Why is Bottom such a well-loved character? Explain with reference to 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'.
Why is Bottom such a well-loved character? Explain with reference to 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'
'A Midsummer Nights Dream' is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. It was written in 1595 so was one of his earlier plays.
Nick Bottom is one of the main characters in the play and is easily the funniest and most well loved. By well loved, I mean that he is well liked my other characters in the play and especially by the audience. He figures in many of the scenes in the play and crosses into the different 'worlds' within the play. He wanders into the world of the fairies during the play and also into the Royal World! Both of these worlds give Bottom a chance to show a bit more of his comical character. The play itself was aimed at an audience of Kings and Queens. It was written just after the plague had swept through the country killing thousands of people so this may have influenced Shakespeare into writing a play with a touch of humour in it. Shakespeare is undoubtedly the best play write that has ever lived and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' has always been one of his most popular plays.
There are many main characters in the play that all have an important role within the play. Bottom may not be the main character, however he is the character that the audience will remember the most about once the play has finished. Bottom gets his slightly comical name from being a working class weaver. During the play, Bottom constantly says and does stupid things and is always making mistakes when they are rehearsing for the play. Throughout the play Bottom seems to be well liked by all the other characters. During the play, you can see many different sides to Bottoms character. Mainly he tries to be an honest and simple character but times he is rather boisterous, very self confident and a little enthusiastic. He is probably too confident as throughout the play he constantly makes mistakes, which make people laugh. These comical mistakes are one reason why Bottom is such a well-loved character. An example of his mistakes is in Act 1 Scene 2. He keeps making many spoonerisms as he kept getting the characters names wrong. Instead of Hercules he refers to him as 'Ercles.' Also he mispronounces Thisby as Thisbus and Thisne. The audience would find this funny as although Bottom is confident, he is still making many mistakes. However all of these mistakes do not seem to knock Bottom's confidence. He still carries on full of confidence and even when they are performing at Theseus' Palace at the end of 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' he is still making comical mistakes which even makes some of the Royal characters laugh and he still is over acting as usual! Bottom is probably slightly big headed as he feels that he is capable of playing all the characters in the Mechanicals play 'Pyramus and Thisbe.' He tries to convince Peter Quince, the director of the play that he is better than everyone else and wants to play all the characters. Although this shows Bottom as being big headed, it seems as though Bottom doesn't realise and just thinks that he is doing what's best. "I could play Ercles rarely" and "Let me play Thisbe too" he exclaims with great enthusiasm. He starts to act all the different characters using a variety of funny voices. This makes the audience and even the other characters in the play, watching Bottom perform in the market square laugh and make him seem even more lovable. This scene is the first time the audience get to see Bottom and their first impressions are probably that Bottom is funny, bossy, self confident and an entertainer.
Later on in the story, Bottom and the Mechanicals meet in the wood to rehearse their play and yet again Bottom makes many mistakes and now starts to try and run the play. Whilst at the wood Bottom has many suggestions to make. He states that a prologue is needed at the beginning of the play to say that when Pyramus draws a sword to kill himself, it is in fact only Pyramus that is dying but Bottom the weaver is still alive. He wants the prologue so that the ladies are not worries or panicked when he draws his sword and also states that "a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing" so it is decided that "another prologue must tell he (Snug) is not a lion." Peter Quince agrees with this as he probably feels it is easier than arguing with him. Another problem that they have is that there needs to be moonlight when they are performing the play to the duke. Bottom solves this problem as well, telling the other Mechanicals "Why, then may you leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at the casement," realising that there is a full moon when they are performing and that if they opened a window then the moonlight would shine through. The last problem that they face is that a wall is needed in the play. Snout turns to Bottom "Yon can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?" he asks. Once again Bottom has the answer replying "Some man or other must present Wall; and let him have some plaster; or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; or let him hold his fingers thus; and through the cranny shall Pyramus and Thisbe whisper." Bottom in this part of the play seems to show another side to his character, showing that he is clever as well and can solve problems easily. After all of their problems have been sorted, the mechanicals get down to rehearsing. This is where Bottom starts to cross into the world of the fairies. Puck, who is a kind or servant to the King of the Fairies, turns Bottom into an ass whilst he is not acting. Puck does this as Oberon, King of the Fairies, has ordered him to. When Bottom comes back on stage, Peter Quince is shocked and quite alarmed, shouting "O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted: pray, masters, fly! masters, help!" Bottom doesn't even realise that he has an ass' head. This means that he just thinks that the rest of the mechanics are just joking with him when they start running away! He is completely oblivious to what he looks like and thinks that the mechanicals will be coming back. It is only when Snout quickly comes back and exclaims "O Bottom, thou art changed" that Bottom starts to get slightly worried. However he still seems to think that they are still messing about with him.
