Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Malvolio may initially seem to be a minor character, but he later on plays a major role and to some extent, the main antagonist to many of the play’s characters. His first appearance in the play makes it evident that he is extremely critical and judgemental to the point of insulting the wit and intelligence of Feste, “I marvel your ladyship takes delight in such a barren rascal” (I.v.77-78). Not only does his condescending attitude create problems, but his puritanical way of thinking gets him on the bad side of Maria and company. Maria defines Malvolio as “a kind of Puritan” (II.iii.128). He denies himself simple pleasures whilst at the same time spoiling these things for others. Malvolio’s defective personality and undesirable disposition is what creates the

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the audience is never truly privy to any of the characters’ dreams; however, Shakespeare portrays reality as a sort of dream. The forest symbolizes a realm where anything can happen, with no regard for time or logic, much like in a dream. Therefore, when the lovers come out of the forest, without explanation for their actions, they believe it to be a dream, even though it had real-life consequences. By having the characters talk about their dreams and believe their realities to be dreams, the play explores the idea that dreams demonstrate reality, in that they show fears and desires, but it also explores the idea that reality can be affected by dreams. While Hoffman’s movie adaptation recognizes this in some aspects, it does not explore it in entirely the same manner.

Love is such an abstract and intangible thing, yet it is something that everyone longs for. In Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the difficulty of love is explored through the obstacles that characters have to face while pursuing their loved ones. Those characters that are in love in the play were conflicted with troubles; however, the obstacles of love do not seem to stop them from being infatuated with each other. The concept of true love is examined throughout this play. By creating obstacles using authority and a higher power, Shakespeare examines the power of love. Through Hermia and Lysander’s loving words, it is reasonable to conclude that love conquers all if you believe in it.

The relationships in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream are patriarchal. Even though the lovers try to go against the societal norm by running away to the forest, their inherited characteristics keep them trapped in the patriarchal way. The four lovers, Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrious, present a love that shows how the women remain loyal to their men through testing trials. Titania and Bottom have an unconventional relationship that is caused by love juice which provides the fulfillment of woman to man. Shakespeare uses the relationship between Titania and Bottom to emphasize the man’s status over a woman in a patriarchal society. To do this, he illustrates how a woman should dote upon her man by fulfilling his fantasies and

Throughout time arranged marriages were the norm in several societies. In the comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, Hermia is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. She escapes into the woods with Lysander. Just like Hermia, many people around the world are forced to marry someone that their parents choose for them. Love marriage vs. Arranged marriage is always a debated topic. While there are instances of love marriages working out, there are arranged marriages which are successful too. Both have their pros and cons. And it is just the world around us which makes us support or be against a love marriage. Arranged marriages are based on the understanding of two families. The parents of the bride or groom get to pick their future partner. On the other hand, love marriages are more of an independent choice between the bride and groom. Giving them the freedom to marry someone they know and admire. There are different customs and traditions that are followed in different societal set-ups. Arrange marriages lack love and respect between husband and wife. Arranged marriages are a social injustice. They deprive individuals of their choice. Marriage is a commitment of two people who have made a vow to love each other till death. In the essay I will be debating the pro’s and con’s of arranged and love marriages.

Written during the Elizabethan era where gender roles played an important part in society and relationships, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare portrays the interaction between both sexes, and the women’s response to the expectation of such norms. Although the characters: Hippolyta, Hermia, Helena, and Titania, are portrayed as objects (both sexual and material) contingent upon their male lovers, they are also given empowerment.

