Comment on the different kinds if dramatic speech in this extract - Act 3 Scene 2 (413-463) A Midsummer Nights Dream.

Authors Avatar

Comment on the different kinds if dramatic speech in this extract.

Act 3 Scene 2 (413-463)

In Act 3 Scene 2, there is a confrontation between the four lovers Helena, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius. Towards the end of the scene, Puck leads the lovers in the wood through 'drooping fog' to sleep in order to restore their proper vision. Puck does this by imitating the voices of Lysander and Demetrius which Shakespeare uses as a speech rather than a conversation. Shakespeare uses many different techniques in this extract such as, repetition, rhyming couplets, quatrians and dramatic irony .

Lysander's language reflects his feelings of revenge and as he seeks Demetrius to fight a duel, he is very competitive, 'I follow'd fast, but faster he did fly'. 'He goes before me, and still hares me on;' This shows that Lysander is immature and selfish as his character is presented through his words of revenge and competitiveness. Lysander's last line in his speech further emphasises the obsession with revenge, 'I'll find Demetrius and revenge this spite'.

The character of Demetrius is also presented in a manly macho way where all his thoughts involve revenge on Lysander, 'Nay then, thou mock'st me. Thou shalt buy this dear'. Demetrius is also competitive and this emphasises his macho behaviour. Demetrius is presented in the same light as Lysander in which he is obsessed with revenge and is concerned with competitiveness

Join now!

Shakespeare presents Lysander and Demetrius as revengeful, selfish, and in a macho way, he does this by using dramatic irony, this is comical for the audience although this effect also reveals the feelings of the characters involved. Demetrius and Lysander talk of their revenge for each other, this is brought across in a macho way which Shakespeare may be portraying as a stereotypical view of males.

Throughout the extract, we can find that the males speak in rhyming couplets, courtiers, 'on, gone', 'way, day' 'not, wot' 'place, face'. The use of rhyming couplets emphasises that Demetrius and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay