Fantasy vs. Reality in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare weaves a common thread throughout most of his comedies, namely the theme of fantasy vs. reality. His use of two distinct settings: one signifying the harsh, colorless world of responsibility and obligation and one suggesting a world of illusion where almost anything is possible, a place where all conflicts are magically resolved.
Midsummer Night's Dream is a vivid example of Shakespeare's use of this plot device. The setting of the forest and the events that occur there represent a complete departure from the physical existence into a world where love at first sight is the norm. "Shakespeare delights in decentering the world mortals take for granted; soon the audience learns that the dark forest is the center of the play's world, relegating Athens, center of the civilized Greek world, to the periphery" (Borey 1).
The impending marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta is an illustration of this so-called civilized world in which one is required to set aside emotions and do what is expected. In his opening speech, Theseus expresses his eagerness for his wedding day to arrive.
Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour
Draws on apace. Four happy days bring in
Another moon; but, O, methinks, how slow
This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires,
Like to a stepdame or a dowager
Long withering out a young man's revenue.
(1. 2. 7-8).
To this statement, Hippolyta replies:
Four days will quickly steep themselves in night,
Four nights will quickly dream away the time; (1. 2. 7-8).
It is obvious from this statement that Hippolyta is not as eager as her betrothed ...
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... major characters in Midsummer Night's Dream and The Merchant of Venice are paired off and live happily ever after. This may seem overtly simplistic, but it is within this simplicity that Shakespeare reveals his genius. His chief objective is to entertain, and he does so masterfully. Through his creation of a fantasy world in which all things are possible, Shakespeare transports and transforms not only his characters, but also his audience, and his readers.
Works Cited
Borey, Edward. "Classic Note on A Midsummer Night's Dream." Classic Notes by Gradesaver. 2001. 12 March 2001. <http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/midsummernight>.
Frye, Northrup. Northrup Frye on Shakespeare. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1986.
Macdonald, Ronald R. William Shakespeare: The Comedies. New York: Twayne Publishers. 1992.
In the story, the supreme ruler of Athens, Thesius ends up marrying Hippolyta, the Queen of the Jungle. However, during the whole story, Hippolyta never throughly discusses her feelings and ideas about the marriage. She acts as if she has no choice but to marry Thesius. This can be proven by examining Hippolyta's position in the relationship between herself and Thesius. Hippolyta was captured by Thesius during battle and Thesius intimidates Hippolyta into marrying him since he is a supreme ruler and she was defeated by him. Thesius reveals that he capture Hippolyta in battle in the following quote, "I wood thee by my sword/ And won thy love doing thee injuries" (Act I, Pg 7). The above quote and the fact that Hippolyta never discusses her feelings about the wedding leads the re...
In Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night Dream he entices the reader using character development, imagery, and symbolism. These tools help make it a wonderful play for teens, teaching them what a well-written comedy looks like. As well as taking them into a story they won’t soon forget.
Both the play's humans and fairies try to shape love into forms that are advantageous not to the lovers, but to the leaders. Egeus insists that Hermia submit to Demetrius or die; Hippolyta must ...
Shakespeare, William. "Midsummer Night's Dream." The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. .
Fairies, mortals, magic, love, and hate all intertwine to make A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare a very enchanting tale, that takes the reader on a truly dream-like adventure. The action takes place in Athens, Greece in ancient times, but has the atmosphere of a land of fantasy and illusion which could be anywhere. The mischievousness and the emotions exhibited by characters in the play, along with their attempts to double-cross destiny, not only make the tale entertaining, but also help solidify one of the play’s major themes; that true love and it’s cleverly disguised counterparts can drive beings to do seemingly irrational things.
This suggests that Hippolyta is more like an object if she is "won" and represents the typical view that men were superior over women. However with Hippolyta's character Shakespeare mocks this ideal, as Hippolyta, being queen of the Amazons, a tribe of warrior women, represents a very strong and independent woman, therefore does not conform to the stereotypical view of the "wife. " Theseus and Hippolytas first scene is important as it sets the scene for the play. Shakespeare stresses the differences between the two. Theseus is very impatient for their wedding to take place: " But, O, methinks, how slow this old moon wanes.
...Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, And won thy love, doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph and with revelling.
Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books Inc. 2000.
Love can be quite chaotic at times. As much as poets and songwriters promote the idea of idyllic romantic love, the experience in reality is often fraught with emotional turmoil. When people are in love, they tend to make poor decisions, from disobeying authority figures to making rash, poorly thought-out choices. In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare uses various motifs to illustrate how love, irrationality, and disobedience are thematically linked to disorder.
William Shakespeare, one of the most famous play writers, wrote at least 27 different plays in his lifetime. One of the genres he specialized in was comedy, which in Elizabethan time, meant a play that ended happily for all characters. It is believed that one of his most popular comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was written and performed for a wedding party to which Queen Elizabeth herself attended. This only seems appropriate with the entertaining themes of love, magic, and dreams. By examining the title, dreams can be seen as the most important theme as it incorporates both love and magic. In William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, dreams are a reflection of reality.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Norton Shakespeare: Greenblatt, Stephen, editor. New York: W W Norton & Company, 1997.
Shakespeare’s use of a play-within-a-play encourages the audience to reflect independently on the nature of art and love, and his favouring the forces of nature and magic as the driving forces of both these intangible concepts leaves the audience with a lesson learnt. Love requires irrationality, and art can be magical if the audience is able to use their emotive functions. Shakespeare provides the audience with cues as to when a suspension of reason is required by his manipulation of verse and metaphor. Ultimately, A Midsummer Night’s Dream warns the audience against trying to understand love by reason alone; the play would fail if the narrative is not free to be fantastical and fantasy can only exist where reality is suspended for a while. Works cited Burke, Kenneth.
Hippolyta is a strong yet silent amazonian beauty who is the love of Theseus, Duke of Athens. Although Hippolyta is largely silent in her dealings with love in the patriarchal society, her physical presence speaks for the untold voice she might profit from. Of the four main female characters Hippolyta is the more silent of the four. However, since Hippolyta is the maiden of Theseus she bears heavy in the decisions Theseus makes about the love quarrels within the play. From the words of Theseus the reader can associate that Hippolyta has a strong impact on the actions he takes when dealing with love and marriage:
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Comp. Folger Shakespeare Library. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.