursue her; and for this intelligence if I have thanks, it is a dear expense: But herein mean I to enrich my pain, to have his sight thither and back again” (Benedetto, 1999: 1.1 246-251).

In act 2, Helena’s desperate nature once again prevails. Demetrius is deeply offended by her presence yet she insists on staying with him. Demetrius talks ill of her and confesses how he can never bring himself to love her yet she will not budge.

Helena manages to bring out the theme of women’s submission to men. She is adamant to serve Demetrius in service if not in love. It is almost as if she believes that it is her sworn duty to serve this man and even die for him if need be.

She says, “I am your spaniel; and Demetrius, the more you beat me, I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, neglect me, lose me; only give me leave…” (Berington, 2006: 2.1.202-206).

She portrays her determination as well as her desire and ambition. She is a classic depiction of how women would go out of their way to try and get what they want. She is not deterred by the insults hurled by Demetrius.

When Demetrius tries to scare her by highlighting the loneliness and dangers of the forest, she counters him with lovely words. She narrates how being in the forest to sway his love is more of a drama and effect that she needs to beg him to love her.

Her will is not swayed nor is her agenda. Helena’s character is short of pathetic and miserable from one perspective.

However, from another perspective, her determination and sheer devotion is admirable and courageous for a woman. She is short of saying “I can get it whether you want it or not!”

Helena’s desperation however leads to a bad conclusion. It seems her constant chase after Demetrius makes her believe that she is not pretty. Her confidence is wounded and her ego shattered. She gives up and decides it is no longer the right thing to do.

She says, “no, no, I am as ugly as a bear; for beasts that meet me run away for fear” (Berington, 2006: 2.2 94-96). She further laments, saying that “…..what wicked and dissembling glass of mine made me compare with Hermia’s sphery eyne?” (Benedetto, 1999: 2.2 98-99).

Helena is scarred and feels less worthy compared to fair Hermia. She considers herself stupid to have believed that she was capable of securing Demetrius and his love. In this context, her failure and frustrations lead her to conclusions that are ill and detrimental for her.

Helena however not only depicts a woman’s devastation in love; she displays a woman’s motivation and determination to achieve. She is strong willed and ready to go an extra mile to get what she wants.

Shakespeare uses Helena to convey the theme cited by many other philosophers, literalists as well as psychologists. Women are in general objective about their love life.

They are ready to give anything in their life for a man and follow him anywhere for the desire and promise of love.

References

Benedetto, C. (1999). Comedy of love: A midsummer night’s dream. London: Athlone Press.

Berington, D. (2006). But we are spirits of another sort’: The dark side of love and magic in a midsummer night’s dream. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Booth, A., & Mays, K. (2010). The Norton introduction to literature (10th edn). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

“Is all the counsel that we two have shared,
The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent,
When we have chid the hasty-footed time
For parting us,–O, is it all forgot?
All school-days’ friendship, childhood innocence?” (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2)

Introduction

The above mentioned quotation is adapted from William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3, Scene 2. Helena speaks the words to Hermia. The scene is set in Athens.

The scene divulges the heightened parody presented by Shakespeare where there is bafflement and confusion among the young lovers. The characters in the scene are Demetrius. Lysander, Hermia, and Helena. Actually, Helena loves Demetrius who loves Hermia who loves Lysander. But the foolhardy intervention of the fairy jester Puck who unwittingly drops the love potion on both Lysander and Demetrius.

When Lysander confesses his (influenced) love for Helena, she refuses to believe him and thinks that he is teasing her. She feels the same way when Demetrius confesses (again influenced) love for her. The confusion reaches its epitome as Hermia enters the scene and expresses her bafflement when Lysander says that he does not love her anymore. The scene sets the stage for confusion in and bickering among the young friends.

Analysis

Shakespearean comedies are often characterized by the creation of confusion, suspicion, fights, and eventual reconciliation. This may occur between married couples, lovers, and friends. In the above passage, Shakespeare elaborates the arising confusion between two close friends.

Helena feels that Hermia is party to the trick being played by her other friends to insult her as the former expresses her astonishment at Lysander’s altered expression of affection. Therefore, this quotation is an extract from the speech of Helena where she accuses Hermia of conspiring with the men to insult her and reminds the latter of their close bonding and friendship.

Helena makes use of a number of figurative speeches and comparisons to demonstrate the strong friendship that the two women hold. The first part of the speech is accusation of Hermia for conspiring against her as she says, “Lo, she is one of this confideracy!” (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2) She expresses her thoughts as she is convinced that the three of her friends have conspired against her to inflict such pain and insult upon her.

She holds Hermia for forsaking their friendship to be party to such jest as she states, “Injurious Hermia! Most ungrateful maid!” Helena is most hurt as she thinks Hermia could be part of such trick as they have been childhood friends, sharing vows of everlasting bond. They have spent a lot of time together and beseech her to be on her side and not on that of the men.

She asks Hermia if all the time they had spent together was intended “For parting us”. Helena’s anger turns to Hermia who she perceives to be her best friends and this betrayal as “foul derision” and is conceived by as the worst form of betrayal.

