William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a comedy of Athenian origin. The entire set up consisting of a captivating atmosphere makes the tale to be a remarkable one. This set up is suitable for romantic adventures as it provides the right atmosphere as well as favorable scenes for love escapades. Nonetheless, Shakespeare’s works are never to be judged from their face value. For instance, in the case of this romantic tale, he hypothesizes a very contemptuous understanding about love.
The book, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ends up being an interpretation of the secrets of adoration. It further reveals how the lovers are ashamed because of their actions, particularly in the incidences that involve the youthful characters. In this tale, a lover is brought out as an indecisive individual who constantly alters his or her decisions (Shakespeare 34).
It also highlights love as a sensation that never lasts forever. Consequently, the tale proposes that love is not a deep and compassionate feeling but rather a harsh sentiment that brings pain to those who get into it. This notion is highlighted throughout the tale and in the long run, the conception of real affection is stained with uncertainty. It is seen as something that can change from its intended course. Generally, love is brought out as a terrifying and harsh sentiment.
Oppressive Laws
According to the laws set in Athens, a woman is not entitled to posses anything, including her body. However, she was expected to listen, and adhere to whatever their male counterparts directed them to do. With regard to Athenian laws, a father was given the mandate to choose a husband for his daughter. Consequently, a girl was expected to marry the selected man without questioning. In case she declined his father’s choice, the consequences were very severe as death was part of it.
In this society, a woman could not contribute to anything that affected the society. Furthermore, they could not even decide anything for themselves. Men dominated the society while women were used as objects of love and procreation. Even though the women married the men their father’s chose for them, their situation never improved in any way.
The women were hopeless as they could not even make choices that would improve their lives. The lack of voice among the women made their men to be fully in charge of everything, including their lives. Athenian regulations empowered a father to sentence his child to death in case she refused to adhere to whatever he directed her to do.
The daughter of Theseus, Herima, declines to marry Demterius, his father’s choice as her groom. As a reaction to her decision, Herima’s father threatens to exterminate her if she did not accept his choice. This whole idea is ridiculous since it is out of this world that a father would kill his daughter for refusing to marry a man he had chosen for her (Shakespeare 67). This episode substantiates how these Athenian laws oppressed women in this society.
Women’s Position
The women in this tale play ‘second-fiddle’ roles. For instance, Oberon and Titania, King and Queen respectively, were thought to be wielding similar powers. Nonetheless, Oberon manages to accomplish his desires and emerges as the ultimate ruler of the Kingdom. There existed no equal treatment of the sexes in this tale.
In addition, women were never given leadership roles. In fact, women were manipulated into marriages. For instance, Puck puts a love concoction in Demetreuis’ as well as Lysander’s eyes in order to compel them to fall in love with each other. He does this with full knowledge about Helena’s intentions. Helena loved Demetrious but he did not care about her.
Helena puts a lot of effort to make him think about her love for him. She utilizes convincing words and constantly praises him. However, Demetrius is not bothered by this and he persistently drives her away. This is shown in the manner in which he addresses her. He advices her, “Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; for I am sick when I do look on thee” (Shakespeare 82). This statement emphasizes on the women’s inability to choose their own husbands.
Conclusion
From the tale, it is evident that Hermia and Lysander, as a couple, are much better and smarter as compared to the union of Demetrius and Helena as a couple. I believe that Hermia is more conservative and has a conformist character as compared to Helena. This is because Helena is not presented in a similar way as Hermia. At various instances, Helena was totally out of control. This brings out her masculinity character that makes her to stand out from the rest of the women in this tale, particularly Hermia.
The author has evidently managed to express the themes of oppression and inequality in this tale. As much as the tale is thought to a comic one, the events that place in this tale are not funny. The manner in which women are treated is not amusing at all. The existing laws were intended to oppress the women and the less fortunate in this tale. Generally, the tale addresses the injustices that existed in this society.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York, NY: Norton & Company, 2002. Print.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a must-read fascinating chef-d’oeuvre written by William Shakespeare that is believed to have been compiled in the period 1590 to 1596 during the lifetime of Shakespeare. It is one of the most famous and popular works of Shakespeare that are still relevant today with most people acting various plays based on the original piece.
The three terms id, ego, and superego are psychological terms founded and defined by Freud’s structural and topographical models of personality. The id is that part of human beings that enables them to meet their basic needs. On the other hand, the ego is another side of people’s personality. It is based on reality principles. The part makes people respect other’s needs and concerns. It also secures them respect from other people. Superego is also a psychological term that represents the moral part of human beings.
Thesis
As a fact, based on the way the author strategically presents various characters, psychological critics have suggested that some characters in the A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be seen as representations of the ego, the id, and the superego. The play depicts various themes that people encounter in their day-to-day associations, for instance, marriage, love, and magic among many other themes.
In my opinion, the play is a real-life revelation that successfully explains the difficulties that people go through in pursuit of love. These challenges sometimes make people lose hope and turn to different ways of satisfying their ego. Some of the characters appear in various scenes while others are minor. Hence, they are only depicted or come into the limelight shortly. The characters, as the paper reveals, represent ego, superego, and id.
Body
Example
In support of the concept raised by psychological critics concerning the work, Egeus is one of the characters that represent the ego.
Explanation
Egeus, Hermia’s father, has an ego that leads him to permit Demetrius to marry his daughter. However, the daughter is not in love with him. Rather, she loves Lysander. He, therefore, brings complains to Theseus, the king of Athens, on why his daughter has refused to listen to his wishes. Egeus feels that his daughter is walking on a bad road by refusing to listen to him.
He wants his daughter to marry a man who he feels is suitable and appropriate for her. However, this does not take place. His anger and dissatisfaction are manifested in his taking of actions to go to Athens to report the matter in a bid to seek a solution or rather a satisfaction. He even goes ahead to threaten her daughter that she will be forced into marriage or else go to a convent.
Quote from the text
He says, “As she is mine, I may dispose of her” (1.1.42). The way the two are thinking and reasoning differ in terms of their wavelengths. Whilst Egeus thinks and feels that Demetrius is a suitable man for her daughter, her daughter has no such love concerns for the man. Therefore, the ego of Egeus is not forthright: he fails to succeed.
On the same scenario, her daughter Hernia seeks justice by following her ego. She exhibits the behavior by refusing to own the demand of her father in pursuit of her own happiness, a representation of ego. She says, “I do entreat your grace to pardon me” (1.1.58). The daughter loves Lysander. Therefore, she struggles to beat all odds to get hold of him. They make a decision to get married at a far place at Lysander aunt’s place to avoid being forced into a marriage that she did not want to enter.
Quotation from a secondary source
Confirming the above claims, Mayo argues, “Everyone in the play wants to be loved” (296). They all feel that they have what it takes to attract the attention of other people’s eyes. The play revolves around love and any other thing associated with it. Hermia is the kind of person who lets her desires define who she is. She is in love with the man she likes.
According to her, nothing is going to stop her. Her mind is already made up. There is no way her father can change this. Sometimes people experience challenges in their relationships. Some of the challenges form the external sources, while others are intrinsic. In the case of Hermia, her challenges are external. She is determined to ensure that she overcomes them. She does this by agreeing to cohabit with her love Lysander in a faraway place. Therefore, she is guided by her moral reasoning that she needs to make her own decision concerning her life and relationship.
Example 2
Oberon is yet another character that played a critical role in the development of the id and the ego in a bid to confirm the claims of the psychological critics.