The next part of the play is set in the magical world of the fairies. After the mechanicals run off Bottom is left alone with his ass' head still not realising. The audience would find this very funny and would make Bottom even better loved for being so oblivious! It is a kind of dramatic irony that the audience know that he has got an ass' head but he hasn't got a clue. Bottom starts to sing to himself well at least until Titania, the Queen of the Fairies appears asking "What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?" Oberon has also put Titania under a spell. He has put magical juice in her eyes so that she will fall in love with the first person she sees. When Titania tells Bottom that she loves him, Bottom replies with "Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that." This draws sympathy from the audience who for the first time, see Bottom putting himself down. This shows the audience that he does have a softer side and makes him even more, well loved.
As the play progresses Bottom enters the world of the fairies and he is very polite to everybody especially Peasebottom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed who are messengers for Titania. Bottom still has an ass' head but still doesn't realise. He even quotes "And I am such a tender ass, if my hair do tickle me, I must scratch." This would make the audience laugh, as it is great irony that Bottom is talking about himself as an ass without knowing that he actually is an ass! He also starts acting like an ass, telling Titania, "Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow." This would also make the audience laugh and is yet another ironic statement seeing as he is still oblivious that he has an ass' head. Whilst Titania and Bottom sleep, Puck puts a reverse spell on Titania so that she is no longer in love with Bottom. When she wakes she says sleepily "My Oberon! What visions have I seem! Methought I was enamoured of an ass." When Oberon tells her "There lies your love," Titania is disgusted, "O, how my eyes do loathe his visage now!" she moans. Puck removes Bottom's ass' head and puts him back into the normal world. When he wakes he thinks it was just a strange and wonderful dream. "I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was" he speaks. Whilst in the fairy world, Bottom showed another side to his character. He was extremely polite and caring, saying things such as "Do not fret yourself too much in the action, monsieur; and good monsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not: I would loth to have you overflown with a honey-bag, signior" and "Pray you, leave your curtsy, good monsieur." This caring side to his character definitely makes him well loved by the audience. Meanwhile, the Mechanicals, who ran away from Bottom in the wood do not think that he is coming back and are really upset. They don't think that they can perform the play without him as they all regard him as the star of the show. When Bottom does turn up after the wood, shouting, "Where are there lads? Where are these hearts?" they are overjoyed to see him. Peter Quince is ecstatic, exclaiming "O, most courageous day! O, most happy hour!" This shows just how highly many of the characters in the play regard Bottom.
The final part of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is set at Duke Theseus' Palace in Athens. The mechanicals are to perform their version of the play 'Pyramus and Thisbe' to the three newly wedded coupled. Bottom is confident as always but still makes many comical mistakes! He adds new parts to lines, which you can tell, aren't meant to be there such as "My love! Thou art my love, I think?" "I think?" should not be there, it is just that Bottom wants to try and make the play better when he doesn't need to. Once again there are lots of spoonerisms as he pronounces the names incorrectly, the audience of the play seem to find this very funny! This is the last part of the play in which Bottom figures and makes comical mistakes! During the play, he is easily the funniest character making many stupid mistakes and crossing into the 'worlds' of the fairies and the Royals. He is very well loved by both the audience of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and the other characters in the play such as the mechanicals and the fairies. Bottom is by far the funniest character both in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and the mechanicals play 'Pyramus and Thisbe.' Throughout the play Bottom shows so many sides to his character. All of which seem to make the audience laugh or sympathise with him. These different sides to his character combine to make him a greatly well loved character by absolutely everybody!
A Midsummer's Nights Dream
William Shakespeare wrote a midsummer's night dream in 1595. He wrote this comedy to celebrate the marriage of a noble man. An important guest at the wedding was Elizabeth 1st. The play describes the adventures of two sets of lovers as they pass through the forest outside Athens, they are misused by immortals Oberon the fairy king and puck his messenger. To get revenge on his wife Titania, Oberon misuses Bottom a labourer. The love tangles are all resolved at the end of the play when love rules all end married and happy. Shakespeare wishes his audience to enjoy the falling in and out of love of the characters. His message is that true love never runs smoothly. The theme of love is involved with all of the characters from the quarrel of Oberon and Titania, to the play Pyramus and Thisbe performed by the labourers for the wedding celebrations of Theseus and Hippolyta. Oberon has power over all the elements. He can change weather and seasons.
"These are the forgeries of jealousy...But with thy brawls thou hast disturbed our sport...The seasons alter...The spring, the summer, the childing autumn, angry winter, change..."
This speech of titanias shows us that the seasons and all the growth of nature are changed because of their jealousy arguments and disagreements. This is because Oberon and Titania are king and queen of immortals and have control over them and all nature. Their argument causes evil to occur. Later in the play when they are reconciled they bring blessing to the mortal world. He therefore decided to teach his wife a lesson when she refuses to give him "the little Indian boy". Puck is told to bring back a flower love-in-idleness, the juice of this shows no pity for his wife when she wakes and falls in love with bottom. Though hideous with the head of an ass fixed upon his shoulders she thinks of him.
"What angel wakes me from my bed?"
Titania wakes up with the juice controlling her, she has no choice over what she is about to do. The man she loves and adores is filthy and disgusting he also has an ass's head on his shoulders, but she still calls him an angel. Her husband must be some sad person to allow this to carry on. It seems odd that anyone would allow this to carry on seen as they are married, its also very unkind that Oberon allows his wife to find someone else attractive. While Oberon ...
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"What angel wakes me from my bed?"
Titania wakes up with the juice controlling her, she has no choice over what she is about to do. The man she loves and adores is filthy and disgusting he also has an ass's head on his shoulders, but she still calls him an angel. Her husband must be some sad person to allow this to carry on. It seems odd that anyone would allow this to carry on seen as they are married, its also very unkind that Oberon allows his wife to find someone else attractive. While Oberon enjoys his wife' predicament he tells puck to stop Demetrias from treating Helena so badly by putting the love juice on to Demetrias eyes. If Oberon had not interfered, a lot of the play would not of happened. Shakespeare uses Oberon as the centre character around whom the story resolves.
Oberon is a man of many parts. As his mood changes so do his actions, as his actions change so does the atmosphere of each scene. When we first meet Oberon, he is sarcastic and angry towards his wife Titania. Puck had warned that it would be better if the king and fairy queen did not meet.
"The king doth keep his revels here to-night.
Take heed the queen come not within his sight;
For Oberon is passing and wrath,
Because that she as her attendant hath"
"Ill watch titania when she is asleep,
And drop the liquor when of it in her eyes.
The next living thing when she's walking looks upon-
Be it a lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, on meddling
Monkey, or a busy ape- she shall
Pursue it with the soul of love"...
