Directing Act One Scene Two of A Midsummer's Nights Dream by William Shakespeare At the beginning of the scene Quince would enter to Snug, Flute, Snout and Starveling all seated round the upstage side of a large wooden table, which is situated on the apron of the stage, lively and drunkardly jostling with each other. I would choose to have Bottom standing in front of the table to represent his almost exaggerated feeling of superiority over the others and then seat himself at the centre of the table on the entrance of Quince. On the line beginning, "Ready. Name what part…" Bottom would stand and dramatically form a pose to suggest a, "lover" and then a, "tyrant" playing up to the other men who, apart from Quince, are absorbed by his act. On his recital of the two stanzas of poetry I would direct him to step forward and dramatically deliver the lines with serious conviction, which is looked on with awe by the men but seen humorously for its pretentiousness by the audience. On the line, "What is Thisby? A wand'ring knight?" Flu, whom I would cast as being large and particularly hairy, would stand on the bench gallantly with a foot on the table and his fists clenched to accentuate the humour in the fact he has to play the woman of the play. Meanwhile Bottom who has remained forward adopts a feminine pose for line 44. When instructed, "No ,no, you must play Pyramus" he resumes to theatrically thinking through his role in front of the table whilst trying to take control of the meeting- much to the increasing annoyance of Quince who I would direct to gradually edge his way forward throughout the scene in order to out-do Bottom, who is arrogantly oblivious to this. I would cast Snug as being small and dopey looking and direct him to appear slow and innocently simple throughout the scene. On the deliverance of his line I would direct him to stand timidly so that an exited Bottom could frighten him into quickly resuming his seat by
Hermia , Lysander , Helena and Demetrius represent young love in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . They are potrayed as foolish and fickle , acting like children and requiring a parental figure to guide them . The parental figures are Hermia’s father , Egeus , and figuratively Theseus , the mortal ruler , and Oberon , the mystical ruler.
Comparing Two Film Versions of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Introduction The two films we have been asked to compare are both different versions of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The first was a big screen movie, by Michael Hoffman and made in 1998. This film was set in the 19th Century in the fictional city of Monte Athena and starred major actors and actresses such as Sophie Marceau, Kelvin Klein, Rupert Everett and Calista Flockhart. The second was a budget film made for channel 4 by Royal Shakespeare Company. Adrian Noble was the producer
Shakespeare’s literature exemplifies creativeness and powerful word use to create bodies of work with strong attributes that grab the reader’s attention. Midsummer’s night dream is an example of some of Shakespeare’s best work. The thesis of this essay is Hermia’s father, Esues wants his daughter to marry someone that he approves of and more importantly he wants someone for her that is respected by the rest of society to admire. This play has love, drama and characters that follow their hearts. Hermia is told she is not allowed to love or marry Lysander by her father. Her father Esues wants her to marry Demetrius. The setting of the play is taken in Athens. Athens is a place of order and royalty and a place where people are supposed to marry
The use and misuse of magic has an important role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As a reoccurring theme, Puck’s use of magic creates humor, conflict and balance in the play.
Analysis of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Nights Dream is a play by William Shakespeare, and I. believe is mainly summed up by this line from the play. The course of true love never ran smooth. This is basically saying that being in love comes with many obstacles.
One of the recurring themes throughout Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the time of day during which the play’s major action takes place: night. This being the case, there are certain words that are directly linked to this theme that appear numerous times throughout the script. Four such words are “moon,” “moonlight,” “moonshine,” and “lunatic.” Each comes from a feminine root that serves to identify the women in the play as prizes to be won and controlled.
William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream In the following essay I am aiming to show how Lysander's claim that 'the course of true love never did run smooth' is supported by other events in the play. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was written by William Shakespeare. No one knows the exact date it was written but we know it was between 1589 and 1595. He combines romance with comedy to produce this popular story.
