Introduction
There are many techniques of language used by Shakespeare within “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. There are many reasons for this. Different character’s, or perhaps more importantly, groups of characters, use different language to establish their status throughout the play. This shows us that perhaps language in theory hasn’t actually changed all that much since Shakespearean times as particular social groups, speak in a particular manner. Not necessarily using the same words as we do today, but in the same way.
Prose
A prime example of this is the difference in speech between The Mechanicals, The Fairies and Royalty. The Mechanicals speak in what is known as ‘Prose’, normal speech; “We will meet, and there we may rehearse most obscenely and courageously. Take pains, be perfect, adieu.” As we can see there are no stanzas, nor are their words fluent. This I feel conveys The Mechanicals’ status as low and they are basically shown as ‘common workers’, implying they are not clever or gifted enough to make their words rhyme or be in verse.
Verse
Unlike The Mechanicals, Royalty confirm their high status by speaking in verse. They speak in an iambic pentameter, lines of ten syllables, which emphasises their ‘intelligence’ with how fluent and exotic their speech is; “Therefore fair Hermia question your desires, Know of your youth, examine well your blood.” We only see The Mechanicals and Royalty in one scene together and in this scene, The Mechanicals are acting in the play they have devised to perform at Theseus’ wedding, and their language and vocabulary is completely different as it is far more complex and fluent as it is rhyme. This could perhaps suggest the impact and effect the Royals have and symbolise their power to change something. When Francis Flute, the bellows-mender is acting as Thisby at the ceremony, unlike his normal speech, “What is Thisby? A wand’ring knight?” which is very basic and no different really to our present language, he says:
