Gary Prince Professor Schlauraff Moderns 27 February 2017 A Tale of Two Cities Throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, it becomes clear that there are two main settings that will host the major events of the play. As the play progresses, the drastic differences between Athens and the forest become clearer and clearer: Athens represents an orderly, hierarchical society where the law is strictly enforced and unchanged, while the forest represents a dream-like fantasy land that distorts the reality once known by those who enter. It is no coincidence that Shakespeare creates these two environments with characteristics that immensely contrast each other; the differences play a key role in producing the interactions that are …show more content…
However, Hermia and Lysander understandably do not realize that this forest is inhabited with much more than just trees. Inside, two fairies possessing magical powers participate in a battle over a young Indian servant, and Oberon is not at all hesitant to use these powers to further his agenda and acquire the boy. The young and innocent lovers get caught in the middle of this, and with one mistake pertaining to the love potion, the entire course of the play is altered. In the forest, the audience hears remarks such as, “Up and down, up and down/ I will lead them up and down./ I am feared in the field and town./ Goblin, lead them up and down” (III.ii.418-21). Here, at arguably the climax of confusion experienced in the forest, the chicanerous servant to Oberon, Robin Goodfellow (Puck), mentally prepares himself for the trickery that he is about to instill upon Titania and Demetrius. The repetition of the phrase “up and down” by Puck (three times in just the first sentence) brings out the intense and chaotic nature of the forest, and the overwhelming deviation from the orderly standards held by Athens. It also shows how intent he is on doing something mischievous in order to fulfill the wishes of his master. Aside from representing a place of …show more content…
Furthermore, this contrast serves a purpose: to orchestrate the events of the play in a way that brings the broken bonds of love back together by the play’s end. In the beginning of the play, Athens’ strict enforcement of laws, one of the city’s main characteristics, leads Hermia and Lysander to flee the forest. Consequently, they are acted upon by fairies, and the relationships that once existed become distorted, and then restored by the same spells. Thus, the audience is able to see the contrasting relationship between Athens and the forest. While Athens sets the stage by forcing the characters out of the city due to its strict laws, the forest breaks down and then reinstates the love couples that enter its domain. From this, we can discern Shakespeare’s message: a community that only has characteristics like those of Athens will create tension and lead to resentment, while a society where all aspects parallel those of the forest will inevitably lack order and mayhem will ensue. Therefore, a balance between characteristics held by Athens and those of the forest are necessary for a society to operate
For example, when Demetrius goes into the forest after Hermia, Helena follows him. She informs him that she needn’t be anything more to a dog to him, and that he may treat her in such a way that he would treat a dog (2.1. 210-15). However appalled most women would be by the example, it is still important to know and understand that demeaning yourself is never ok. The most important reason teenagers should read a Midsummer’s Night Dream is to be able to understand the significance of symbolism. Oberon plans to use a flower to make his wife fall in love with the first thing she sees. He wants to distract her so that he may take the child for himself. He informs puck about the flower’s powers and asks him to put it in Demetrius’ eyes, so that he may fall in love with Helena (2.2. 265-673). Magic plays a very big factor in the play, and most of the magic is concentrated in the woods. The woods’ represents a place without rules, where anything can happen. When the characters begin to go into the woods unexplainable events take place, as a result of the lack of structure that a township provides. By entering the woods the characters leave behind rules, and tend to reveal things about themselves they wouldn’t have before. The use of symbolism makes it an essential play for teenagers to read. To teach them that you cant
In the first part of the play Egeus has asked the Duke of Athens, Theseus, to rule in favor of his parental rights to have his daughter Hermia marry the suitor he has chosen, Demetrius, or for her to be punished. Lysander, who is desperately in love with Hermia, pleads with Egeus and Theseus for the maiden’s hand, but Theseus’, who obviously believes that women do not have a choice in the matter of their own marriage, sides with Egeus, and tells Hermia she must either consent to marrying Demetrius, be killed, or enter a nunnery. In order to escape from the tragic dilemma facing Hermia, Lysander devises a plan for him and his love to meet the next evening and run-off to Lysander’s aunt’s home and be wed, and Hermia agrees to the plan. It is at this point in the story that the plot becomes intriguing, as the reader becomes somewhat emotionally “attached’’ to the young lovers and sympathetic of their plight. However, when the couple enters the forest, en route to Lysander’s aunt’s, it is other mischievous characters that take the story into a whole new realm of humorous entertainment...
The funniest part of this play seems to be when Puck, the trickster, keeps mixing up the people who he is assigned to put the love juice on. Even when he did put the love juice into the right people's eyes, they still fell in love with the wrong people sometimes. The first example of this mistake of Puck's is where he puts the love juice in Lysander's eyes, mistaking him for Demetrius. Oberon tells Puck to put the love juice in the eyes of an Athenian man, Demetrius, and to make sure that the first thing he sees after this is the woman whom he hates, but who loves him so much, Helena. Puck ends up finding Lysander and Hermia, lovers, sleeping on the forest floor. He puts the love juice in Lysander's eyes and leaves. Then along come Helena and Demetrius to this spot. They are still arguing and Demetrius leaves her with the sleeping Lysander and Hermia. Helena notices them there and tries to wake Lysander. Lysander wakes and the first thing he sees is Helena. "And run through fire for thy sweat sake. Transparent Helena! Nature shows art, That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart."(2.2.103). This is what Demetrius says to Helena when he sees her. He has fallen in love with her. This is where the comedy of this love mix up begins. Now Helena is confused and thinks that Lysander is playing a trick on her so she runs away. This is a most particularly funny part of the play and these mix ups with whom loves who seem to be the funniest pieces of the play.
In William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” two worlds are contrasted throughout the play. The Athenian state is governed by order, law, and reason; the forest or Fairy world lies within the realm of the imagination where anything is possible. While both worlds run parallel in the play, their inhabitants are influenced by one another. Their rulers, Theseus and Oberon, play critical roles in the events of the story. Theseus acts compassionately with a sense of duty, order and respect; his initial rulings for Hermia provide the exposition for the comedy (May 75). Oberon acts compassionately as well, but acts on a whim and resorts to trickery if it suits his desires; his actions direct the complication in the plot (May 75). Their personalities are characterized by how they attempt to help the young lovers, how and why they make decisions and how they interact with their loved ones and subjects. The rulers’ similarities govern the reasons behind their actions; their differences contribute to the success of the story.
...espeare's control of the play proper. This is shown both on the small and the large scale. The linguistic variety of the play (see below) and the control of the four narrative strands are such that the play has enjoyed great success in performance. In the wood, Shakespeare will leave a group of characters alone for as long as he needs to, but we never lose touch with their story. It is typical of Shakespeare that the mortals we see first in the wood are Demetrius and Helena; at once the playwright shows us the cause of Demetrius' rejection of Helena and lets us know that the other pair are also in the wood. We do not need to see Lysander and Hermia before they have lost their way, but we are ready for Puck's mistake as he seeks one in "Athenian garments".
Shakespeare creates a situation in which two pairs of young lovers, Lysander and Hermia, are forced to elope from the oppressive authority of their Elders, here we see Lysander asking Hermia to flee to the woods, “there gentle Hermia may I marry thee; and to that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us” Freedom is not permitted in Athens, therefore the two lovers plan to escape into the woods. Hermia has two options given from her oppressive father, ‘either to die the death, or to abjure for ever in society of men’. She disobeys his commands. Shakespeare uses images to reflect Athens, and to magnify and to solidify Lysander and Hermia’s love for each other, which is strong and cannot be broken, without the use of magic. ‘Withering on a virgin thorn, grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness’.
A main portion of Shakespeare’s play takes place in a magical Forrest. Although is seems a bit far fetched, true magic arises from it's deepest parts. The Fairy King, Oberon, alters love, the strongest kind of magic. With his mischievous doings, Lys...
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play of conflicted love. Thus semi-comedy displays the notion of, the spiritual and natural world working together. The play begins with a noble family discussing a planned marriage. Hermia is arranged to marry a man she does not love. In rebellion she and her lover (Lysander) flees to the woods so they can avoid Athenian law. Before leaving Hermia tells her sister about her plans to run away. In desire to gain revenge and find love herself Helena (Hermia’s sister) chases Hermia and her intended mate into the woods. The forest is where the spirits live, the fairy king, Oberon, is desperate to gain the affection of the fairy queen. He saw cupid shoot his love arrow, which landed on a flower. He is determined that,
First, Shakespeare uses the motif of the seasons early on in the play to solidify the connection between love gone awry and chaos. The initial romantic conflict is established when Egeus brings his daughter, Hermia, to Theseus to try and force her into marrying Demetrius, the man of his choice. Hermia has no interest in Demetrius because she is madly in love with Lysander. Unfortunately for her, Theseus sides with Egeus and threatens to enforce Athenian law if she does not obey him. Obviously, this situation is awful for Hermia; she is being kept from her true love. Her options are dismal: she has the choice of disobeying Egeus, betraying Lysander, or living a lonely life as a nun. Either way, she loses. The situation seems completely hopeless. Shakespeare illustrates this hopelessness by connecting Hermia’s grim future with the winter. When Theseus describes Hermia’s potential future, he calls her a “withering” rose and a “barren sister,” destined to a life of “chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon” (Shakespeare 1.1.75). Essentially, Hermia will be trapped in an endless winter. This unnatural seasonal change will become a reality if she becomes a nun and remains celibate. For a young woman who is passionately in love with a young man...
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is established in the play as the jester to the King of Fairies, Oberon. He first appears in Act 2, Scene 1 when he and another fairy discuss the disagreement between Oberon and Titania are having. The fairy gives us some indication of Puck's character as she describes how Puck “frights the maidens of the villagery” and “Misleading the night wanderers” (Act 2.1, line 35). When Titania refuses to give up the boy servant that Oberon wants, he comes up with a plan to steal the child, and enlists Puck's help to do so. Oberon is fully aware of Puck’s desire to have a good time at the expense of others, but trusts him with the task of retrieving the flower to make Titania fall in love with “Lion, Bear, Wolf, or Bull.” (Act 2.1, line 180) The idea here is to convince Titania to hand over the changeling boy while she is infatuated with a beast. Being attracted to mischief, Puck seems excited to be tasked to this adventure, and claims to return “Within forty minutes” (Act 2.1, line 176) so that they can get started on their plan.
In William Shakespeare’s book, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, magic is a powerful and useful tool for the characters that have the capability to use it. Some of the characters abuse the power of magic, while others are more responsible in how they use it. Oberon is one the characters that abuses the power of magic. Oberon’s magic has an immense impact on the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. More specifically, Oberon’s magic affects his own life, the lives of other characters, and all the characters in the story experience his magic differently. We will see that even the person who has power to use the magic can become surprised by it. Magic, the ultimate supernatural power, is often unpredictable and inexplicable.
However, the ideal relationships are not immune to experiencing unharmonious periods. Despite this, the ideal couples eventually found harmony which allowed them to experience a joyous ending. Lysander and Hermia have a harmonious relationship in that they display similar desires and mindsets. In the beginning, after declaring their love for one another Lysander and Hermia devise a plan to run away and elope (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.156-178). Even when they are not of the same mindset Hermia and Lysander find an amicable solution. After becoming lost in the forest, Lysander’s desire is for them to sleep together, Hermia refuses for fear of the disgrace that would be placed upon her if for some reason they did not become married. Even though Lysander is a reluctant he respects her wishes (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2.1.47-67). On the other hand, the relationship between Oberon and Titania in spite of being plagued by dysfunction comes to a harmonious agreement. At the beginning Titania and Oberon are quarreling over the control of an Indian changeling boy (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2.1.18-31). While under the influence of an enchantment that Oberon had placed on her Titania relinquishes the control of the changeling boy to Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 4.1.56-60). After the enchantment is removed from her Titania no longer has feelings of defiance toward Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s
He sends Puck out to find a plant called love-in-idleness, the juice of which makes any person love next creature he or she sees. Oberon takes his revenge on Titania by making her fall in love with bottom who has an ass's head. Puck explains what he has done to Oberon, who is pleased with the way his plan has turned out Everything seems perfect, until Demetrius and Hermia walk past, Hermia believing Demetrius has harmed Lysander,
The forest in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is used as a green space, a place where the social norms don’t apply. At the time of writing, Shakespearean England was ruled by a female monarch, Queen Elizabeth the 1st who was only the 2nd queen of England in their own right. This power held by a woman at the time was not the norm, women were subservient of men.
William Shakespeare often compares imagination and reality in his plays. He explores this comparison through the role and purpose of the forests in Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It. Midsummer Night's Dream focuses on imagination and escape, while As You like It focuses on reality and self discovery.