The beginning and the end of the speech stresses on “you” and “me” defining an opposition, the central section of the speech emphasized of the omen being one. The speech, though speaks of the single soul of the two women, does not use a singular pronoun. Instead of using “we” to describe their oneness, the speech recurrently uses “we two”, “us”, “our”, and “both” (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2). Therefore the main idea of the speech lays in the vagueness of the pronoun “we”.

Helena’s recounting of the trickery of Demetrius and Lysander, she never mentions either of the two by name. In the beginning of the speech she addresses them as “they… all three” and then in the end she refers to them using a demonstrative pronoun “these”. Later, though she becomes more specific in her speech as she draws connection between the two women as she says that only the women matter.

Helena reminds Hermia of not only the time they spent together but also of the conversation they had. She uses “all” thrice as she describes what the women have shared together. She uses the word “counsel” in describing what the women shared. They, like young lovers, broke their vows and ended their friendship. As she also described the activities like singing, sewing, stitching, they did together; Helena says that though they were one in doing the activity as was their body, mind, and soul.

Helena compares their friendship to that of “two artificial gods,” which is an irony as she uses “gods” instead of goddesses as it conveys the patriarchal societal belief that their friendship is more superior by imparting the character of male divinities.

The repeated use of the word “one” stresses on the oneness of their soul as Helena emphasizes:

“Have with our needles created both one flower,
Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion,
Both warbling of one song, both in one key,
As if our hands, our sides, voices and minds,
Had been incorporate.” (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2)

This indicates the oneness of their being and their togetherness as friends. The girls like “two artificial god” made “one” flower, worked on “one” sampler, while sitting on “one” cushion, and singing “one” song in “one” key. The women at once active and passive the next moment grew out to resemble each other.

This connectedness between the friends is stressed further by the dramatist as Helena compares them with “a double cherry” that apparently looks apart but is connected at the stem. Again Helena makes repetitive use of “one” as she stresses on her friendship with Hermia and the togetherness of their soul.

Clearly Helena is keen on stressing their oneness. But still she cannot comment on their oneness without stressing on their separateness. This is done by usage of the pronoun “we” which can imply both “one”, “two”, “union”, and/or “partition”. As to stress on their present separateness “we” assumes to become “you and I” – a plural pronoun.

Helena says, “But yet an union in partition” meaning that the cherries are different yet together at the stem. This is an oxymoron as there are two juxtaposing words, “union” and “partition”, used at the same time to demonstrate the difference and similarities there exist between the friends.

She asks her friend if she, Hermia, would join in the joke of two men and forget their “ancient” love. Helena reproaches Hermia for being unfriendly and unkindly in an unwomanly act in scorning her with the two men of which she is the one who is only hurt.

Conclusion

A drastic change in the relationship between Hermia and Helena due to the use of the love potion is observed through this speech of Helena. The speech represents the fissure that the mischievous spirits created in the love of two friends who completely lost trust and love in each other. The last line of Helena’s speech emphasises the need of existence of a female solidarity between the two women but is lost as Helena’s world falls apart with the trick of the fairies.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. NA: Classic Books Company, 1895. Print.

Introduction: Shakespeare’s Wisdom and Wit

The ideas in Shakespearean plays have never been too on-the-nose; conveyed in an extremely subtle manner, they often hid in between the lines, allowing the readers time to ponder ethical dilemmas. Not necessarily being the focus of the work, the given problems nevertheless stood out on their own, making it clear that the poet addressed the social issues of the time as well as telling entertaining stories.

Which is even more enthralling, the ethical issues that Shakespeare raised in his works still remain topical. Considering the issues that concern rather human nature than the morals of a particular epoch, Shakespeare created timeless works that offered the readers timeless dilemmas, as well as the solutions to these dilemmas, hidden between the lines of his works. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a comedy with an unusual moral question for the audience to consider, is one of such works.

Thesis Statement: Despite its age and topic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream brings up topical legal and ethical issues, as well as creates a connection between people and nature, bringing up the principles of strength, power and stealth as the key means to win, which the primitive society was guided by.

The plot of a Midsummer Night’s Dream can hardly be related to anything legal, with its fairytale setting and the romantic premises. Analyzing the curves of the plot, however, one will come across the fact that the play offers a very unusual perspective on parenthood, namely, on adoption and the rights of a custodian.

Though it is usually considered that a mother should be given the rights to take care over a child, in case of a father and a stepmother, the issue becomes much more complicated. Therefore, the problem that arises between Titania and Oberon can be seen from the legal point of view as well.

Moreover, it is necessary to mention that the play blurs the line between the legal solutions of the problem and a more ancient and, therefore, more savage means to solve the given problem. Using brutal force, Oberon tries to get the hold of the child, while Titania flees with her son, relying on her cunning rather than on the support from anyone with enough authority.

Finally, in addition to the criminal subtext and the nature versus nurture issue, the play also offers a gender problem that stems from the conflict between Titania and Oberon. Concerning both biological specifics of gender and, therefore, referring to the previously raised nature–nurture argument, as well as setting male and female gender apart and, thus, leading to a gender issue, the conflict leads to a question concerning who has the qualities of a better parent.

However, it is worth mentioning that the third issue can also be viewed as a contribution to the argument concerning the legal rights for adoption. While the former issue is relatively independent and, thus, can be used as an argument in discussions, the latter is an implication stemming from the biological premise.

