The poet, William Shakespeare (1564-1616), wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream before the year 1600, and published it in 1600 in Quarto edition. However, it is suggested, that this play was ‘first put on in court in 1595’ (Salgado, 1975: p. 116). Because of the wedding theme in the play, it is possible that this comedy was written intentionally for a specific wedding, although, scholars still debate which wedding it was written for. (Goodall, 2015). During Elizabethan era, plays were performed usually in an open-air auditorium that was roofless. The plays were performed on the simple platform that had a wall on the back which was used for players as an offstage area where they changed. Additionally, this area consisted of exterior doors and …show more content…
15). Reasoning from this statement, it is very possible, that to be able to create the believable gender image, actors had to wear some type of makeup ( in more recent performance, ‘the thick, white face-paint was applied on grown men as a clear sign of femininity’)( Carson, Cooper,2008: p. 69). Furthermore, as Cooper remarks in Cosmetics in Shakespearean and Renaissance drama, in Shakespearean times, the use of make-up was a sign of power and authority, and this is because of the reason that the Queen Elizabeth was applying the face paint on herself (2006: p. 34). Additionally, the puritan minister Thomas Tuke, in his A Discourse of Painting and Tincturing, by openly engaging against the painting camouflage controversy , provided also an evidence, that pearl was used in Elizabethan era as a make-up ingredient to add the shimmering effect, and to increase actors visibility in the theatre. ( Tuke, …show more content…
With all these variations performed, it became inevitable that Shakespeare’s original plays were not staged for a number of decades. This situation however, was changed by Madame Lucia Elizabeth Vestris(1797–1856). Madame Vestris was not only an actress and opera singer, but also she worked as a theatre’s manager. From the year 1816, Vestris together with James Robinson Planche, tried to restore A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and successfully staged it in the Covent Garden Theatre in 1840(2011: p. 89). While Planche is praised for organising great costumes, restoring Shakespeare’s lines and creating great scenes with flying fairies, Vestris herself performed magnificently as ‘Oberon, King of Fairies: Madame Vestris, renowned for her beautiful legs and for displaying them in breeches roles, was responsible for that innovation’ (Murphy, 2013: p. 148). Vestris also used Mendelssohn’s ‘overture, wedding march, and other music’(1975: p. 118). Unlike in the past adaptations, this great Shakespeare’s revival employed musical effects not to suppress or replace original poet’s lines, but to emphasise them, and at the same time to create a powerful and dramatic settings. J.R. Planche in Recollections and Reflections wrote that this performance was ‘most successful, and verified Bartley’s prediction’(Planche, 1872: p.
Stereotypes are commonly held beliefs that most are all individuals sharing a given trait also should or do share other attributes to be associated with aspects such as race, religion, and physical qualities. In Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, he uses stereotypes to embody the characteristics of the stereotypical female according to society’s liking. The women in both “Othello” and “A Midsummer NIght’s Dream” are loyal and faithful. Women are bound by respect and loyalty to the men they love. Shakespeare has drawn a line concerning gender roles and the consequences of violating these positions (Bevington, 2014). Women seem to be victimized by society’s influence as they yield to these stereotypes that shape the
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.
Color, for writers through the ages, has been a telling element. A Midsummer Night’s Dream should be no exception to this element. The characters of the story tell a tale of magic; complete with fairies, potions, and a donkey’s head. Each of these effects brings enchantment to the story, charm that can not necessarily be employed naturally on a Middle English stage. The play, itself, talks on the magic that is A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
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.
The dècor is an important trait when it comes to adapting Shakespeare and has created problems for directors as it is a challenge to translate his theatre world into the cinematic one. The 1935 version of the play Midsummer Night`s Dream offered the audience the world of Athenian woods creating imaginary and real animals, such as unicorns or even owls.
Staging A Midsummer Night's Dream With an Emphasis on the Influence of the Spirit World on the Human World
Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books Inc. 2000.
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains many dramatic elements that help readers have a greater understanding of the play. Numerous symbols, dramatic irony, figurative imagery, and allusions can be found throughout Act I, Scene I. Additional images that further represent the assortment of dramatic elements are present in the PowerPoint collage.
The Feminist Subtext of A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare's works have persistently influenced humanity for the past four hundred years. Quotations from his plays are used in many other works of literature and some common phrases have even become integrated into the English language. Most high schoolers have been unsuccessful in their pursuit of a degree and college students are rarely afforded the luxury of choice when it comes to studying the board. Many aspects of Shakespeare's works have been researched but one of the most popular topics since the 1960s has been the portrayal of women in Shakespeare's tragedies, comedies, histories and sonnets. In order to accurately describe the role of women in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, one must first explore the female characters in the text.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and frequently performed comical plays (Berardinelli). The play transformed into a cinematic production by Michael Hoffman has not changed in its basic plot and dialogue, but the setting and some character traits have. The play setting has been gracefully moved from 16th century Greece to 19th century Tuscany (Berardinelli). The addition of bicycles to the play affects the characters in that they no longer have to chase each other around the woods, but can take chase in a more efficient fashion. As far as characters are concerned, Demetrius is no longer the smug and somewhat rude character we find in act 1, scene 1 (Shakespeare pg. 6, line 91), but rather a seemingly indifferent gentleman placed in an unfortunate circumstance set to delay his wedding to Hermia. Perhaps the most noticeable change in the character set from stage to film occurs in the characters of Puck and Nick Bottom.
A very old Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummers Night Dream” believed to be written in 1590 and 1596 was a classical idea of fantasy. It portrays the journey of four young lovers and their interactions with fairies. They story takes place in a mythical city called Athens with an enchanted forest, where a fairy king misguides the star-crossed lovers and plays tricks on his fairy queen by transforming a poor actor into a half-donkey. This work focuses on human interactions with falling in love.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004.
William Shakespeare’s writings are famous for containing timeless, universal themes. A particular theme that is explored frequently in his writings is the relationship between men and women. A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains a multitude of couplings, which are often attributed to the fairies in the play. Each of these pairings has positive and negative aspects, however, some relationships are more ideal than others. From A Midsummer Night’s Dream the optimal pairings are Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, and Oberon and Titania; while the less desirable pairings are Theseus and Hippolyta, Hermia and Demetrius, Lysander and Helena, and Titania and Bottom. Throughout A Midsummer
Considered to be the greatest playwright to ever have lived, William Shakespeare’s works continue to fascinate and entrance audiences around the world. Imbued with imagery, his comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream is perhaps one of his more fantastic but none the less intricate plays. Presiding over the proceedings, the moon is the uniting feature of the play. With its multi-layered symbolism it is the thread that connects the different characters and weaves the tale together.
William Shakespeare has become one of the most famous and influential writers in the English literature, and his work has been reenacted and studied all over the world for several decades. However, we often do not get the chance to admire all of his other plays as the school curriculum in high school only covers his four most famous tragedies plays like Rome and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello. Now, as a college student, I am able to appreciate his work more as my have recently seen Shakespeare Midwinter Night’s Dream which is based on Shakespeare’s real play Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, a comedy that portrays the events that surround the marriage of a Duke, the love of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors that must put an act for the Duke on his wedding. In this version of Shakespeare Midwinter’s Night’s Dream, all of the original characters and the dialogues were left