The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

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The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare In Pucks final speech of the play he says: “And this weak and idle theme No more yielding than a dream” It has been argued that Shakespeare structured the play around the notion of a 'dream.' Explore the significance of dreams and dreaming in the play, both as a theme and dramatic device. There are several definitions of a dream, although no one can really define a dream, it is what we make it. The first theory is that it is a mixture of images, accumulated from your thoughts or experiences, that happen whilst you are asleep. It could also be a fantasy you experience whilst your semi-conscious which you have no control over. It could also be simply wish fulfillment. All these definitions relate to the play as the fairy characters are fantasy, controlling the humans experiences and granting them their wish fulfillments. I think Shakespeare thought of the notion of a dream and from all these different ideas, ’dreamed’ up a story combining all of them, perhaps it was his wish fulfillment or came from a dream he once had. Puck’s ‘weak and idle theme’ is anything but, some cultures such as the Chinese believe you shouldn’t wake someone up whilst they are sleeping because their wondering soul would not have had time to reunite with their body, this relates to the play as all the characters appear to be wondering around in their sleep, not actually realizing they are asleep. The Elizabethan audience would expect all the images of magic, love and freedom from the name ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ and would expect it to be a light hearted roma... ... middle of paper ... ...king as if they were handmade using only plants. The fairies’ hair is all golden, long and full of ringlets underneath a headdress of flowers. Shakespeare managed to present ideas of dreaming brilliantly throughout the play. The lovers fell asleep in their dream, what do you dream when you fall asleep in a dream? Is dreaming reality, or reality dreaming? What does a blind person dream if they have seen nothing they wish for or want to aspire to? These questions are created from the play. This shows that Pucks final speech “and this weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream” is not a weak theme after all but something, if messed with can go very wrong or very right. This is illustrated by the mixing up of the love potions in Hoffman’s film, something so harmful as love can create so much sadness and pain.

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