The Play Summary and the Obvious Ethical Question

Before proceeding with the description of the plot, one must mention that Shakespeare, as a true master of intrigue that he was, managed to intertwine several plot lines within a single play. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are three key storylines. The first and the most important one concerns the love relationships between Lysander and Hermia, and touches upon the idea of arranged marriage.

The second one revolves around the couple of elves, the king Oberon and his wife Titania, who runs away from her royal husband and takes her son with her, being afraid that, as a stepmother, she has no right to prevent Oberon from taking her stepson away and is the key point of discussion in the given paper. The final plotline, which lies the closest to reality, depicts the attempts of the Athenian actors to put up a play based on the notorious love story of Thisbe and Pyramus.

Hence, it seems that the issue of divorce between Titania and Oberon is left in the shadow of the unfolding events of the play. The very idea of a conflict between a couple seems quite trivial for Shakespeare; however, resulting in a “divorce” between the lead characters, who quite frankly belong to the real of the Greek mythology and, to top it all, with an issue regarding the “custody fight” between the characters, the problem becomes rather unique.

When Literature Meets Jurisdiction: The Mother, the Father and the Child

As it has been mentioned above, the play incorporates the elements of a moral dilemma concerning who the parent of a child should be in case the parents decide to separate. While in Shakespeare’s play, the case with the custody is very black-and-white, with little to no indications that Oberon could also play the role of the child’s father successfully, the poet states clearly that the issue concerning single parenting exists and that it must be addressed.

Shakespeare is obviously on Titania’s side, which does not make his point of view revolutionary in the modern sense of the word. However, given the fact that in the epoch during which the events in the play occur, women’s role in society was restricted to following the orders of the husband and that the mother’s opinion was in no way significant, the choice that Titania makes running away with the child is quite solid. From this point, there are two ways to interpret the issue.

On the one hand, the problem can be viewed through the lens of modern jurisdiction, which dictates that the right to bring a child up belongs to the mother, yet states that kidnapping is a punishable offense. On the other hand, Titania’s runaway can be considered outside of the modern justice context as a manifestation of a very motherly instinct to save the child.

Shakespearean World: Where Passion Is a Sufficient Reason for Kidnapping

At first, what Titania does to save her stepchild from her savage husband seems irrational. While Oberon does act like a cruel beast, disregarding his wife’s feelings towards her stepson, Titania also breaks all possible laws in the light of the modern law, literally kidnapping the child and running away.

On a second thought, though, it is essential to mention, though, that the plot of the poem is based on a Greek myth, which makes a sufficient excuse for what seems a completely illogical and even criminal step from the point of view of modern judicial system.

Therefore, the poem also serves as a graphic example between the present-day judicial system and its principles, and the legal postulates that were used several centuries before. Thus, one can see clearly the progress that has been made in term of both re-establishing the rights of a mother and at the same time polishing the existing system so that the victim should use it as a tool for restoring justice instead of running away from it.

From the Viewpoint of Nature: Mother’s Care vs. Father’s Protection Choosing a Better Parent

With the idea of mother’s prerogative for raising children, the reasons for the given idea do not seem to be questioned often. However, it is reasonable to suggest that there are certain arguments stressing a mother’s advantages as a child tutor. These specifics stems from the times when men and women had defined social roles, women being engaged into children upbringing, while men devoted most of their time to hunting (Fiske, Gilbert and Lindsey 952).

At present, with a considerable shift in the social roles of men and women, the idea of women as the only possible child tutors seems to have become dated; however, in the Shakespearean epoch, women had the ultimate privilege of raising children as opposed to taking any part in the social or political life of the country (Wright 89). Hence, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, questioning the reasonability of the given prerogative, Shakespeare, thus, is several centuries ahead of his epoch.

While the solution might seem obvious, there is still a lot to discuss. Indeed, a mother gives birth to a child, which means that from the point of delivery, a kind of a spiritual connection between a mother and a child appears. On the other hand, Titania was not the biological mother of the child, which makes the given argument invalid.

Given the fact that in the Shakespearean times, and especially in the times of the legendary Oberon and Titania, women were restricted to the social roles that they were told to play (Blundell 76), it is rather doubtful that with Titania’s protection, destiny would have been much more favorable to the child. On the contrary, staying with Oberon as his servant, the child would have obtained at least some education and had a career.

However, the specifics of the epoch aside, the assets of a single mother are just as strong as the ones of a single father. Hence, saving her son from becoming her husband’s servant, Titania makes the right choice that signifies her maturity and motherly qualities. As Kehler puts it, Titania becomes “the voice of ethical commitment” in the play (Kehler 317).

Conclusion: A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a Retreat into the Primitive

Regardless of its flippant charm and the obvious comedic elements, A Midsummer Night’s Dream offers a lot of food for thoughts in terms of its subplot of kidnapping and the following argument concerning the best choice of a parent. While the focus of the play is obviously on the relationships between the characters, as well as on the situational comedy, the issue of parenthood is still touched upon.

Therefore, the play intersects with legal issues concerning parenthood at certain points. Moreover, bringing up the question concerning who the best parent is, a caring mother or a protecting father, A Midsummer Night’s Dream appears to be a much more dimensional play than one might think it to be.

Works Cited

Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995. Print.

Fiske, Susan T., Daniel T. Gilbert and Gardner Lindsey. Handbook of Social Psychology. Vol. 2. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print.

Kehler, Dorothea. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York, NY: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Wright, Courtni C. The Women of Shakespeare’s Plays. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. 1993. Print.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by William Shakespeare is considered to be a romantic comedy that highlights Athenian lovers’ adventures. This work is one of the most prominent stories of the author and it is widely known in all countries of the world. The story under analysis sponged some features of mythology in the combination with adventurous motives. During the whole story, Shakespeare strived to show the process of his characters’ change under the influence of social and moral factors. One of the brightest examples of such change among all the characters is Helena, one of the four young lovers of the story.

Helena’s emotional states changes with every passing episode of the story. Unrequited love is the main reason for the complete change of this character. The author showed the transference of the indifference in the jealousy observed in the middle of the book.

“Call you me fair… motion of Demetrius’ heart”

It underlines the completely indifferent attitude of Helena to the feelings of her beloved person. While gradually Shakespeare shows how her jealousy grows and influences her behavior and actions. The concept of love is the most influential in the formation of the character’s individuality which is completed only at the end of the story.

Helena changed her relationship with Hermia after the Puck’s intervention with love potion. Shakespeare highlighted their friendship at the very beginning of the story being at school.

“All school-day friendship, childhood innocence?”

Being friends they tried to do everything together. They had trust in their relations and were ready to tell everything to each other.

“As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds

had been incorporated. So we grew together.”

The intervention of Demetrius and Lysander became the main reason for the rapid change of their relationships, for the disappearance of their friendship.

“You thief of love. What, have you come by night

and stolen my love’s heart from him?”

Thus, Helena’s attitude to Hermia changed completely because of the love potion effect. Two former friends lost trust in each other because of the feelings, emotionality and fight of their men.

Helena is considered one of the most significant changes for the better because she managed to turn from a lovesick girl into a really happy and independent woman. At the beginning of the story, Helena was a naïve and unsuspecting girl who never considered herself to be a beautiful woman. But further on Shakespeare showed the new character of Helena who is a strong and self-confident woman managing to refuse Demetrius’ advance who just made some fun of her. The author showed that Helena was able to show belief in herself and express her individuality.

Thus, it should be noted that the character of Helen is the brightest one in the story because one can observe all the stages of her change during the adventure. She is an example of a woman who despite love difficulties was able to resist society and show her personal individuality. Her change in emotionality and in her relationships with Hermia proved her strong character. It helped her to become an independent and self-confident personality.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays. Bringing up such topics as love, fate, jealousy, desperation, and magic, it is a beautiful and deep romantic comedy full of contrasts and illusions. The play is also very controversial depicting interactions between the characters from different worlds, backgrounds, cultures and epochs. But it is still fun and educative to read.

What fascinated me about A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the Shakespeare’s portrayal of life on the verge of the real world and the world of magic and dreams in the forest with fairies. It is so skillful that sometimes you together with the main characters start asking yourself “Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream” (Shakespeare IV.i.200-202).

What is also impressing about the play is the way of depicting love through a prism of magic it brings to our lives as well as desperation and disappointment, “The course of love never did run smooth” (Shakespeare I.i.136). It also reminds us that there is no need to be in a rush as we live because everything happens for a reason and “things growing are not ripe until their season” (Shakespeare II.ii.124).

What is even more spectacular about A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the atmosphere it creates and makes a reader lose himself in. It is not only about a constant interweaving of real and magical worlds but also songs, dance, music, and festival setting a rhythm of the story. The play is delightful to read because it elevates emotions and sets on thinking. It is and will be loved because it brings up a true-life issue – how powerful love is in transforming people and their lives.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Logan, IA: Perfection Learning, 2004. Print.

Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a play that reveals the connection between reality and the dream state. There are numerous major themes in the play that link a person’s mind to dreams. The surreal and unconscious world is closely tied with person’s psychology through the nature of the mind, thoughts and emotions, love, rationality, achievements and manifestation of dreams through real life.

This is done for a purpose, as to show how much unity there is between the different states of the mind, and what the person experiences in dreams can be the “wanted” reality that is dreamt of while being awake.

The very first theme that the audience is introduced with is love and obedience. Hermia and Lysander are in love with each other but Hermia’s father does not approve of the union and so, they decide to run away (Shakespeare, 15).

The issue of a person’s own wants and needs is contrasted with the responsibility to parents and their wishes. In the end, every person must decide for themselves what they have to do with their life because it is their own. The psychological battle between the responsibility that Hermia owes to her father and the love for Lysander, make her chose love, as it in no way decreases the love and respect she has for her father.

Person’s feelings and more specifically, love are what define life and emotional state of a person. In such a situation, an individual chooses the lesser of two evils by listening to the heart and feeling what must be done. Even though a person is considered to be a rational creature, everything is directed by feelings and the greater the feeling is, the more rational pull there is to the object of affection.

It is clear that Hermia cannot live without Lysander and considers him much closer than her father. A philosophical point of view would argue that Hermia’s father has lived his life the way he wanted and made his own choice of having a child, supposing that the child would have their own life and choose whatever they find best for themselves.