Explanation
Oberon also referred to as the king of fairy and the husband to Titania, has a character that strategically represents id and ego. When he is in the forest, he develops love with an Indian prince. He tries hard to make him his knight. His wishes fail. He becomes angry with his wife Titania for refusing to allow him to take the boy to become his knight.
This upsets him and therefore comes up with a plan that is aimed at revenge. He is a determined person who often wants to achieve the end of what he has started or that, which he believes is right for him regardless of other to people’s opinions. Oberon is determined with his quest to revenge Titania for her, which makes him send Puck to get him a love portion that will help him achieve his mission. He says, “But hast thou yet latch’d the Athenian’s eyes” (3.2.36). He is an ascertained character who has a high id. He manages to obtain the Indian boy. In his endeavors, Oberon is a character that portrays the three psychological representations. His id makes him choose very disastrous measures to make his ends meets.
Quote from the text
The words, “Lysander, keep they Hermia; I will none” (3.2.169) depicts this argument. He says, “I’ll to my queen and beg her Indian boy” (3.2.375). He also lacks superego, as he seems not to be morally and ethically correct. His actions are not given a thought. He does what he thinks will satisfy him without thinking about the effects that his actions will have to the other people.
He does not show any concern to other people. As such, he makes decisions without critically thinking about their implications and consequences. His decision to spread some concoctions in the eyes of Lysander and his wife shows a person who has no mercy to other people. He is not a morally upright person. Therefore, he does not demonstrate any sign of superego. He, therefore, puts the lives of others at stake while purposing to make his own life better and happy. He is, therefore, a man who is self-centered and one who only aspires to quell his own demands and interests.
Quote from an outside source
Confirming the above arguments, Oberon behaved the way he did because of his id and the egoistic aspects that dominated his life. It is quoted, “he aims at replacing love where it belongs, but in the short term, he compounds chaos” (Nguyen 199). Oberon plans are outrageous in that he causes confusion and problems in people’s lives. After the concoction mistakenly administered, it causes confusion among the lovers leading to complications. Oberon’s intentions, therefore, illustrate an individual who shows no concern to other people.
Example 3
In day-to-day life, people encounter challenges that even deter them from achieving their goals and objectives. Lysander’s personality manifests this claim based on her id character that confirms the words of the psychological critics.
Explanation
Lysander is the fiancé of Hernia. He is concerned about his fiancée- Herma whom he loves so much. Even amidst the challenges, he has remained calm and decisive. Lysander encounters various challenges in his relationship with Hermia. First, Hermia’s father is opposed to their relationship. Regardless of these challenges, Lysander manages to overcome them. His id directs him to go for what he wants and likes. He perseveres and makes a decision to go to his aunt’s place to marry his love Hermia amidst the resistance from Hermia’s father.
Quote from the text
To back up the claims above, he says, “And in the woods, where often you and I” (1.1.214). The words are indicative of how he has to make sure he satisfies the desires of his heart. This spirit motivates him to go for what he wants regardless of the hurdles that are before him. The woods refer to a place in his aunt’s place where they were going to express their love and affection. Therefore, Lysander is depicted as a character with high id and ego. His ego makes him fight. He does not relent to marry the girl of his choice.
Quote from an outside source
Confirming the claims, Mayo points out how Demetrius and Lysander nearly went into a fight because they all loved Helena and no one was willing to be separated from her. These repercussions are all associated with his id character. The poem “…relies on the modernist paradigm, which insists that art will redeem the masses” (Mayo 313). People make decisions that the best thing to fulfill their interests and desires. In this case, Lysander is driven by his inner experiences to marry Hermia. It seems nothing will make him fail to achieve this goal.
Example 4
Another character in the play that manifests the ego in his behaviors in the play is Snug. He is a working illustration of psychological critics’ hypothesis.
Explanation
This character was part of the participants that took the role of a lion in the artisans’ play in the marriage ceremony between Theseus and Hippolyta. He says, “Have you the lion’s part written? Pray you, if it” (1.2.66), which is depictive of his ego through his pessimistic belief in his voice. His ego makes him develop concern to his colleagues. He analyzes any action he wants to make based on its implications to the people around him. In fact, he is worried that his roaring sound would frighten women who would come to the celebration.
Quote from the text
The words, “be, give it to me, for I am slow study” (1.2.67) show hat Snug has low self-esteem. He feels that he is not going to act the part of a lion better to the satisfaction of the congregation. He is concerned about his voices, which may cause anxiety among the audiences. Therefore, he is of the opinion that the part is not given to him. This behavior depicted by Snug is an illustration of the psychological alignment of people. It represents personality differences among people. The behavior of Snug is, therefore, a depiction of his ego.
Quote from an outside source
Nguyen proves the words of psychological critics of Shakespeare’s work as having characters who are led by their id, ego, and superego. He declares Snug’s behaviors as ego-oriented (Nguyen 199)
Example 5
Though hard to tell, Helena’s behaviors still confirm the critics’ arguments concerning Shakespeare’s work. She has a low ego.
Explanation
Helena is a young woman who is in love with Demetrius. The two were once in love though it came to a standstill when Demetrius fell in love with Herma before coming together again. Helena’s ego is low. She has a low opinion of herself. For instance, when Demetrius abandoned to love Hernia, she had an assumption that the reasons that compelled him to leave her were her looks.
Quote from the text
To back up her low ego character, the words, “None, but your beauty: would that fault were mine?” (1.2.202) portray how she feels that her looks are not as good as those of Hermia.
Quote from an outside source
As the plays open, Helena does not appear anywhere in the subject of love that incorporates other women. As confirmed by Hillman, this masterpiece stands out as “the most widely appreciated of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies, it is arguably the distinctive role of Helena” (34). Her encounters as depicted in the work lead to her conclusions that she does not have an appearance that can qualify her in the love triangle.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare is one of the plays that have managed to beat the test of time. In fact, based on the revelations made in the paper about it, it suffices for any fanatic of literature to declare the author as one among the few who have successfully used characters that strategically reveal his goal and message to the audience.
The various roles played by the characters based on their different personalities have made the play interesting and one that captures the instincts of readers. The play has various themes such as love difficulties, magic, dreams, motifs, and contrasts among many others. The characters’ reactions and portrayal of behaviors and traits illustrate id, ego, and superego. Therefore, through its characters and themes, the play has concurred with psychological critics’ view of the play as one that depicts id, ego, and superego. Otherwise, the composition is an informative piece of work.
Works Cited
Hillman, Richard. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream and la Diane of Nicolas de Monteux.” The Review of English Studies 61.248(2010): 34-54. Print.
Mayo, Sarah. “A Shakespeare for the People’? Negotiating the popular in Shakespeare in Love and Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Textual Practice 17.2(2003): 295-315. Print.
Nguyen, Khai Thu. “Another Midsummer Night’s Dream‘ in Ho Chi Minh City.” Asian Theatre Journal, 28.1(2011): 199-221. Print.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. London: Routledge, 1997. Print.
The works created by William Shakespeare remain a topic of incredible interest despite their considerable age. Even though Shakespeare’s dramas were written more than five centuries ago, their captivating plot lines and fascinating relevancy to modern life still inspire numerous authors throughout the world to develop play reproductions. As such, a particular type of reproduction that is extremely popular in the current age is the film adaptation of Shakespeare’s various works, which allows demonstrating the plays’ content in a cinematographic format (Gerzic 11). A relevant example is the movie A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Michael Hoffman and released in 1999. Based on the play by the same name, this reproduction adapts the original storyline to be presented on cinema screens; however, the discussed representation is drastically different from the original version. Specifically, the 1999 film poorly demonstrates the primary characters and introduces a novel setting, which tremendously changes the audience’s perspectives on the work and contributes to an unsuccessful reproduction.