Oberon is jealous of Titania, he wants the little Indian boy, and Titania won't give Oberon the boy. So Oberon puts love-in idleness on Titania's eyes when she is asleep, Oberon makes Titania look like a fool; Titania couldn't control her feelings for puck because of Oberon. When they do meet we realise just how powerful and vicious Oberon can be when angry! It is obvious that mortals suffer when these two quarrel! It is obvious they have quarrelled many times before.
Titania leaves Oberon's "bed and company" we see how determined Oberon is to have the little Indian boy, his wife refuses.
While angry with his wife Oberon feels sorry for Helena when he hears Demetrias treats her badly. How strange that Oberon intends to use the flower juice on his own wife to misuse and embarrass her. The swing of the emotion is typical to mood swings through the play. It is Oberon that controls the lives of the other characters and brings changes of mood and atmosphere. It is he who moves he story to a happy end. When Titania agreed to give Oberon the little Indian boy he takes the juice of her eyes. The lover's muddles are sorted out and they are happy.
This is a very different Oberon from which we see at the start of the play, he is a much better person. In the same way he acts like a spoilt child.
How Might You Interpret The World Of The Fairies In A Midsummer Nights Dream?
Mid summer nights dream is one of William Shakespeare earlier plays, it was written in the late fifteen hundreds. The title suggests that the play was set in the midsummer, on the shortest night of the year; it being on the shortest night of the year gives that mystical eeriness about the play. Within the play there are three worlds each having its own set of people. The three sets of characters within the play are, the nobles, the mechanicals and the fairies. The nobles were the wealthy people living and ruling in Athens. The characters from this group are Theseus, Theseus is the duke of Athens, and he is getting married to Hippolyta in four nights. Because Theseus is the duke of Athens when people have problems within their lives they go to see, so he can lead them in the right direction. Egeus is also a noble, he is the father of Hermia, Hermia loves Lysander and Lysander loves Hermia, but Hermia's father want his daughter to marry demetrius, Demetrius is also a noble like Lysander, either is better than the other, but Demetrius left his ex-lover Helena how still loves him, how ever he does not love her. Egeus goes to the duke of Athens Theseus to tell him about his daughter wrong doings. In Athens the daughter had to do as her father told her. Egeus tell Theseus
"But either happy is the rose distilled, than that which withering on the virgin thorn grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness."
Which basically means that egeus would rather see his daughter die a virgin that see her marry Lysander rather than Demetrius. Theseus decides to give Hermia till the day of his wedding four nights away, for her to decide whether to marry demetrius or live her live alone till death.
The second of the tree world that we come into contact with in the play is that of the mechanicals. These are a group of working men in Athens that are performing a play for the dukes wedding, the mechanical are Peter Quince who is a carpenter, Snug who is a joiner, Nick Bottom, a weaver, Francis Flute, a bellow mender, Tom Trout a tinker and Robin Starveling who is in the tailor trade. The play that they are practising in the woods is a comedy about two people in love who are split by a wall. Puck one of the fairies interrupts their rehearsal of the play. He has to create some thing awful so that his master's lover will be tricked in to loving the beast. He changes Bottom into a donkey, all his worker friends run off.
The last of the three groups of living creatures are the fairies. These fairies, which are spirits who inherit the natural world. Oberon who is the king of the fairies, rules the fairies. He had a helper, he his slightly mischievous and nasty in ways; called Puck or Robin Goodfellow. Oberon's partner Titania is the queen of the fairies. Titania has many helpers. The main ones in the play are Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustard Seed. The Queen also has an Indian boy, who Oberon desperately wants as his usher boy, but Titania will not let him. Oberon tries everything to get the boy under his control.