No one has the right to deprive a child of their life and choices because they also deserve the chance to live the way they want and think is right. An important question is where do feelings and rationality come from. It could be supposed that it is biological with the involvement of genes or more specifically, the information that is passed on through generations. If most of the ancestors were interested in literature or mathematics, then the person is likely to follow the same route.

This suggests that the more someone knows or tries, in different aspects of knowledge, sciences and information, the better choice they will have in selecting something of liking. But even though a lot of people share DNA and genetic information varies insignificantly, there are still individuals who are unique and original in a lot of ways (Pálsson, 22). This means that biology is not the only thing that makes up a person, it is something much deeper.

But one thing for certain, is that people first receive an impulse, a feeling that appears which cannot be sourced by the conscious mind. The next step is a person reacting on the feeling by the use of rationality and reason. The play is distinctly separated into three realities—the real which is logical, the one that is filled with feelings and the dream world. The play which is being practiced by the villagers is put into the content to create a perspective between the play that people experience in life and on stage.

The fairies represent the dream world where anything is possible and people can be ruled by magical forces. The real world is shown as unfair and cruel to people, even those who are in love. The connection is made apparent to remind the audience that rationality, feeling and dreaming about or for something, are all united in a person and serve as mind’s tools to find the meaning of life.

A deeper philosophical look will question love and where it comes from. It is not clear why someone loves something or someone. It is obvious that love makes a person to be with another person, see them prosper and do anything possible to give a hand in all beginnings (Velasquez, 475).

It is an unexplained feeling that does not come from rational thinking, quite the opposite, it is sometimes irrational. People often fall in love with someone who is opposite of them or someone their rational mind does not like. Shakespeare’s play makes an evident illustration of the opposites and love.

It is seen when Hermia and Helen converse about their love, Hermia says: “The more I hate, the more he follows me” to which Helen responds, “The more I love, the more he hateth me” (Shakespeare, 14). The mysterious force of love is unexplained when someone has strong affection towards a person but does not receive the same feeling back. Sometimes, the state of being in love is cherished for the pure fact of love existing.

A person likes being in love, the emotions and thoughts that come around when they feel affection towards another human being. In reality, a person does not have full control of their emotions, and thoughts lead out of feelings and unexplainable affections that a person has. But, as history has shown, love is much needed in the world and can be thought of as one of the most important feelings there are.

Shakespeare’s plays are filled with feelings and emotions for a particular reason. This is to show how much time and life love takes up and what is the real moving force of all that happens in the world. Strong feelings of love and hate have been proven to cause the same chemical reaction in the brain; the only thing opposite to love and hate is neutrality, nothing taking place. This means that love and hate are very close and this is another major theme of Shakespeare’s play.

But love does not necessarily have to be towards a person. People can love objects outside the self, some individuals love power, money and other objects but primarily, they have great and selfish love for themselves which nonetheless, proves the fact that love rules the world.

People can also love concepts and ideas, as a scientist who is ruled by a formula or theorem. One thing for sure is that love was not created by people but it is given to humanity to enjoy and understand its importance. The play illustrates that love is very close to a person’s wishes and dreams and this leads into another theme of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” which is the dream state.

Throughout the play there is much opposition between reality and the dream world which are two opposite realms of life. It is evident that sleep is a much needed life process and before, people have thought that the brain shuts down during sleep. Presently, it is known that the brain stays very active and the dream states are sometimes, fully experienced, just as much as the real world. In a dream, a person does not use eyes to see or ears to hear.

The physical stimuli that are associated with feelings of hot or cold, hard or soft, pain and pleasure are not received by regular senses. The brain’s comprehension is the same in a dream, as it is during awoken state and people do see and feel the environment as real, in their dreams. The fairies from the play can be thought of as a bridge into the real world from the surreal one. When Titania talks to Oberon, their dialogue can be representative of the two states, the real and the dream one:

“But with thy brawls thou hast disturbed our sport.

Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,

As in revenge, have sucked up from the sea

Contagious fogs, which falling in the land

Have every pelting river made so proud

That they have overborne their continents” (Shakespeare, 26).

When Titania mentions that he has “disturbed” their “sport”, this can be seen as the confusion that dreams sometimes cause to the person’s rational thinking and understanding of the world. Oberon is portrayed as a dream that upsets a person’s rationality, as if he summons the winds and the fog that make reasoning murky and float away like the rivers out of their shores.

This is a clear link to the rest of the play and the real world, when a person is so much confused by the reality of the dream, they believe it to be true. Dreams are a direct link to something people cannot fully understand. Why do people dream and is it possible that the dream world is relatively as real as the world that people see when they are awake? Since dreams do exist, there must be a reason for them to be and so, often, people can find sense in their dreams, long forgotten and lost understanding of the past, present or future.

But also, dreams serve as a place where person’s wishes and goals come true. If someone has hardships in their life and is unable to achieve something, the brain manifests these wants into a projection that is seen in the dream. The intricate mechanism of the mind that makes this happen must have a direct link between person’s wants from reality and individual’s state in dream.

There are even numerous accounts when future predictions are made in the sleep and thus, it becomes clear that dreams and reality are closely connected (Westmoreland, 640). Some might go as far as to think that mental projections made in the sleep will become real, through person’s desires. The play makes a clear indication that the two worlds collide and the wishes that each person has could come true.