Character Changes Integrated into the Movie
The film A Midsummer Night’s Dream, although based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare, adopts a different approach to the storyline. Such a decision by the director Michael Hoffman resulted in a number of striking contrasts between the drama and the movie. One of the most noticeable distinctions was the lack of details present in the cinematographic reproduction, as the film was significantly shorter compared to the play (Gerzic 26). Considering that the cinema format significantly restricts the timing of the works, the film A Midsummer Night’s Dream has a length of one hour and 56 minutes, while the drama itself is typically about two hours and 30 minutes, excluding the intermission. Therefore, several events present in the play have to be removed from the movie, which negatively impacted the story’s pace and led to the elimination of certain characters’ appearances.
A perfect example of this contrast is the role of the Changeling boy, which is significant for understanding the relationship between Titania and Oberon. During the play, Titania and Oberon discussed the Changeling boy several times, and it became evident that Titania was irrationally invested in this character (Shakespeare). As such, Titania refused to give the boy to Oberon:
Oberon. I do but beg a little changeling boy, To be my henchman. Titania. Set your heart at rest: The fairy land buys not the child of me. His mother was a votaress of my order: […] But she, being mortal, of that boy did die; And for her sake do I rear up her boy, And for her sake I will not part with him. (Shakespeare 159)
Thus, the Changeling boy became the symbol of Titania’s desire, which further forced Oberon to value the young changeling and diminished the suffering experienced by the woman after the boy’s apprehension (Jackson 135). In contrast, in the film, the Changeling boy is discussed only briefly, and all mentions of him are discontinued after the confrontation between Titania and Oberon (Mayo 312). Such sequencing negatively impacts the complication between these characters, making it less relevant to the plot. Following that, the tragedy of Oberon’s jealousy becomes less obvious, and the Changeling boy’s overall presence becomes too insignificant to impact the audience’s perceptions of the work.
Another feature of Shakespeare’s drama misrepresented in the cinematographic reproduction was the behavior of the fairies. In the play, fairies are represented as free-spirited magical entities who are in love with life and maintain a peaceful attitude towards the world (Shakespeare). Not only do these magical creatures appear kind and friendly, but they also provide comedic relief, falling in love with the wrong people and performing small mischiefs throughout the play (Jackson 143). Nevertheless, in the movie, these characters become rather frivolous and arrogant, becoming tremendously less charming and amusing for the viewers. For example, Puck was originally represented as a young, charming boy, while in the film, he had the appearance of a rude, middle-aged man (Hoffman). Therefore, the audience’s understanding of fairies changes drastically, negatively impacting the play’s truth of coherence.
The Impact of Altering the Film’s Setting
A crucial aspect of the movie to be discussed is the change in environmental characteristics. Similar to the alterations in certain events and character roles, the location was also changed in the cinematographic reproduction, leading to several inconsistencies between the play and the film (Buhler 51). A critical difference can be noticed between the setting of the drama and its cinema counterpart, with the events of Shakespeare’s work transpiring in Athens, the capital of Greece, and the movie being set in Italy.
In order to create a perception of a magical land filled with myths and legends, Shakespeare chose Athens as the primary location for the plotline. Being the country of ancient mythology, gods, fairies, and other magical creatures, Greece establishes a feeling of magic and supernatural in the audience, allowing them to understand the play’s events better. Such a decision also led to a seamless integration of conventions related to magic, such as fairies, potions, and mystical occurrences into the story (Gerzic 38). However, in the movie, the production is moved to twentieth-century Italy, a rather contemporary setting more familiar to the viewers (Hoffman). Although this choice might allow the audience to understand the surrounding environment better, it contrasts with the nature of the transpiring events, resulting in confusion and misunderstandings.
Given the importance of magic for the storyline, the viewers must be able to easily comprehend the surrounding circumstances and make quick connections between the drama’s location and characters. Nonetheless, with the action of the film being set in relatively modern Italy, the audience is much more likely to encounter issues when trying to link the appearance of mythological creatures to the surrounding environment during exposition (Mayo 304). Even though Italy possesses a rich history and is a beautiful location for cinematography, it is not innately related to magic or myths, which incredibly decreases the immersion into the drama.
In addition to the lack of a mystical background, the modern setting also creates a crucial issue connected to the properties utilized by the actors. Considering the contemporary environment, the movie incorporates modern inventions, clothing, language, and even behavior, swaying from the original interpretation of Athens toward a more current perspective (Hoffman). For example, in the film, the characters used bicycles to transit through the city, which reduced the impression of a magical setting and led to perceptions of a contemporary environment (Hoffman). From this perspective, the film does not represent the work as it was intended by the author, misinterpreting the overall ambiance and introducing novel inventions which disrupt the climax.
Conclusion
To conclude, the primary contrasts between the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream and its cinema adaptation were discussed in detail in this paper, explaining how the differences between the works’ events, characters, and environments negatively impact the viewers’ perceptions. Despite being based on Shakespeare’s drama, the 1999 reproduction of A Midsummer Night’s Dream does not successfully retell the story as intended by the author, integrating significant changes. The contrasts in the Changeling boys’ role, the behavior of the fairies, and the events’ setting contribute to the removal of essential plotlines and magical aspects, weakening the story’s impression. As a result, both the comedic and the tragic characteristics of the work are lost to the audience, decreasing the catharsis effects.
Works Cited
Buhler, Stephen M. “Textual and Sexual Anxieties in Michael Hoffman’s Film of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Shakespeare Bulletin, vol. 22, no. 3, 2004, pp. 49–64.
Gerzic, Marina. The Intersection of Shakespeare and Popular Culture: An Intertextual Examination of Some Millennial Shakespearean Film Adaptations (1999-2001), with Special Reference to Music. 2008. The University of Western Australia, Doctoral Thesis.
Hoffman, Michael. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Fox Searchlight Pictures, New Regency Productions, Taurus Film, 1999.
Jackson, Russell. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Screen. Cambridge University Press, 2020.
The play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare was chosen as the subject of this analysis. The performance’s staging was simple, with the main playing area being a sizable white platform. The play’s forest setting was achieved through projections and lighting, giving the impression of a moving, magical forest.
Discussion
The traditional setting was changed in this contemporary interpretation of the play, allowing for a more imaginative and creative approach to the play’s world. The performers wore contemporary clothing for the mortal characters and modern, minimalist costumes for the fairy characters, who wore ethereal white robes. The production gained a sense of modernity thanks to this revision of the traditional costumes, which also made it more approachable to a modern audience. The actors who played the characters in the play were well-chosen and gave the parts their distinctive takes.
The mood and tone of the performance were playful and whimsical, with an underlying sense of mischief made possible by the actors’ use of comedic elements and the striking visual design. The playful mood was established through humor and physical comedy, especially in Stanley Tucci’s portrayal of Bottom. Moreover, the depiction of the fairy characters, especially Puck, who was portrayed as cunning and mischievous, helped to create the undercurrent of mischief and manipulation. This aspect performed a gloomier and more enigmatic tone, which made the audience anxious and anticipatory.
The actors created compelling and relatable portrayals of the characters and their motivations for the audience, which made the play simpler to comprehend during the performance. One line from the play that stood out in particular, which was said by Max Casella’s portrayal of the character Puck, was, “Lord, what fools these mortals be” (Shakespeare, n.d., P. 244). The physical comedy and comedic elements incorporated into the performance made the play more enjoyable. The portrayal of the friendship between Titania and Bottom was one aspect of the performance that stood out. The humorous yet heartfelt way their love was portrayed gave the play new depth and made it simpler to comprehend the difficulties in their relationship. The portrayal of Puck as a cunning and naughty character was another noteworthy aspect.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the performance was successful, giving me a rich and exciting experience. Together with the actors’ compelling performances, the inventive staging, lighting, and projection design produced an unforgettable experience highlighting the cultural importance of the dramatic arts.
It is a well-known fact that the influence of Ovid and his writings on William Shakespeare’s vision was tremendous. Moreover, the latter writer used some elements from Ovid’s texts in his novels. One of these books is called “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. It would be proper to mention that the writer called “Metamorphoses” played a major role in forming Shakespeare’s idea when the English author was working on the project. Not only the figures of Pyramus and Thisbe were borrowed by Shakespeare from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” to create protagonists for his famous “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, but the English genius was also parodying both manner and the style of writing used in the mythological story.
Discussion
As mentioned previously, Shakespeare borrowed many ideas to write one of his most famous novels that are called “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” from an ancient poet whose name was Ovid. In particular, some elements of the mythologist’s “Metamorphoses” can be seen in the poem. One of the most evident elements of borrowing implies the use of gods’ names from Roman mythology to call the main characters of the comedy (Shakespeare 3). It is necessary to mention that “Romeo and Juliet” were also written under the influence of “Metamorphoses” because many parallels can be seen in both stories that appear to be interrelated. The English writer took the plot of Ovid’s fourth book of “Metamorphoses” about forbidden love and changed the style of writing to make it interesting for contemporary readers.
What Shakespeare Takes from “Metamorphoses”?
To begin with, it would be proper to state that the poem called “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” was written by William Shakespeare somewhere between 1594 and 1596 (Shakespeare 2). This period was one of the most productive in the English author’s career. Also, there was a belief that the comedy was written for some aristocrat who ordered it for his wedding or Queen Elizabeth I when she was celebrating the day of John the Baptist.
William Shakespeare‘s protagonists (Pyramus and Thisbe) were in love with each other. However, their feelings were complicated and changed throughout the poem. The main characters’ love was not permanent – they underwent a tone of both emotional and physical changes. It is necessary to mention that William Shakespeare described what was called a magic love juice in his comedy that represented Circe’s potion in the poem by Ovid (Shakespeare 28).
Although Shakespeare did not copy many names or locations from “Metamorphoses”, he decided to call these objects differently. Therefore, a reader who is familiar with both texts can see many similar elements in both poems, regardless of their relations to the plot. For instance, the presence of Titania and her speeches about the common disorder of the seasons was borrowed by the English author from his ancient colleague’s text.
Also, Shakespeare uses many transformations in his text borrowed from that of Ovid (Shakespeare 71). The plotline related to the Golden Ass’s head and the obsession of Titania with him serves as a great example of that (Shakespeare 73). However, it would not be right to claim that Shakespeare used only Ovid’s poems as the main source of the writing. Indeed, the ancient author inspired his English colleague to create his poems famous all over the world today. Nevertheless, Shakespeare’s imagination and ideas were also formed by Apuleius, which can be especially seen in the episodes overwhelmed with the atmosphere of forest and magic (Shakespeare 32). In general, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” represents ideas of many ancient writers as a plethora of similarities can be found while reading the poem.
What Shakespeare Discards?
Even though Ovid was the primary source for Shakespeare’s creation called “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, the latter writer also disregarded the major part of the “Metamorphoses’” plot in his work. The main difference between the two poems is that Ovid’s writings were based on mythology, whereas Shakespeare preferred to use the main figures of other works as regular characters for his books (Ovidius 5). It appears that the English author did not describe the world of Roman mythology. Instead, he thought that the use of Ovid’s protagonists would be perceived as symbols of love in his comedy.
Also, the main feature of “Metamorphoses” by Ovid was disregarded by William Shakespeare. In his poem, the ancient writer used several stylistic methods to present his metamorphoses correctly and consecutively to readers. Every character was not transformed by the writer to another creature at a glance (Shakespeare 61). Instead, he made the audience feel their presence and contribution to different actions in it. Shakespeare did not use such a method in his writings because he focused on telling the story and parodying, instead of being serious and following all the elements of Ovid’s writing style.
What Shakespeare Changes?
As it was already mentioned in previous parts of the paper, Shakespeare uses various transformations and replaces the titles of certain objects present in Ovid’s poem. It is necessary to state there is not much to change because “Metamorphoses” and “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” are different poems that are not related to each other regarding both style and the manner of writing. The only factor that makes them look similar is the English author’s inspiration by his ancient colleague and the plot of “Metamorphoses”. However, Shakespeare made his poem humorous and parodied the writings by Ovid.
As Ovid describes the change of shapes and different forms in detail, Shakespeare avoids this model of writing and creates a satiric poem that describes the logical error based on judging people or other objects by their supernatural appearances. Perhaps, the main idea of Ovid’s poem was to make readers understand that their personalities could not be changed along with their shapes (Ovidius 234). Instead, the English writer just preferred to create a story of love with the use of particular elements and fragments of “Metamorphoses”.
Shakespeare changes the entire idea of the poem as he does not emphasize on the use of ancient magic and transformations. Moreover, the protagonists of the poem written by Ovid play another role in the creation of the English author. It is necessary to state that William Shakespeare uses all the mythological names in his poem to make the audience feel the spirit of ancient times and Roman gods (Shakespeare 85). It is obvious that contemporary readers knew all these names, and hence they had a better understanding of what the authors intended to say with the help of particular words or sentences.
How Does Shakespeare Change the Poem?
As mentioned in previous paragraphs, William Shakespeare changed the meaning of mythological gods’ presences by using their names almost like titles. For example, the English writer calls all the messengers in his comedy “Mercury” (Shakespear 44). In turn, Ovid mentions this name in his poem only in episodes with the messenger of gods. To be specific, Shakespeare’s text is more public-oriented, whereas Ovid was creating a piece of art to fulfill the Roman mythology. The English poet changed the main purpose of the writing and discussed his imagination of what could happen in the labyrinth and forest in the twilight. Shakespeare changed the text by making all the metamorphoses look real and usual. In turn, Ovid wanted to emphasize on the point idea all the events that happened in his book could not be experienced by regular humans (Ovidius 154).
Also, Shakespeare changes the poem by engaging his specific style of writing. It is a well-known fact the author’s genre significantly differs among other poets. This difference can be seen in the use of vocabulary and the mood that a person experiences when reading the book. Despite all the tragic outcomes in a number of his comedies, Shakespeare attracts his audience by entertaining them and raising their moods.
Conclusion
The poem called “Metamorphoses” by Ovid inspired William Shakespeare to create several stories based on its characters, atmosphere, and plot. One of these pieces of art is “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” where three storylines merged before the upcoming wedding of Athens’ Herzog Theseus and an Amazon goddess Hyppolyta. The English author borrowed the names of characters from the book by Ovid and changed his description of transformations for the contemporary audience. Also, Shakespeare created a parody that contained elements of satiric humor in it, whereas the initial plot was focused on magic and its implications in Roman mythology.
Works Cited
Ovidius, Publius Naso. Metamorphoses. Oxford University, 1632.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Shakespeare, 1596.
In connection to gender roles as portrayed in the Elizabethan culture, women had no power to do as they pleased. Power over a woman shifted hands from the father to the husband upon marriage, such that, women were not to do anything out of their own will but rather out of obedience and total submissiveness to their fathers and husbands. The feminine power was always been under men and therefore freedom of expression was limited.
The patriarchal rule is put to test by Hermia going against her father’s wish of marrying Demetrius. Instead she chooses to marry Lysander, the man who she loves and this shows how she has propagating feminism by wanting her views to be considered and even tests the tradition and law by questioning that which will happen to her if she does not obey her father’s wish of marrying Demetrius (Dusinberre 24).
Considering the Elizabethan times much was expected from women in terms of respect and submissiveness to the men in that society, such that a daughter going to an extent of going against a fathers choice of a partner to whom she was to get married to was an abomination of the highest order deserving the worst of all punishments.
Women were allowed no voice at all in matters that concerned them and this unfair treatment rendered them helpless and tortured in all aspects for lack of attention in issues that affected them. They were always beaten to submission and therefore any form of disrespect could render them a severe punishment.
The feminism theory propagates gender equality, advocates for the rights of women in making their own independent decisions, promoting women’s rights and interests.
In Midsummer Night’s dream, Hermia is a perfect example of a woman who wants to do things her own way by wanting to get married to the man she has chosen and not the one chosen for her by her father. She even questions what will happen if she does not get married to Demetrius (Dusinberre 31), this therefore shows a woman who is questioning what is considered tradition because she believes that freedom from a repressive tradition is paramount.
The father is the one to choose a husband for her daughter something that Hermia does not see as practical and that is why she is ready to go against the common norm. In this context therefore, men are seen to be treating women as objects and not human beings with feelings, likes and dislikes and this is why they want women to do what they want them do without question but Hermia rises up to challenge this belief.
Hermia is a strong willed and intelligent woman who defies her culture, the Athenian Law and even Theseus, the Duke of Athens to fight for the love of her life. In exchange for the comfort of her land where she has grown up in and family, she is ready to forsake all that and elope to distant lands which she knows nothing about in order to get her love Lysander by her side (Dusinberre 183).
This depicts her as an admirable character and very independent minded besides being determined, attributes that feminists advocate for. She is not ready to stoop low to laws that are not going to bring her the happiness she wants in life and therefore crediting her aspects of the strength of a woman.
She is not allowing herself to be treated in a manner suggesting that she has no brains and willingness to do as she pleases. Stepping up and showing the determination to do as she pleases unlike other women for instance Helena who is acting desperate for the love of a man brings hope for the independence of women in the Elizabethan era and not only then but as it has been shown in the generations that followed to the present day.
Women in the society of A Midsummer Night’s Dream are threatened with death incase they don’t obey that which they are told by the men in their lives, be it their fathers, brothers, husbands and even the law. Hernia is taken to the king and is threatened with death by her father if she is not going to take up Demetrius as a husband. She is threatened with the life of a spinster by the Duke of Athens (Dusinberre 283).
This gives the insight on the extent to which punishment would be inflicted on a disobeying woman, by her father and the set out law that is to guard its citizens. Even in the face of this; Hernia is fearless and is ready to die for her right to be happy with the man of her choice and not the one that her father chooses for her. She is ready to give up everything just for the sake of her freedom. This scene creates an impression of how repressive the system was and a determination by her to get out.
Hermia seeks to fill the gap of the status quo between men and women of that time. This is depicted in her so to say tough headedness, by saying; this is an indicator showing feminine strength.
One could have thought that with the threats on her she could have changed her stand but no, even with the option of joining a nunnery if she is not to go by her father’s wish of a husband. Hermia and Lysander decide to meet in the woods (Dusinberre 315), ignoring what could have come up about promiscuity because in fact they are an unmarried couple. In the past in a case of promiscuity among unmarried people, it was always the norm that a woman in that case was to be blamed.
But with Hermia she does not seem to care about what rumors people might say about her being in the woods with Lysander, instead she is a brave woman who is ready to do what she thinks is good for ignoring what others might say, with of course a clear determination of doing as she pleases as long as she does not hurt herself and no one in particular.
Some characters like Helena are annoyingly submissive and easy going; they are a mockery to the entire womenfolk. The strength that should be portrayed in the women of the play should be seen as that of liberating women from the ties of helplessness. Shakespeare creates Hernia as a woman with that strength that is the voice to reckon with in trying to achieve the liberty with which women are to be empowered.
Her position in the play is that of a liberator because she is using her tool of words to air her feelings without fear, a character that is displayed in feminism as a tool to be used to achieve gender equity (Dusinberre 98). Being in a position to speak her heart out and go against the norm is a plus to her in the struggle to liberate women in that society. The quality to question tradition and stand up to a king and speak her mind is quite impressive.
Because Hermia fights for the freedom of women, in both mind and soul, she respects the fact that Demetrius is in love with her friend Helena who she sees as a sister, such that Lysander acknowledges that fact to the king.
Respect among fellow women and their feelings can be seen through Hermia, who even goes on to tell Helena of her plan to elope with Lysander, so that she can give her room to get together with Demetrius (Dusinberre 18), Hermia is ready to make a sacrifice to leave for a land she knows nothing about, she sacrifices her life for the sake of a friend and fears no one. Such a sacrifice is an indicator of a freedom fighter.
Her friend’s happiness matters so much such that she fights for her own liberation and that of others who are repressed by the laws of the land. Having the zeal and determination to do that is enough proof that she is a feminist fighting for the rights of all women of the Elizabethan times.
In the woods both men under the love spell of Oberon, fall in love with Helena, Hermia does not consider it love lost. All the four lovers are not aware of what is going on between them which is of course caused by Puck’s confusion.
Hermia is saddened by the turn of events but by the time the spell put upon Lysander and Demetrius gets finished, we see Lysander and Hermia get back together. Hermia gets relieved and finally sees light at the end of the tunnel because she has the man that she has fought for by her side, the ability to take the reigning circumstances and she is not discouraged by the challenges of the time.
It is obvious that in life good times are faced with bad times, that it happens once in a while when someone is faced with challenges, but it is the same challenges that help build us, thus in the case of Hermia, she is not stopped from getting what she wants by the hard times that face her for at the end she comes out triumphant because she gets married to the man she has always loved (Dusinberre 102).
Breaking free from patriarchal rule was the main reason as to why the feminism movement came up; therefore Shakespeare might have created Hermia as a voice through which he was sending a message of hope and restoration to women.
The battle of the sexes is seen at play in the play and in the end despite the challenges met on the way; Hermia ends up with Lysander and not Demetrius. Feminism triumphs because with the fight for respect for her feelings, Hermia gets what she wants (Dusinberre 162) Hernia brings to light a new era where women are reborn and are breaking free from the bonds of inferiority and bringing them to a level ground with their male counterparts.
The duke told Hermia that her father was to be seen as a god, this was to call for total submission to him, but she raises up against all odds, even defying her own father to define her position in society and liberate other women like Helen. The forceful bond of male dominance is put to challenge and independence of women breaking loose from a suppressive era of superior male is brought out by Shakespeare.