Death weighs heavily on the minds of Hamlet and Desiree as it turns out to be the only solution to escape from the world which brings them sadness and pain. “To be, or not to be; that is the question.” – the same question that both of these characters contemplate on how to deal with their life after they realised the grim truth about the people they should be able to trust most.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare uses different types of characters to portray different kinds of love. Lysander and Helena, the young lovers, and Oberon and Titania, the Fairy King and Queen, have different definitions of love in their relationship. Lysander and Helena have a pure, matter-of-fact connection. They are in love by default, simply because that is ingrained into their characters. Oberon and Titania, however, have a relationship built more on the basis of control. They play games with each other, trying to get the upper hand in the relationship. In the end, one being in control is more attractive to Oberon than the actual connection between the people in the relationship. This is what draws him to Helena, who possesses a naive and superficial love for Demetrius. Helena is more obsessed with Demetrius than truly in love with him, as there does not seem to be much basis for her infatuation. In the process of loving Demetrius, she deprecates her own character. Oberon appreciates the devotion Helena has for Demetrius and wishes Titania had her qualities, so he pities her, and assists with her conquest of Demetrius. However, his process takes Demetrius’s will away, much like how Oberon sought to humiliate Titania. Although the happy ending is with Helena and Demetrius together, their relationship is more similar to that of Bottom and Titania than Hermia and Lysander, which is what the audience is supposed to infer by their placement in the story.

“Madam, you have done me wrong. Notoriously wrong. ”~ Malvolio act v, scene i line 2590 Throughout the entire play, Malvolio was barbaric.

At first glance, twins may seem identical, but many would argue that they behave differently with uniquely hardwired brains. In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, two main characters Viola-Cesario and Sebastian are lost in a shipwreck, but later reunite with each other and along their journey, confuse many other characters while mixing one another up. Viola-Cesario and Sebastian are twins who look very similar in appearance, but nevertheless they are actually two opposite characters with different attitudes and characteristics which shape their unique behavior. For instance, Sebastian and Viola-Cesario behave differently from each other since Sebastian is an aggressive person and Viola-Cesario is a peaceful person. However, considering

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is the story of a group of workmen preparing a play for the Duke, fairies in the forest and four Athenian lovers. This different groups of characters’ lives become entwined from the magic of the fairies. The characters of Puck, Peter Quince and Helena are characters used in a Midsummer Night’s Dream that show an individual can make a difference. These characters successfully show that an individual can make a difference.

What knowledge is there that I can be guiltless of? Innocent, the eyes of an individual who witnesses the dead body of a King, effortlessly hacked at like a piece of meat (gesture towards floor). With knowledge that it was those eyes, my eyes (point to self) that observed this treacherous act. How can these hands ever be rid of guilt, whilst they are covered in the blood they smeared, still warm, upon the resting innocents? ( pause and look at hands) I held the very dagger that ripped life to shreds, daggers of which now harvest their vengeance in the stabbing of my beloved king’s soul. (point to self)How am I to prevent this shame, the fowl contrary of purity, from steadily possessing our sanity and having control over our actions? I should have suspected that a man so full of milk of human kindness would sense guilt at the deed of stripping nature’s King from his throne and taking the deceased man’s bloodied robes before he was cold in his grave (walk to chair and sit down. I would have done the deed myself had he not looked so strangely similar to my father. (pause)

Being that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a Shakespearian comedy where passion is a significant theme. It is perceived in a variety of ways such as passion for revenge, recognition, and for love, which have the potential to blur the lines between the levels of social hierarchy. Shakespeare uses a variety of characters such as Helena, Nick Bottom, and Oberon to express the theme of passion and its significance in the play.

What types of dream really impress you in your life? Would that be funny dreams, weird dreams, scary dreams, risque dreams, dramatic dreams, life-changing dreams, and even lucid dream stories. As a matter of fact, people’s dreams can be a kind of illusion because dreams skew their daily life into confusion—people cannot recognize reality and unreality easily. Similarly, love not only is imaginative, but also can make people get confused just like dream.

To conclude, Malvolio feels truly and sorely betrayed by all those in Olivia’s court, and simply masks his sadness and sense of betrayal with anger and hatred. After he is finally released from his imprisonment in the dungeon, he shouts, “I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you!” (Shakespeare v.i.401), covering his sadness. Through this experience, I think that Malvolio loses trust and the ability to trust those around him, and I believe that a life where one cannot trust another is a sad