Illusion and Fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

When compared to Oberon, King of the Fairies and Titania, Queen of the Fairies and the remaining fairies of the play, Puck does not seem to fit in as well. While Oberon and Titania belong to the forest and the world of dainty fairies, a small village setting seems more appropriate for Puck. He is the type of fairy that likes to be around mortals and cause them trouble, as opposed to other fairies. This is why Puck's  little job with a love potion and a young couple is perfect for him and he perfect for the job. Puck is a likable character who tends to create mischief around himself.

Alas, love can be a great source of confusion and sorrow, but it is nevertheless probably the most powerful feeling a human being can experience. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander says that “the course of true love never did run smooth” (Shakespeare 1.1.134), which is seen in the quarrels between the couples throughout the play. Shakespeare makes use chiefly of the fairies’ supernatural powers to settle the love conflicts and portrays the irrationality in love of the characters, thereby creating numerous comic situations and leading to the unification of the couples towards the end of the play. First, one of Shakespeare’s techniques to bring about the comedic climax is the use of fairies whose supernatural powers create conflicts and settle the disputes that arise in the different couples. In other words, “[t]he fairies and their magic are the engine of the plot” (LitCharts), and that is because their interference in the lives of Helena, Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander changes the course of the lovers’ lives.

_William Shakespeare: The _Complete Works. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Young, David P.  Something of Great Constancy: The Art of A Midsummer Night's Dream. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966.

By including supernatural powers, Shakespeare adds elements of comedy, while also creating a whimsical scenery. Throughout the play, Shakespeare includes powers that the audience can only equate to supernatural, but they can also relate. These powers, although absurd and definitely fictional, remind the audience of their childlike side, just like the one Robin Goodfellow seems to portray (Midsummer 35). A Midsummer Night’s Dream draws on the fantasies and daydreams of the audience to truly enhance the experience the viewers have during the play. Works Cited “A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Errant Eros and the Bottomless Dream”.

Through Mercutio’s portrayal of Queen Mab, it depicts the reality of Romeo and Juliet’s delusional love. After Romeo reveals his apprehensive feelings of his dream, Mercutio also begins to unveil his ‘dream’ of the enchanting fairy called Queen Mab. At first, his description of Queen Mab seems to just be an innocent dream of fantasy: “O,then I see Queen Mab hath been with you/... and she comes/ In shape no bigger than an agate stone...Tickling a parson’s nose as he lies asleep” (1.4. 58- 85). Although Mercutio seems to be depicted simply as a witty character who constantly makes comedic puns throughout the play, he is also shown have intellectual insight that Romeo lacks.

Nevertheless, again, everything is restored back before the play comes to an end. Puck uses the supernatural powers to make Lysander fall for Hermia again as Demetrius remains in love with Helena. 3. From Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we can conclude that magic creates both conflicts and their solutions through the fairies and their use of supernatural to manipulate people. The use and misuse of magic have a significant role in the play as it creates humor, conflict, resolution, and balance in the

New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Young, David P.  Something of Great Constancy: The Art of A Midsummer Night's Dream. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966.

William Shakespeare, in the 16th century, wrote two plays that both involved love. Although both showed love, their genres contrast with one of them a comedy and the other a tragic. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a character named Hermia refuses marriage with Demetrius with the reason that she loves Lysander. Hermia’s friend, Helena, loves Demetrius. With parents involved in the scandal, the group rebel and run of into the woods.

Though Puck adds much humor to the play while tormenting and drugging the lovers in the forest, he also acts as a catalyst in redirecting their devotions among one-another, thus demonstrating the fickle nature of love. For example, Lysander, who in one instant is blindly in love with his fair Hermia, will suddenly wake to find himself obsessed with Helena. Without questioning this drastic change, he boldly proclaims to Helena, “Content with Hermia? No, I do repent /The tedious minutes I with her have spent. /Not Hermia, but Helena I love.

He reminds people that fairies aren’t just here for wishes and confetti dust. For some reason, he somewhat draws in some negative elements to Oberon and Titania’s seemingly nice and dreamy fairy realm. He summons spirits, who after a night of wreaking havoc, they return home to graves. Unlike Oberon, who honestly tries to create human happiness, Puck, on the other hand has a blast pranking and making them miserable. When he made both Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena, Puck enjoyed the pleasure their confusion brought him.