Works Cited
Dusinberre, Juliet. Shakespeare and the Nature of Women.3rd Ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2003
This is a play that was written by renowned playwright, William Shakespeare, in a period believed to in the late 16th century. A Midsummer’s Night Dream illustrates happenings based on the marriage of Theseus, and Hippolyta.
These happenings include the adventures of four youthful Athenian lovers and a number of amateur actors, who are controlled by the fairies that live in the forest in which most of the scenes occur. This is one of Shakespeare’s most popular literary plays and has been adapted and performed in many theatres across the globe.
Setting and Context
A Midsummer’s Night Dream is thought to have been written around 1590 and 1596. The play is set in ancient Athens and comprises three interlocking plots, ultimately joined at the Duke’s wedding ceremony. The other two plots are situated in the woods, and in the fairyland.
The play draws on a myriad of cultures and mythologies from the Athenian society, for example, Theseus is loosely associated with a Greek hero with a similar name, and the play mentions a number of Greek gods and goddesses. The play also borrows from the English fairy lore, the example of which is Puck, whose character was common in 16th century fables, the craftsmen were also common in London theatres.
Characters
Theseus– He is the Duke of Athens and is getting ready to marry Hippolyta at the beginning of the play.
Hippolyta– She is the queen of the Amazons and is Theseus’ fiancée.
Lysander– He is Hermia’s lover and in the end of the play, the two marry.
Demetrius– He loves Hermia, but she does not love him back. He previously loved Helena but ditched her when he met Hermia. In the woods, Puck uses the magical flower juice to make Demetrius love Helena, and the two marry together with the duke.
Helena– Is treated meanly by Demetrius, her former lover, and she does many things to win back his love. With Puck’s help, she wins him and the two eventually marry.
Oberon– Is the fairies’ king. He is fighting with Titania over the young Indian boy, he instructs Puck to use the magical flower juice on her and he succeeds in having the boy. He also assists Helen in her quest to win back Demetrius’ love.
Titania– She is Oberon’s wife and they have an argument over the custody of the Indian boy. She releases the boy under Puck’s spell after which the spell is lifted and the couple is united again.
Puck– He is used by Oberon to influence both his wife and Demetrius using the magical flower juice.
Nick Bottom- He is a craftsman and is a member of cast team rehearsing the play Pyramus and Thisbe in the woods. Titania falls in love with him momentarily while she was under the influence of Puck’s spell.
Egeus is Hermia’s father.
Philostrate is the man in charge of entertainment during Theseus’ wedding.
Peter Quince is a carpenter and directs the group that performs a play at the wedding.
Francis Flute is a bellows-mender and is part of the Pyramus and Thisbe cast.
Tom Snout, Snug and Robin Starveling are also members of the Pyramus and Thisbe cast
Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed are fairies.
Themes
Love
The play illustrates the dark side of love and how finding it can be difficult. Lysander says “the course of true love never did run smooth”, stressing this important theme (Huke and Perkins, 1981).
Although the play focuses on the conflicts arising out of love, or the lack of it, it is not actually a love story and instead, it distances us from the emotions of love in order to mock the torments and pain of those in love. The fairies also joke about love by confusing the lovers through the use of a magical flower juice, thereby implying how winning a person’s love can be difficult, except through magical powers.
Love’s difficulty is frequently explored through misplaced love, in this instance, it is shown through the four youthful Athenians: Hermia, Demetrius, Helena, and Lysander. Hermia is in love with Lysander, Lysander is also in love with Hermia, Helena loves Demetrius but he does not love her back, and instead, loves Hermia. The love scene creates a complex web of misplaced love as Helena and Demetrius’ love are misplaced.
The situation is only reversed by Puck while the two lovers are in the woods. We encounter a similar situation between Titania and Oberon. The latter’s coveting of the young Indian prince exceeds his love for the former, and this makes him to place a spell on her, which leads to her being in love with ass-headed Nick Bottom.
Magic and Dreams
The play is about dreams, evidenced by both the title, the events in the play, and in the final act when Puck informs the audience that the play might be nothing but a dream. The play exposes the often illogical and magical nature of dreams. The magic is illustrated through the idea of transformation, both personal and in general terms.
For instance, Helena wishes she would be ‘changed’ to Hermia, but, more generally, she mentions that love ‘changes’ everything it falls upon. While the play is set in mid summer, there are numerous references to May Day. For instance, Helena and Hermia are apparently doing “observance of a morn in May” (Shakespeare, 2008).
Literary Styles
Symbolism
A Midsummer’s Night Dream presents several instances of symbolism. The craftsmen’s play in Act V represents the main plot, but in an abridged form. The act of the craftsmen satirizes the theatrical Athenian lovers and gives the play an enjoyable, comedic end. Prymus and Thisbe experience parental condemnation in their pursuit of love, similar to Hermia and Lysander. Romantic confusion as exhibited by the young Athenian lovers is also exhibited in the play as Pyramus wrongly believes that Thisbe has been killed by a lion.
The magical flower juice that acts as a love potion creates confusion in Acts II, III, and IV. The fairies are not careful in their handling of the potion and this causes a chaotic situation in Demetrius and Lysander turn their love to Helena, almost leading to a physical confrontation while Titania amusingly humiliated. The flower juice represents the illogical, erratic, and unquestionably powerful nature of love, which can lead to weird acts that are inexplicable.
Contrast
The concept of contrast is a major feature in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The whole play is based on groups with opposite attributes, and almost all characters have their opposites. Helena is tall, Hermia is short; Puck plays jokes, Bottom is the casualty; and Titania is beautiful while Bottom is ugly. Besides, the three main categories of characters contrast significantly: the fairies are graceful and magical while the craftsmen are ungainly and simple; the craftsmen are cheerful, while the lovers are always serious.
Works Cited
Huke, Ivan and Perkins, Derek. A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Literature Revision Notes and Examples. Celtic Revision Aids. 1981.
Shakespeare, William, A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th Compact Ed., Edgar V. Richards. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008. 1099-1152.
Running back to the 14th century, ritual performances played great roles in people’s lives because they believed in the results therein. Rituals and festivities underscore Shakespeare’s works.
For instance, the celebrations that characterize the concluding setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is a rite of passage, a ritual that seeks to induct Hippolyta who must become an Athenian for she is from Amazon which is outside Athens. However, Shakespeare employs his conventional marks of scripted-ness to achieve his objective.
Courtships and play-within-play stand out conspicuously in this comedy; moreover, Shakespeare uses omens to make the contrived and the masterminded to appear natural.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, courtships are not easy. As Lysander observes, “The course of true love never runs smooth” (Shakespeare 134). Lysander’s relationship with Hermia is one that is full of misfortunes. Hermia’s Father chooses Demetrius and yet his daughter is in love with Lysander. The Duke rules in favor of Demetrius ordering Hermia to marry him or undergo execution or lifetime chastity to the goddess Diana. Helena’s love for Demetrius is not reciprocated.
In the fairies’ world, the queen Titania is estranged to her husband because she cannot give him her Indian changeling. The situation becomes so complicated to an extent of Oberon ordering Puck to administer a spell on Titania to supposedly to make her fall for anything she sees upon her waking up provided it is a living creature.
In this play, love is balanced with imbalances. At the beginning of the play, two men love Hermia and yet she loves only one, Lysander. On the other hand, Helena is crazily in love with Demetrius who does not carry even the slightest feeling for her.