The play has a lot of meanings with in it. Illusion, love, the moon, nature and order are used to make an idea stronger, or for you to make you think from a particular point of view somewhere within the play. Illusion, the human mind can create illusions that can seem more real that life itself. The play uses this in the fairies world, so it makes the reader actually think that the spiritual world is actually real. IN parts of the play it takes the thoughts of the characters while they are asleep, they seem real to the audience and believable as everyday life. The mechanicals play requires the audience within the play (at the dukes wedding) to use their imagination and the illusion of factors within the production. The play is trying to get us to do that also. Most of the play is set within the wood on one mystical night, which in their minds is four nights till the dukes wedding, the magical night ends when the duke and his hunting party arrives, he seems to bring dawn and the return everything to normal. This could refer to the meaning of Athens' order.
The nearly whole play is based around the love of the characters. Mature love is shown involving not only raw passion and emotion but also thoughtfulness and forgiveness between the characters. Marriage in the play is shown as loves proper out come and how all relationships should all end up in the end. Where as Oberon's and Titania's relationship how the harmony of the world is effected and upset when their relationship is at a rough time, showing that the spiritual world has powerful purpose of the world, when their relationship is at a good time the world is running smoothly and all is normal, maybe this is why the four nights turn into one because the world and its patterns are disrupted by Titania's and Oberon's arguments. So basically true love results in harmony, but arguments and chaos result when lovers quarrel.
The moon plays an important part in imagery through out the play. Time is measured for all characters by the moon, and its powers on the world, such as how the tides are powered by the moon are stressed through the play. In the play the moon is shown as a mystical object that brings coldness illumination of the earth. Most of the play takes place at night under the moonlight, and to emphasize the mystical element within the play Shakespeare mentions the moon many times, three times as much than in any other of his plays.
Nature within the play is shown as vibrant and bursting with life and activity, even though to the characters within the play and the readers of the play it seems asleep. The fairies are the most powerful element on nature. Their forces are hidden within the natural world. The most beautiful example of this in the play is when Titania's bower is described in 'Act 2, Scene 1' The love poison that Oberon creates plays such an important part within the play, the poison is created from nature and it has the power to make people fall in love at first sight. It is an example of how nature's powers are hidden within. The colours of nature in the play are usually mentioned with birds, fruit and facial features such as eyes and lips.
The action of the play begins with chaos and ends with restoration and order. In Shakespeare time (the Elizabethan era) they saw order through out the world of nature and for them it was an important and respected idea. They believed the order in nature reflected on the order in the world; if their order were unbalanced then nature would also be unbalanced. Without order in the land chaos would reign.
The main characters within the fairy world are Oberon, the king of the fairies, Titania Oberon's queen and Puck Oberon's mischievous servant. Oberon has great magical powers and is the dominant figure in the world of the fairies. Oberon gets jealous easily. For example when Titania refuses to give him her Indian child he gets angry and plays tricks on her, making her fall in love with a donkey. Oberon is also active in the mortal world.
"He steals away from the fairy land"
"The farthest steep in India"
Both quotes from Titania, she also accused him of an affair with Hippolita. Oberon shows the nicer side of him when he releases Titania from under his spell.
Titania the queen of the fairyland, she is described in the play as supremely beautiful, and a woman who is graceful and sensuous. As she makes clear, when she refuses the hand over of the Indian boy to Oberon, as it is a memory of the Indian boy's dead mother. When under her husbands love spell her scenes with bottom, the donkey, are sensual, caring and comic. She too is active in the mortal world. At the end of the play both Oberon and Titania settle their dispute and are reunited as lovers. This gives the play a sense of completeness.
Finally there is Puck Oberon's mischievous servant. He loves to play pranks on humans. He is not very reliable or efficient at carrying out his tasks. For example when he confuses the four lovers and puts the love potion on the wrong lover. Puck never seems to feel regret when he carries out his pranks. His character is based on a traditional folklore figure called Robin Goodfellow. In performance Puck is presented in many different ways. Often a very physical character, with mime as important as speech. He is also often played in a 'naughty school boy' style.
These three characters are some times mirrored into the world of Athens. The actors who play Oberon and Titania also play Theseus and Hippolita. And Puck is mirrored as Theseus's servant.