In his play, Shakespeare has shown that he was a great thinker and understood human nature. The connection between dreams and reality is sometimes barely visible and people lose track of where they are at a certain point in life but love and hate stay the same in both places.

Works Cited

Palsson, Gisli. Anthropology and the New Genetics. New York, United States: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Minneapolis, United States: Filiquarian Publishing, LLC., 2007. Print.

Velasquez, Manuel. Philosophy: A Text With Readings. Boston, United States: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

Westmoreland, Perry. Ancient Greek Beliefs. San Ysidro, United States: Lee And Vance Publishing Co, 2007. Print.

Introduction

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the carnival elements in the play are widely discussed topics in the literary world. One of the notable writers who did a deep evaluation on the carnival elements in Shakespeare is Bakhtin. Critics observe that it is this element, which makes the play distinct from other plays of Shakespeare. The play can be said to fall in the category of light comedy. It colorfully portrays an episode from the adventurous night of romantic lovers in a forest ruled by fairies.

The tragic and the comic elements in the play have also been subjected to severe criticism in the same manner as the carnival elements. One can see the play moving in between a tragedy and a comedy and this can be regarded as the cause for modern critical scrutiny. It was the Russian critic Mikhail Bakhtin who coined the term ‘carnival’.

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Historically, the carnival is a festival related to the Feast of the Circumcision. Bakhtin attributes some special significance to the carnival when he regards it as a symbol of collectivity. He considers it as the unity of the people which is different from the unity found in political or socioeconomic organizations. One of the main features of the carnival as Bakhtin sees it is its equality, that is, there is all-around unity, though the participants belong to different social, political, and racial classes. One can find a kind of free and familiar contact that exists among the people who are united in the carnival.

As there are no class barriers between the people, Bakhtin finds that the lower section of the society rises on par with the higher. When one attends a carnival, one is aware of the space and time which brings to them the thought of collectivity. While analyzing the opinion of Bakhtin, one feels that when people get together in the carnival, they are united not only in dress and appearance but also they are renewed both mentally and physically. Simultaneously, one’s mental, sensual, and material, unities too go up. The paper is an attempt to evaluate the carnival elements in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Bakhtin introduces the term carnival which denotes not merely a mass of people but who have gathered in such a way that confronts the political or socio-economic systems. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play with the characteristics of a romantic comedy. At the end of the play, Shakespeare introduces a new form of political authority. Here one can see that the dramatist portrays the term as an inevitable part of ancient culture.

Various critics point out that even when the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy they have identified the shadows of a darker undertone in it. Here Shakespeare portrays the interlude between Bottom and Titania in a new way, which, contradicts the conventional pattern. In his book entitled ‘ Power on Display’, Leonard Tennenhouse shares his views about the social system in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The author remarks, “This form of an authority constitutes an improvement over the punitive power he threatened to exercise at the play’s opening.” (Tennenhouse 1986, p. 74).

When analyzing the gradual development of the plot of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream one can see the elements of carnival. The association of judicial law and patriarchal power pave the way for a new political atmosphere.

Various critical studies prove that ambiguous sexuality is an important theme in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The love affair between Tatiana and Bottom leads the audience into the world of a new aesthetic experience. The crisis of young lovers in the second and third acts of the play gives a new form of storyline. The performance of young lovers in this play provides a sign of revolution against the existing system of authority. Here Shakespeare portrays his characters as the exponents of carnival culture. One of the major social changes reported in the time of carnival and festival is the deterioration of male domination in society. Looking at Bakhtin’s concepts about carnival one can find the love scenes in the woods and Bottom’s dream are the finest examples.

A sense of collectivity can be seen in these scenes. Readers can find appropriate examples of social change in the play. The life of four lovers in the woods and Bottom’s dreams gives a world of social chaos and that is entirely different from Theseus’ authority. The ending part of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream represents the mood of carnival. Through the characters of Theseus, Hermia, and Lysander the dramatist shows the gradual change of woman’s status and consummation of marriage in society. Julie Sanders’ book named Novel Shakespeares contains some salient information. The author shares his view like “These elements of carnival provide their intersections, structural and stylistic, with the paradigms of Shakespearean comedy and criticism, as we shall see later.” (Sanders 2001, p. 21).

Julie Sanders says that the elements of carnival in Shakespearean plays have their intersections, structural and stylistic features and these are highly related to the characteristics of typical Shakespearean comedies. Shakespeare presents the character Oberon in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The way Shakespeare portrays carnival elements in the play “ A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

As a romantic comedy, Shakespeare is A midsummer Night’s Dream constitutes different features of comedy. Carnival provides celebrations and gatherings. Colorful costumes and masks are essential features of a carnival. The character of Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a supernatural figure with the head of a donkey. Shakespeare introduces the elements of carnival in his play in a way of revolution. The role of Titania as an unruly woman, Puck’s dealings that contribute to the disorder, feelings, and responses of the young lovers are the violating forces. The play begins with an atmosphere that constitutes the patriarchal authority but it ends with a revolution. Shakespeare introduces the character Oberon as a symbol of an alternation. Through the dialogues of Oberon, a reader can understand a sign of questioning or a sound of revolution. Act III of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream gives Oberon’s words:

Oberon: “This is thy negligence: still thou mistakes,

Or else commit thy knaveries willfully.” (Shakespeare, Richardson & Messel 1957, p.81).