After Puck administers the love portion to the two men, first to Lysander who he had thought was Demetrius and later to Demetrius, the men’s attention goes to Helena. Even her lover, Lysander, abandons Hermia. In the case of Oberon and Titania, imbalance comes in when Oberon’s desire for the Indian changeling overweighs his love for Titania.
He casts her on a spell that makes her fall in love with the ass-headed Bottom. This demonstrates an imbalance in nature and appearance (Nostbakken 70). How can a queen of the fairies fall in love with an ass-faced Bottom? Well, the love portion perhaps works. Nevertheless, any mature person conversant with the play will disagree with the idea of the queen of fairies falling for the ass-faced Bottom.
Use of comedy that revolves around the problems that confront the characters involved in relationships in the play shields the audience from the emotions that these problems could generate. Instead, use of humor assures the audience a successful conclusion maybe with the individuals marrying the love of their lives.
The audience is protected from the tension that comes with uncertainty. When writing this play, Shakespeare’s aim was to make people laugh, as it is a comedy. This has been well achieved through blending of human afflictions with humor. Shakespeare invented this style of writing to catch the audience’s attention and it works very well in achieving that purpose.
The craftsmen’s play that is meant to entertain the duke and his newly wed queen is a play-within-a- play. The play, based on Pyramus and Thisbe’s story, represents the most important ideas and themes of the main plot though in a condensed form (Nostbakken 87). Pyramus and Thisbe’s parents do not approve their wedding, an element that compares with that of Hermia and Lysander. This play-within-a-play reflects the confusion in the main play.
On the eve of the wedding, the fairies’ love portion drama results into romance confusion. Demetrius and Lysander love Helana at the same time. The queen of the fairies, Titania, falls in love with the ass-headed Bottom. The craftsmen’s play brings out the themes and ideas of the main play clearly and in a hilarious way. The play is meant to make the audience understand the main play well and it does exactly that.
Once more, Shakespeare used this style of writing to achieve his conventional scripted-ness that underlines his dramatic performances that characterise his plays. The play-within-a-play element portrayed in this piece fits well in the content of the whole play.
The theme of dream has been used extensively in the play to explain many of the bizarre happenings that if taken as reality would not be comprehensible to the human mind. “I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what / dream it was. Man is but an ass if he goes about t’expound this dream” (Shakespeare 37).
Bottom uses these words to explain the ass-headed person the fairy has turned him into in the past. It is not in the laws of nature for a human to acquire an ass-head one minute and in the other is back to the normal human. Bottom could only see this as a dream. Hippolyta compares their wedding days as a dream, “Four days will quickly steep themselves in night, / Four nights will quickly dream away the time” (Shakespeare 8).
Four wedding days may seem unnatural in nature and to make them seem less, Hippolyta makes it lighter to the audience by comparing the four days to a dream that is short-lived. The victims of the events that take place on that fateful night perceive the events as mere dreams. Demetrius and Lysander conflict over Helena and Titania’s short-lived love affair is not comprehensible to the humans.
To protect them from this unearthly reality, the fairies make the humans believe that it was nothing less of a dream. At the end of the play, Puck advice to the audience is to take the play as a dream if it did not impress them. Shakespeare uses this dream theme to bring out the comic nature of his play and ensure that the unusual happenings in the comedy serve to entertain the audience as opposed to depressing it.
Good and bad omens come with what a society believes. During the time when the play was being written, disobedience to one’s parents or/and husband were considered as a bad omen and they would result in misfortunes. Shakespeare’s work reflects this myth in Hermia and Titania’s cases.
When Hermia declines her father’s choice of husband, several misfortunes befall her. The duke rules against her, condemning her to an execution or lifetime chastity to the goddess Diana. When she elopes with Lysander, the fairies’ love potion diverts Lysander’s love from her to Helena. When Titania refuses to give her husband the Indian changeling, the couple become estranged to each other.
The husband feels so offended that he seeks revenge by ‘bewitching’ her into loving the ass-headed Bottom; she even offers sexual favours to show her affection for the newly found love. This act humiliates Titania and at the same time, she loses her Changeling that had been entrusted to her by the Indian mother. Even though these instances are only masterminded in the play, they appear natural because in many cases when one fails to heed authorities or parents usually turn out to be like Hermia and Titania in the story.
In the comedy, Shakespeare employs symbols to represent various aspects of nature. Leaders are associated with stability. Theseus and Hippolyta appear in the first act of the play but disappear for a long time after the darkness sets in. They later appear in act four when the sun rises.
Theseus and Hippolyta are highly respected leaders and can only be associated with order and stability. Their long disappearance during the acts that represent the night events shows the effect of their absence as chaos and disorder rule the scenes during their absence. Their reappearance after sunrise sets things in order. The confused couples are able to recognize their right partners.
The duke and the queen later allow them to marry. Surely, as the old adage goes, ‘love is blind’ and the love potion used here underscores this great but often-neglected fact. It is the source of all the bad things on that night. Demetrius and Lysander fall for Helena to the chagrin of Titania. The careless administration of the potion by the fairies causes great harm to many people. This symbolizes the harm that unplanned and uncontrolled love can cause to the involved parties.
This play is a great display of Shakespeare’s peculiar dramaturgy. In his work, Shakespeare used human experience to create his plays. He blended this with humour and poetry that gave it a timeless flow. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses an experience that was common back in that time.
Parents choosing partners for their children, husbands dominating over their wives and rulers ruling in favour of old-fashioned laws stand out in this play. In addition to the experience, Shakespeare uses humour and poetry to give it a light touch. The play is timeless and it has earned Shakespeare great respect over time.
Characteristic of Shakespeare’s works, performances underline A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Two performances are well expressed in the play. These include courtship and play-within-a-play. The use of these two performances brings out the desired effect to the audience. Play-within-a-play ensures that the audience both in the play and out of the play understand the ideas and the themes of the play clearly.
The play is also ridden with humour and since this is a love comedy, the effect is well felt by the audience. Courtship episodes represent real-life experiences and bring out humour as well. Finally, Shakespeare employed use of omens to present the orchestrated scenario as if they were natural.
Works Cited
Nostbakken, Faith. Understanding A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Student Casebook To Issues, Sources, And Historical Documents. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1964.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written at the end of the sixteenth century, the period marking the rise of Elizabethan era. Represented as a city comedy, the play also refers to the golden epoch of English history. Shakespeare’s literary work can be considered satirical in tone because it focuses on the audience of youth originating from gentry and nobility.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the play, however, underwent slight changes due to the tangible impact of old tradition of writing plots premised on folklore, legends, and myths. As a result, the mixture of reality and fictional characters highlights the main features of Elizabethan comedy. At the same time, there were some attributes that pointed to the writer’s willingness to experiment.
For instance, the plays contains ‘nocturnal’ elements through the playwright depicts characters involved in a variety of events happened during one night. With regard to the above-presented overview, it should be stressed that genre, content, and fictional characters are the main aspects that were influenced by cultural, political, and social background of the time.
Socio-political background has an immense influence on the literary works because Shakespeare’s political, cultural, and social views were brightly illustrated in his play. Specifically, the playwright attains much importance to the social hierarchy, as well as to class barriers that this organization has to literary work.
Despite the class barriers, each individual has the right to receive good wages for hard labor, which led to greater self-reliance and self-respect (Ray 42). Industrial revolution was another feature contributing to social background of Shakespeare’s time, as well as glorious defeat of Spain, and active social movement.
Such a situation develops sense of pride penetrating to the entire England and reflected in the literature (Ray 12). Because the play was written during the prosperity of the England, Shakespeare’s Dream illustrates positive orientation and welfare of social classes that strived to better future.
Shakespeare associated the title of the play Midsummer Night’s Dream with celebrations of dances, festivals, and pageants and merrymaking. Therefore, the play includes fairies, witches, devils, and goblins who can change people into animals and birds and influence by means of magic potions.
Therefore, it is logical that Shakespeare chooses to set the play in a fictional context. To prove the issues, Mulherin et al. introduce historic evidence according to which “it was common for people to suffer from midsummer ‘madness’ when, for example they imagined strange things or behaved in adds ways” (10). Despite the fact that an enchanted wood forms the main setting the place, the author never went to Athens, but his education allowed him to rely on Roman and Greek history.
Therefore, the characters, the content, and the setting are based on ancient Greek motifs. At the same, most of the folks and legend refer more to the old English traditions rather than to Greek mythology (Mulherin et al 12). In the play, the author depicts some Greek divine creatures, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;/ And therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind” (Shakespeare n. p.).
The synthesis of old and new traditions in play writing contributes to the development of new genres that Shakespeare makes use of to reflect the historic and cultural context of his epoch. Hence, the playwright focuses on the plot rather on characters, which underlines the audience’s greater interest in the background of the place, as well as sequences of the events in which the main heroes are involved.
Although A Midsummer Night’s Dream belongs to a city comedy, it incorporates a great number of mythic elements. However, myths and legends are used for decorative purposes rather than for integrating mythic motives. For instance, such mythic characters as Theseus who is closely connected with the Greek world whereas his wife Hyppolyta interferes with this fictional world and mixes the Amazons myths with the Greek legends.
There are also some similarities related to the name of Egeus, Hermia’s farther, that reminds of the Minotaur. Old mythical narrations are accepted as ancient fables that were popular in the Middle Ages. Therefore, Shakespeare combines symbolic meaning of ancient stories with the old English tradition of Elizabethan era.
Aside from ancient motifs, A Midsummer Night’s Dream encompasses various topics from Renaissance psychology, including Elizabethan viewpoint on fairies, as well as the transformation of reactions to witchcraft. Due to the fact that the play relates to performance with play-within-the-play and drama belongs to a living art form that alters over times, it has been interpreted and adapted over centuries to diverse social and historic backgrounds and values.
More importantly, it can be seen that Shakespeare’s play borrows much from other historic sources to develop the plot. In particular, the playwright combines various approaches to create complex storylines based on his cultural and social experience. As a result, the play involves many patterns that interwoven together with images and words of the historic period.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream refers to a lyric drama, poetic and songlike in which the art of language dominates over the importance of the heroes’ circumstances, as well as the consequences of the conflict and pressure between them. Imagery and allusion prevail in the play to create atmosphere that links reality and supernatural world.
Understanding social constructs represented in the play shifts the reader’s attention from the content and allows to explore the attributes of individual unconsciousness. It also inquires into the patterns of translation, production, and representation of imaginative experiences. Therefore, the complexity of plotlines is not significant because the major focus is made on the stage directions. Dynamics and verbal irony are other approaches that are typical of Shakespeare’s plays.
Elizabethan culture is closely associated with peculiar representation of genders in literary works. Although the play illustrates the complicated and unpredicted mixture of relations between the characters, it shows that women are rejected in their choices related to marriage.
Therefore, the Shakespearean and Elizabethan cultural representations constitute ideological concepts of human physiology, as well as socio-historical constructs of sexual identities.
Additionally, play skillfully synthesizes both gender and sexuality to adjust to the main social realms of Elizabethan epoch. These discourses are closely associated with diverse modes of political, cultural, and social organization and experience. Such a perspective relies on criticism of love and marriage, which is among the core themes in the play.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare employs genre, Greek motifs, and old English tradition to describe the social, cultural, and political modes of social organization during the times of Elizabeth I’s reign. Specific emphasis should be placed on humorous approach to representing relations between men and women. Because the play addresses to young gentry and higher social classes, it also refers to the high prosperity period in England.
Works Cited
Mulherin Jennifer, Frost Abigail, and Norman Bancroft Hunt. Midsummer Night’s Dream. US: Cherrytree Books. 2002. Print.
Ray, Ratri. William Shakespeare’s a Midsummer Night Dream. US: Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2008. Print.
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is one of the important characters of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The essay focuses on Puck’s important role in the play. The essay delves on the power of Puck to change the love interests of the two parties. Puck’s important role in the play is grounded on pranks and magic to brighten the Shakespearean masterpiece, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
In the timeless Shakespearean masterpiece, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Puck is the most important and dynamic character in the play. Puck, or Robin Goodfellow is Oberon’s jester and servant. He is a mischievous fairy. His major role is to add variety to the intensely romantic Athens love story.
Puck injects comedic mischief to the play. He also adds color to the Shakespearean masterpiece by his irresponsible acts. He has a similar small character as Oberon. Puck boasts that he can effortlessly travel around the world. Likewise, he is good example of a person eager to do good deeds in all possible situations.
Between doing good deeds and playing practical jokes, Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, prefers to focus more of his precious time playing practical jokes on the two lovers. The two lovers are Titania and Lysander.Puck, or Robin Goodfellow looks at love as one of the jokes to be implemented. Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, shows similar love characteristics as mortals living on earth (Carey 12).
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, has a wonderful personality of laughing whenever unhappy situations crop up. Likewise, this Shakespearean character is comfortable whenever there is a change of emotions. In addition, Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, displays several instances of philosophical prudence.
The readers of the Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” play will surely love the Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, In any play, the mixture of different personalities,especially Puck, help to enthusiastically increase the readers’ interest to continue reading the Shakespearan play until the last paragraph.
Specifically, Scene 2 of Act III shows Puck complying with his master’s instructions to interfere with the lovers. Titania is accompanied by a monster in love. Puck has placed the nectar of a magic flower on the eyes of Titania to enchant her to fall in love with the first male person she sees.
Further, Puck has stopped the rehearsal Quince’s play. Quince’s band was preparing their part for Theseaus’ wedding day. Puck was successful in dispersing the actors from their scheduled play practice. Many of the actors scampered along the forest in complete chaotic order.
In addition, Puck had transformed Bottom’s head from a human head to an ass’s head. The head transformation frightens the people around Bottom. They all scamper in many directions. Most importantly, Puck was able to enchant Titania to magically fall in love with the Bottom. During this time of Titania’s love enchantment, Bottom has an ass’s head. Titania is the queen of Fairies.
In terms of jesting, Puck unintentionally puts the nectar or magic flower on the yes of Lysander, who is sound asleep. The magic flower causes Lysander to forsake Lysander to replace his true love, Hermia for Helena (Carey 37). Seeing Helena, Lysander falls madly in love with her and is surprised at why he is in love with Hermia.
In turn, Helena reminds Lysander that Hermia should be his only love. Helena runs away to avoid Lysander’s love overtures. In Act IV scene 1, the story proceeds with Puck obeying his master’s command to remove the enchantments on both Titania and Lysander. Puck eagerly obeys Oberon’s instructions to correct what Puck had twisted magically (Carey 9).
Based on the above discussion, Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is one of the enchanting characters of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Puck’s important role in the play is grounded on frankness. The power of Puck includes the magical power to change the love interests of Titania and Lysander. Indeed, Puck’s major part is based on pranks and magic to spice up the Shakespearean masterpiece, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.