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The theme of love in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Reality and Fantasy in A Midsummer Night's Dream
What was the theme of love in a midsummer night dream
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare great works, is a play that seeks to address different grave societal issues with the use of humour. Shakespeare touches on different themes, though in a sarcastic, humorous and hidden manner. The comedy play depicts themes of love, problem with time, loss of individual identity, appearance versus reality, transformation amongst others. Nick Bottom, one of the Mechanicals, is the majorly used character to portray these themes in the play as he appears in almost all scenes of the play alongside other characters of the play. This working-class guy is used diversely in the play, not only to develop the play but also as ‘weaver of two different world. These are the aspects of Nick Bottom that make the play a success. Firstly, it is …show more content…
It is through Bottom that we get to see the nature of love; love is difficult and irrational. Oberon, enchants Titania with the magic juice due to unexplained jealousy and utters during the enchantment, “Wake when the vilest thing is near”. When Puck turns Bottom’s head to that of an ass, his fellow actors run away from him, and he thinks they are playing a prank on him. Bottom decides to stay in the forest alone and sings out loudly awakening the fairy queen Titania. Due to the enchantment Oberon cast on her, she falls in love with Bottom despite the fact that he has the head of a donkey. When Puck returns Bottom’s head to human state, the fairies leave him in the woods and he wakes thinking that it was all a dream. These shows the irrationality of love. In the play within a play ‘Pyramus and Thsibe’, he mocks love when he say ‘let the audience look to their eyes’. This statements simply means that people don’t use their mind when they fall in love. Love is depicted as an emotion that is based on superficialities, hence it is irrational. Bottom himself doesn’t believe in love. At one instance he says, “reason and love keep little
When Oberon ordered Puck to anoint Demetrius, he anointed Lysander, therefore causing chaos among the lovers! Puck was the one making his own choices based on his knowledge. Secondly, when Titania ordered the fairies to serve Bottom, she was under the love potion. Since she madly pursued Bottom, she didn’t truly know what she was doing, which caused chaos!. Though it may seem like Bottom and Oberon were controlling, they are both at 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.
...nces like to have a clear hero of their stories. The combination of the director’s artistic vision, cinematic choices, and Kline’s performance singles out Bottom as the main-character. The film’s time is not spent mostly on Bottom’s story; actually, the Athenian lovers take up the most actual screen time. Bottom represents the bridge between the real world of the merchants and lovers and the fantastical fairy kingdom. He comes from the lowest class of society and rises to be something the queen of the fairies loves and values. In a world in which no one breaks from the Chain of Being, Bottom is able to venture into a world grander than his own for a short time. When he returns, he holds the nobility he gained from his experience within, transcending all classes to become the perfect hero for our modern conception of the play, hilariously valiant and imperfect.
With him, he finds a small golden ring, and what seems to be a tiny birds nest. This is something that occurs in Hoffman’s film, but not Shakespeare’s play. The ring is a smaller version of the crown he wore as he was in love with Titania as an ass. The tiny birds nest resembles the alarge nest he slept in with Titania in the dream world. These small things he now had possession over, resemble what had happened in this “dream.” As Hoffman’s movie came to an end, Bottom sees fairies and Titania flying outside his window, another thing that did not occur in the play. This gave him a spark of love and remembrance for Titania. “He also makes the love story between Bottom and Titania more poignant by showing Bottom actually falling in love with the Queen of the Fairies” (Tucker). Shakespeare would not have put Bottom in a situation of love, for Bottom was on considered a narcissistic and comedic man, not one with
In the original written play, there was no mention of a wife for Nick Bottom; the on-screen rendition, however, portrayed a wife who, though having no lines, was intolerant of her husband’s idiocy. To build on this, the characters that were part of Peter Quince and his cast were much more tolerable and less aware of Bottom’s idiocy in the play than in the movie. Hoffman’s portrayal depicted Bottom as a laughingstock among laughingstocks, going so far as to add a scene in which wine is poured over Bottom’s head to reveal the intolerance of his idiocy. Regarding the characters in the main portion of the play, Helena was much less irritating, whiny, and desperate in the original work than in Hoffman’s movie. The “Hollywood” aspect of the movie made Helena seem to be a rather unlikeable character (this also was affected by the setting, as mentioned above), whereas in the play she was seen to be mostly an unfortunate soul who whined only sometimes. These differences in character, though seemingly small, lead the audience to draw two very different conclusions about the characters’ situations and why they are placed in them. The analyzation of the characters changes from Shakespeare’s written play to Hoffman’s rendering of A Midsummer Night’s
Oberon is making a spectacle of Titania and Bottom. It is ridiculous that she is in love with him because he is from such a lower class than her, he is human and she is a fairy, and he has the head of an ass. She is also a queen and he is an uneducated working man and a match like this would never happen. Bottom has such a problem with language.
...age. Instead of laughing at Bottom, the film generates a feeling of sorrow for his character. When the wine is poured on him when the craftsmen first meet, Bottom takes an obvious emotional blow, so one can see how he would artificially inflate himself with the false perception of being a wonderful actor. When chosen to perform for Thesseus’s wedding, the players are very nervous and turn to Bottom for comfort. They look up to and respect Bottom for his confidence and acting ability, but Bottom later makes a fool of himself in the play by over dramatizing the part of Pyramus, especially when he performs the death of Pyramus. Michael Hoffman’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream brings a classical play to a modern audience and makes it an exciting and humorous experience. This is accomplished most notably with the direction he gives to the two characters discussed. The animated humor of Bottom and the slightly more subtle badgering of other characters brought forth by Puck creates a certain amount of attachment to the movie by the viewer. The cinematic version of Shakespeare’s play is well adapted to a modern audience, especially through the characters of Puck and Nick Bottom.
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, playwright William Shakespeare creates in Bottom, Oberon, and Puck unique characters that represent different aspects of him. Like Bottom, Shakespeare aspires to rise socially; Bottom has high aims and, however slightly, interacts with a queen. Through Bottom, Shakespeare mocks these pretensions within himself. Shakespeare also resembles King Oberon, controlling the magic we see on the stage. Unseen, he and Oberon pull the strings that control what the characters act and say. Finally, Shakespeare is like Puck, standing back from the other characters, acutely aware of their weaknesses and mocks them, relishing in mischief at their expense. With these three characters and some play-within-a-play enchantment, Shakespeare mocks himself and his plays as much as he does the young lovers and the mechanicals onstage. This genius playwright who is capable of writing serious dramas such as Hamlet and Julius Caesar is still able to laugh at himself just as he does at his characters. With the help of Bottom, Oberon, and Puck, Shakespeare shows us that theatre, and even life itself, are illusions that one should remember to laugh at.
The contrasted humor is clearly shown as Titania weaves flowers into the hair of Bottom’s donkey-like head. Titania is a beautiful and delicate creature, while Bottom is completely grotesque. Magic creates an unreal image of Bottom, which in turn creates a comical contrast between Bottom and Titania. As part of the already comical sub-plot, Bottom’s altering through magic adds even more humor to the overall play. Next, the misuse of magic causes conflict among the four Athenian lovers.
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
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.
The entire cast of A Midsummer Night Dream was full of many, many fun and interesting characters. They kept the play alive and intriguing as they each had very separate personalities. Each person was alive and left a very vivid impression in our brains after reading through the play. It is very hard just to choose one particular favorite character as they all are amazing. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, my personal favorite character would have to be Hermia because she is loving, virtuous, and patient.
When the audience first meets Bottom, he is in the midst of being casted for the play “Pyramus and Thisbe” (1.2) which will be performed for Theseus and Hippolyta on their wedding day. Prior to this introduction of Bottom, it follows a long woeful rant by Helena about her misfortune. However, after this emotionally draining scene, it becomes evident that Bottom serves as a comedic device intended to lighten the mood of the play. Bottom attributes comic relief to the audience, as his character wants to play every part in the play there is: “And I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too. I’ll speak in the monstrous little voice: Thisne, Thisne!” (1.2.43). He goes on to say he would like to play the lion as well, as he feels like he can sweep from one emotion to th...
To emphasize, in Act III, the reader is presented with the play’s most extraordinary contrast, the relationship between Titania and Bottom. “What wakes me from my flow’ry bed?” (III.i.131). Titania is awoken by the so-called melodic singing of Bottom. In the present scene, both characters are under some particular sort of spell. Titania’s eyes were anointed with the nectar of the love flower, thus causing her to fall in love with the next living thing she encounters. In the meantime, Puck pulled a prank on Bottom, turning his head into that of an ass. Both characters of the play are interpreted as complete opposites. Titania, characterized as the beautiful, graceful fairy queen; Bottom is portrayed as overdramatic, self centered, and as of now, not keen on the eyes. However, the love nectar never fails and seems to bring the two into a state of lust. The contrast between the two is overwhelming. An important scene in the pl...
William Shakespeare, born in 1594, is one of the greatest writers in literature. He dies in 1616 after completing many sonnets and plays. One of which is "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." They say that this play is the most purely romantic of Shakespeare’s comedies. The themes of the play are dreams and reality, love and magic. This extraordinary play is a play-with-in-a-play, which master writers only write successfully. Shakespeare proves here to be a master writer. Critics find it a task to explain the intricateness of the play, audiences find it very pleasing to read and watch. "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is a comedy combining elements of love, fairies, magic, and dreams. This play is a comedy about five couples who suffer through love’s strange games and the evil behind the devious tricks. This play begins as Theseus, the Duke, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. He woos her with his sword. Hermia is in love with Lysander. Egeus, Hermia’s father, forbids the relationship with Lysander and orders her to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but she does not love him. On the other hand, Helena is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her father’s command, Hermia and Lysander run away together. Amidst all the problems in the human world, Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king, continually argue about their various relationships that they have taken part in. (Scott 336) Titania leaves Oberon as a result of the arguments. Oberon is hurt and wants revenge on Titania. So he tells Puck, Oberon’s servant, to put a magic flower juice on her eyelids while she is sleeping. This potion causes the victim to desperately in love with the first creature that they see. Oberon’s plan is carried out, but the potion is also placed on Lysander’s eyes. Lysander awakes to see Helena, who is aimlessly walking through the woods, and instantly falls in love with her. She thinks that he is making fun of her being in love with Demetrius, so she leaves and Lysander follows. This leaves Hermia to wake up alone. Puck now has journeyed to the area where several actors are rehearsing. He uses his magic to turn one of them into a donkey, in hopes that Titania will awake to see it.