On the 18th of March, 2016, Miami City Ballet performed Shakespeare’s sublime play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This casting took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Beach, Florida. A Midsummer Night’s Dream followed the romantic adventures and misadventures, quarrels and reconciliations, of two pairs of mortal lovers, as well as the King and Queen of all the fairies. Throughout the course of this paper, an analysis of the choreography, demonstrated principles of dance and the effectiveness of the message conveyed during A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s will be discussed in detail.
Throughout history literature has changed into many different forms and styles, it has also stayed the same in many different ways, literary techniques and elements are key to a good piece of writing, a perfect example that shows us just this is in, A Midsummer Nights Dream, where we will further explore the different literary elements that were used most notably the plot. The plot of a story lays out the foundation and the background for the entire play to come, we'll compare and contrast this element and look at the different sub elements which are produced. We will define similarities and difference in these elements form both the play o the film. Taking a look at things such as climax, play incidents, and the conflict will all give us a better understanding of how it affects the similarities and difference of the film versus the play.
Many people believe that control is possible until it comes into play and it doesn’t work out. Control is a big deal in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Oberon tries to control Demetrius and Lysander tries to control Helena. Control is not possible because it’s unpredictable and you can’t control love.
Shakespeare wrote his acclaimed comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream more than a thousand years after Apuleius’ Roman novel, The Golden Ass. Although separated by thousands of years and different in terms of plot and setting, these works share the common theme of a confused and vulnerable man finding direction by relying on a supernatural female. One of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s many subplots is the story of Bottom, a comical figure determined to be taken seriously in his production of a Pyramus and Thisbe. As Bottom becomes caught up in a quarrel between the king and queen of the fairies, the commanders of the enchanted forest where Bottom and his players practice, the “shrewd and knavish sprite” Puck transforms his head into an ass’ s and leads him to be enthralled in a one night stand with the queen, Titania. (2.1.33) Apuleius’s protagonist Lucius endures a similar transformation, after his mistress’s slave girl accidentally bewitches him into a donkey, leaving him even without the ability to speak. Although Lucius’ transformation lasts longer and is more severe, he and Bottom both undergo similar experiences resulting from their animal forms. Lucius’ suffering ultimately leads him to salvation through devotion the cult of Isis, and Bottom’s affair with Titania grants him clarity and a glimpse into similar divine beauty. Ultimately, both asinine characters are saved through their surrender to the goddesses.
The character of Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is frequently foolish, but he is not a fool. His exuberance and energy are allied to practicality and resourcefulness, with an alarming lack of self-consciousness. He, at any rate, is not at all tongue-tied before the duke, as Theseus has known others to be. We do laugh at Bottom in many situations, but should note that these are situations in which any man might seem ridiculous: amateur theatricals are almost a byword for unintended comedy, whether in planning (1.2) rehearsal (3.1) or performance (5.1); any artisan afflicted with an ass's head and appetites, and beloved of the fairy queen would have difficulty retaining his dignity.
A Mid Summer Nights Dream contains ideas of love, desperation, manipulation, and mischief. Throughout the piece readers see a sense of each character as they are consumed by desperation for love, regardless of their relationship status. Readers examine the values of the fairies, as well as the lovers and how far each character will go to take hold of the love they believe is theirs. The ideas and values, love, desperation, and jealousy, the lovers portray in A Mid Summer Nights Dream each tie in together to create the idea that love is characterized by manipulation and instability.
The concept of contrast plays an important role throughout Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shakespeare provides many examples of contrast signifying it as a motif. He groups the ideas of contrast together into those of some of the most important roles in the play. Helena is portrayed as tall and Hermia is short. Titania is a beautiful fairy who falls in love with Bottom, who is portrayed as graceless. Moreover, the main sets of characters even have differences. Fairies are graceful and magical creatures, yet tradesmen are clumsy and mortal. Additionally, the tradesmen are always overjoyed while the lovers are always serious with their emotions. Contrast layers throughout the whole play, as examples are shown in nearly every scene. Contrast becomes a constant, important motif to Shakespeare’s playwrite.
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.