The revolution against the Athenian authority is revealed here in the words of Oberon. Another aspect of this revolution is the attitude of two suitors Demetrius and Lysander. The fight between these two people creates striking scenes in the play. The female characters of the play Hermia, Heena, and Titania succeed in finding their own identity in a patriarchal society. The disobedience of Hermia and Titania provides signs of revolution and both of them face the after-effects courageously. Studies prove that Bakhtin introduces carnival as a symbol of change. The mask is related to the pleasure of change and recreation.

In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a reader can see Bottom’s metamorphoses, disobedience of the female characters like Titania, and the dream world of young lovers presented as the violation of existing boundaries and conservative ideologies. The elements of carnival in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream provide a particular interface of reality and romance. Egeus’s silence in Act IV, scene I of the play presents the way that indicates consent or a kind of withdrawal from Athenian norms and regulations. Mikhail Mikhaĭlovich Bakhtin says: “Carnival was the true feast of time, the feast of becoming, change and renewal.” (Bakhtin, & Iswolsky1984, p.10).

In Bakhtin’s views about carnival, the characters of young lovers, fairy queen Titania and the mythical character Bottom stand for the establishment of a new custom.

Conclusion

When concluding, one can infer that the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream is expressive of the carnival elements at a higher degree. Rival elements in the play intensify its actions and the same causes for the dramatic appeal of the play. A close analysis of the play reveals that the carnival in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is revolutionary than conservative or subversive. One feels the revolutionary aspects in the play when one looks at the brave or the revolutionary attempts of Hermia to cross the command of his father as well as the law of Athens.

Hermia’s decision to marry according to her wishes and her elopement shake the keystone of the existing belief of the Athenians and Theseus as a father and a conservative king. One can evaluate the play following the principles of feminism as it best suits with the stubborn mentality of Titania when she bravely faces the threat from her husband. Both Titania and Hermia express their boldness in questioning the male chauvinism and select their own way, disregarding all other aspects like the existing social customs, which deny the moral and the legal rights of women, and builds up a magnificent world as their own. Titania-Bottom episode is the other example that challenges the existing social conventions.

Titania’s decision to follow Bottom and the respect that she shows to him, more than the one shown to her husband, are self revelatory of her attempt to affirm the feminist view of life. It is a revolution in the sense that a total change is visible in the attitude of the women characters of the play who disobey their male counterparts and select their own way which they think as befitting their status as women. An overall change is also visible in the appearance of the characters, especially their costumes and mask.

The changing of the mask and costume are symbolic of the imminent change in the cultural and socio-economic traditions of Athens. When the play ends, one feels the changing face of Athenian social atmosphere with the advent of a new political system. The new phase marks the consummation of women after realizing the bitterness of the male chauvinist society. To conclude, one can say that the carnival element mentioned the play is revolutionary and it helps to raise the play to a level that challenges the male dominated society.

References

Bakhtin, M M & Iswolsky, H 1984, Rabelais and his world, Indian University Press. Web.

Sanders, J 2001, Novel Shakespeares: twentieth-century women novelists and appropriation. Web.

Shakespeare, W, Richardson, R & Messel, O 1957, A midsummer night’s dreams: Oberon, Plain Label Books. Web.

Tennenhouse, L 1986, Power on display, Routledge. Web.

Introduction

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play written by William Shakespeare in the late sixteenth century. The main theme of the play revolves around the marriage between Thesus, the Duke of Athens, and the Queen of Amazons called Hippolyta, as well as the events that surround the married couple.

There are some other characters in the play, namely, adventurous Athenians and six amateur actors, who greatly contribute to the plot and topic development of the play. A Midsummer Night’s Dream explores both sides of love being the basis for any marriage.

Pyramus and Thisbe end up being unfortunate lovers representing the dark side of love. On the other hand, Hermia and Lysander happily got married exemplifying the good side of love. As such, the paper seeks to explore the theme of marriage, which has been used by Shakespeare to symbolize resolution and closure vivid throughout the whole play. The paper also seeks to discuss the role of marriage in the play, and how it affects other themes touched upon in it.

The marriage between Thesus and Hippolyta

The marriage between Thesus and Hippolyta brings together the King and the Queen. Their marriage is mature and stable; it also brings peace to the Kingdom and to its outskirts. Thesus says to Hermia ”Know of your youth, examine well your blood…”(1.1).

The fairies in the play are very humorous; they bless this marriage through songs, and dancing. There are some other characters in the play that are used to highlight on the topic of marriage and love; these are the lovers sleeping in the glade along with the fairies. The consummation of the marriage at the end of the play symbolizes the true meaning of love.

Thesus won this love by holding captive Hippolyta, the Queen of Amazon, while at war. The difficult period between the couple may be traced as Thesus displays a chauvinistic behavior that, however, surprisingly contributes to his growth. He instructs Hippolyta, “Stand forth.” (1.3) He exhibits general characteristics of emotional violence. His behavior is an indication to the reader that this marriage though positive in its nature has an underlying male dominance.

Lysander, Helena, Hermia, and Demetrius

The love affairs and relationships between Lysander, Helena, as well as Hermia and Demetrius are full of difficulties. Ironing out these problems in marriage is a heavy task to fulfill but they succeeded to settle down all their problems in the end. Humor comes along when they move into the mysterious Woods.

The driving force of these people who are in love with each other, and later end up marrying is the beauty. They easily fall in love with each other because they feel and see that their partners are beautiful. However, one realizes at the end that sometimes this turns out to be a totally unattractive feature.

Helena shows deep emotional affection and appears to have genuine love as opposed to Lysander, Hermia, and Demetrius. She imagines, “a child”, “as boys…the boy” (2.3) This perhaps is the reason why she is abused. Her love though genuine does not receive the same gratitude, “withering on the virgin thorn/Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness.” (2.3)

Things, however, seem to take a different course when Demetrius who is slowly recovering from the power of love juice, expresses signs of falling in love with Helena. The course of love in this marriage is very rocky but in the end, they sort out the problems and get married that brings happiness and harmony to both of them.

Oberon and Titania

The marriage between Oberon and Titania who are the King and Queen of the Fairies is full of quarrels and claims. They also control other relationships using Oberon’s spell, Titania, “rock the ground whereon these sleepers be” (4.1). They turn the world chaotic with their quarrel over the Indian boy. It is questionable why Oberon uses spell to take custody of the boy when the reason Titania keeps him is clear.

Oberon says here that, “And ere I take this charm from off her sight, as I can take it with another herb, I’ll make her render up her page to me.” (5.3).The problems in the marriage are clearly evident when Oberon accepts to reunite with Titania after taking custody of the boy. Marriage is not a battle where one partner uses all the means available to satisfy his or her desires. Oberon using his spell ensures that Helena and Demetrius fall in love, and end up in the marriage that he and his wife fully give their blessings to.

Conclusion

In conclusion, one may stress out the fact that marriage as depicted in the play achieves its role as a symbol of resolution and closure. The songs by Oberon and Titania at the end serve to underline this role. ”So shall all the couples three, ever true in loving be, and the blots of nature’s hand, Shall not in their issue stand.” (8.2) In their singing, they urge the three couples to live in true love. The triple wedding that takes place at the end serves to reinforce the statement.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Washington: Square Press, 1993. Print.

Introduction

A patriarchy refers to a system in which men dominate all the influential and powerful positions in the society. Masculine positions range from family heads to leadership in governments, social entities, and key state agencies or institutions. According to Donahue, the term patriarchy has also been used widely in feminist literature to denote the systematic bias against women in a society (48). In essence, men direct all the economic, political, social, and cultural aspects of life in the patriarchal societies. Women are downgraded, and their fundamental rights trampled upon in these patriarchal societies. The ancient Athenian society depicted in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an example of a patriarchal society. In the society, women are portrayed as sub-humans whose decisions in life depend upon the directions and approval of men.

Women Rights in a Midsummer Night’s Dream

As pointed out by Walters, among the most common ways in which women’s rights are downgraded in patriarchal societies is that men plan their marriages and women are expected to oblige without questions (158). In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia is forced by her father to marry Demetrius despite that she is in love with Lysander. Her rebellion is considered a serious crime in that society to the extent that she can even be executed or sent to a convent. As per the societal norms, she does not have the right to reject any decision made by her father. In a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theseus tells Hermia that her father should be as a god to her (1.1.50).

In addition, Theseus conquers Hippolyta compelling her to marry him. These cases explicate the fact that the institution of marriage is one of the contexts in which the rights of women are gravely abused in patriarchal societies.

According to Donahue, women in patriarchal societies are reduced to mere objects that can be manipulated by men to conform to their desires (49). Since men control the power channels in these societies, they are capable of taking this advantage to exert involuntary control over the women in the society. For instance, In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Oberon is not pleased with the fact that his wife Titania does not approve of his decision to knight the young Indian prince. He goes ahead to instruct one of his servants to acquire a magical potion that he intends to use in revenge against Titania and to sway her into approving his decision. The use of the love potion denotes the numerous unscrupulous ways in which men seek to manipulate women in patriarchal societies.

Women in patriarchal societies are also deprived of the right to make decisions regarding their bodies. As claimed by Walters, the rights include the liberty to exercise control over their reproduction (160). In the play, men have the capability of denying a woman the ability to decide whether to have children or not. Hermia is threatened of being taken to a monastery after Theseus teases her with the threat of austerity and single life (1.1.68).

Conclusion

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream presents some of the ways in which the rights of women are abused by men in patriarchal systems. The Athenian city and the forest surrounding it are depicted as patriarchal societies where women lives are utterly controlled and shaped by the decisions of men. The forced choice of marriage partners, manipulation of women by men through unfair means, and the control of women’s reproduction by men are some of the women right abuses presented in the text.

Works Cited

Donahue, Melissa. “ Transitioning from Patriarchal Society: Women’s rights and Gender Equality.” ESSAI, 5.18 (2007), 41-53. Print.

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York: Penguin Limited. 1994. Print.

Walters, Lisa. “Oberon and Masculinity in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews, 26.3 (2013), 157-160. Print.