Society today encourages rationality in nearly every situation. That being said, irrational behavior is tolerated today as much as it was in the time of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. One does not have to go far to realize this fact – consider the reality television shows today (ex. Jersey Shore, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Bachelor, etc.) The reason behind the popularity of these ridiculous shows is quite simple: people find entertainment in watching others make fools out of themselves! Shakespeare was quite aware of this in his writing of Midsummer, with the characterization of Helena, the absurd quarreling between Oberon and Titania, and the foolish love of Hermia and Lysander. Before going any further, perhaps it …show more content…
So, basically, Helena is encouraged by Demetrius’s insults and threats. This example proves how her thoughts and actions are irrational in every way, but can be quite humorous to Shakespeare’s audience. Another conflict that shows the contrast between rationality and irrationality is the relationship dynamics of Titania and Oberon, the queen and king of the fairies. They are both extremely stubborn and selfish, which causes a disturbance in the typical weather patterns of their realm. In spite of their responsibility to ensure the well-being of the forest, they argue over foolish things-especially over the Indian boy that Titania has been raising. Oberon decides he cannot be happy unless he has the boy for himself, and resorts to desperate measures to get his way. In this case, irrationality wins against rationality. Rather than working through his marriage problems with Titania, Oberon sends Puck to put a potion on Titania’s eye, which makes her fall in love with the first thing she sees. This conspiracy allows Oberon to snatch away the child while Titania is distracted. Although the marriage worked out in the end, it is based on the deception of a desperate husband who wanted his way.
As with many infatuated young lovers, Hermia
When Puck begins to interact with the four lovers very shortly after, however, Egeus's ridiculous accusations of Lysander bewitching Hermia take an ironic echo as Oberon bewitches Titania with a love potion, suddenly bringing the ridiculousness of Egeus's statements into a new light. Puck, the perpetrator,
All Shakespearean plays are interpreted very differently and all versions we watched were very different. Shakespeare created these plays to allow people to put their own spin on the stories, and that is what each of the producers, and film directors chose to do. The two plays I watched were the 1999 interpretation, and A Midsummer Night's Dream" presented by Rice University Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts. After watching both of them and seeing the difference between the two, the 1999 version caught my attention the most for many reasons.
Throughout the play, Helena practically worships Demetrius, despite his obvious hatred towards her. Demetrius asks Helena, “Or rather, do I not in plainest truth, tell you I do not, nor I cannot, love you?” (Shakespeare 2.1.185-186). in which she responds, “And
In the book A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare Hermia's father is wanting to make her marry a person that she doesn't love. Egeus is ok with killing Hermia for wanting to make her own decisions. Many parents would not be that harsh on their own child, but some parents have a say between yes or no of who their child has relationships with. Parents should have some control over their children’s choices. Some birthgiver think that their kids are mature enough to dress properly.
Two other mortals have entered the woods that night as well, Demetrius and Helena. Helena, hopelessly in love with Demetrius, is following him on his mission to find his betrothed, Hermia, and they are also subjected to the mischievous workings of Oberon and Puck. Oberon, after observing the two young mortals, feels bad for “sweet” Helena, that even though she is professing her undying love and devotion to Demetrius he rejects her at every turn. Demetrius hatefully tells Helena “ I’ll run from thee and hide me in the brakes, and leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts’’, along with other loathsome statements, in rebuttal to Helena’s
When Oberon wants to have the child from Titana she refuses to give it to him. Oberon tries to find a way to keep it so he thinks that Puck is the answer. Puck drugs Titana but Oberon wants her to fall in love with a hideous creature. As Puck does his request, he wanders off to tell Oberon.
Mandy Conway Mrs. Guynes English 12 16 March 2000 A Critical Analysis of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" 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
Demetrius delivers this line in the forest after Helena has provided him with the information concerning Hermia and Lysander's plans to elope. Since Demetrius has taken what he wants from her and tells her to leave him alone. This shows that love can possess a cruel and abusive nature.
Puck, a fairy and servant of Oberon, is talking to another fairy who is a servant of Titania. He tells her to keep Titania away from Oberon because Oberon is jealous of the indian prince she took, which Oberon wishes to make him his knight. The two fairies are interrupted when both Oberon and Titania arrive at the scene. They both accuse each other of loving the couple, Theseus and Hippolyta. Oberon tells Titania to hand over the boy but Titania refuses to do so, because the boy's mother was her friend and after her death, Titania takes care of him as if he were his son.
These words and the entire alliance between Demetrius and Helena have the subtext of a sexually sadistic and masochistic relationship (Greene et al. 151). This correlation leaves little in Helena to be admired by feminist critics. Her only intelligent scene in the play spawns from her discovery of the Athenian lads' infatuation with her as she screams, "Can you not hate me, as I know you do/ But you must join in souls to mock me too?" (III.ii.149-150).
Despite magic and freedom there is also a hierarchy commitment, Puck serves to Oberon, Fairies serves to Titania. Oberon used the magic and deception to obtain desired. But he doesn’t like the results of misunderstood between lovers caused with magic, he orders Puck to prevent fight between Lysander and Demetrius “and all things shall be peace”.
A Misummer Night’s Dream is a comedy play written by William Shakespeare. In this play there are multiple themes however the most evident theme is love. Why is love an evident theme? It is an evident theme because the play commences with two Greek mythology characters─ the Duke of Athens, Theseus and Amazon queen Hippolita planning their marriage. However as Theseus plans his marriage he has to help Egeus persuade his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius. Unfortunately both the Duke and Egeus failed to persuade Hermia into marrying Demetrius so the fairies (another set of characters. The fairies in this play consisted of goddess of chastity and Queen of fairies, Titania and King of fairies Oberon and his assistance Robin Goodfellow) decide
5. She decides to enter a nunery and live alone if she cannot marry Lysander.
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
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is often read as a dramatization of the incompatibility of “reason and love” (III.i. 127), yet many critics pay little attention to how Shakespeare manages to draw his audience into meditating on these notions independently (Burke 116). The play is as much about the conflict between passion and reason concerning love, as it is a warning against attempting to understand love rationally. Similarly, trying to understand the play by reason alone results in an impoverished reading of the play as a whole – it is much better suited to the kind of emotive, arbitrary understanding that is characteristic of dreams. Puck apologises directly to us, the audience,