Shakespeares Love
"The course of true love never did run smooth." (Shakespeare, 1993, pg. 15) Throughout Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, he always seems to describe love as uncontrollable and confusing. In A Midsummer Nights Dream, Shakespeare makes two Athenian youths fight for the love the have for one another. In The Odyssey, Homer portrays an epic about a man who gets lost at sea hoping to one day return to see his love. Both characters fight for their love and do the impossible in order to conquer it. Although in the way, they encounter many bumps in the road, but after that, its all smooth sailing; the course of love, never really could run smoothly.
In A Midsummer Night's dream, Shakespeare really portrays his beliefs in love throughout the mayhem in each of his character's lives. The story of love begins with Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander. Hermia's father, Egeus, wants her to marry Demetrius who is in love with her, but Hermia's heart belongs to Lysander;she refuses to wed Demetrius. Egeus, wants his daughter forcefully to fall in love with Demetrius, but her heart loves someone else. The course of love her father had for her could never run smoothly because her heart wasn't in agreement with her fathers. "O hell, to choose love by another's eyes!" (Shakespeare, 1993, pg. 17) Hermia expresses her feelings on the situation after her father and the Duke of Athens have come to the agreement that if she does not marry Demetrius, then she is sentences to a nunnery or to death. Hermia loves Lysander but is troubled by the ultimatum her father has descended on her; she then decides to escape into the woods with her love, Lysander. Meanwhile in the woods, another love catastrophe has occurred; Titania, queen of the fairies, gets engaged in a quarrel with Oberon, king of the fairies. Titania has taken a little Indian prince as her attendant which Titania claimed that the boy's mother was a devotee of her before she died. Oberon says that the boy is beautiful and he wants him to make his knight, but Titania won't give up the little boy. Oberon gets furious at this gesture and decides to send his servant, Puck, to put a love spell on Titania so that when she awakens she will fall in love with the first thing she sees; he also advises Puck to put the love spell on an Athenian youth who is in a quarrel of love with the women he is with in the woods. Oberon himself then decides that he will personally go and put the juice from the love flower on Titania's eyes while Puck finishes off his demands. As Titania sleeps, Oberon puts the love spell on her and she falls in love with Bottom, a play writer who was converted into an ass head. "O how I love thee, how I dote thee!" (Shakespeare, 1993, pg. 123) Titania falls in love with a hideous creature, that is only explainable to Oberon and Puck. Once again, the course of love never runs smoothly; Titania is the queen of the fairies, she is beautiful, and then in the path of love, she becomes infatuated with an ass head because to her, love is blind. Oberon and Puck mess up her course or path of love by putting the love spell in her eyes. Once again, Shakespeare demonstrates how love never goes exactly the way you, or others, have planned it. In the other side of the woods, Helena, Hermia's friend, and Demetrius, man in love with Hermia, go into the woods in search for their loved ones. As both couples fall asleep, Puck begins his journey to fulfill his masters desires of making the two Athenian youths fall in love. Puck, thinking Oberon meant Demetrius and Helena, puts the love potion on Demitrius' eyes and when he awoke, he became in love with Helena. After Puck realizes what he did was wrong, he then put the love potion on Lysander's eyes who when awoke also saw Helena at first sight. Now both men were in love with Helena who at the beginning of our story was courted by absolutely nobody. This whole situation is a complexity; everything is going wrong. Once again, Shakespeare uses Puck reflecting the fork in the road of love. Once again love cannot take its course because there is something in the way. Puck messes up all the feelings that each person had for another in the woods; he makes Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Hermia who loves Lysander. "Why have you grown so rude? What change is this, sweet love?" (Shakespeare, 1993, pg. 101) In this quote, Hermia expresses her confusion towards the whole situation. Lysander begins to act rude towards her because he is now in love with Helena who has always loved him back and is also in disbelief of the whole situation Puck has created. Just as Shakespeare said in his quote,
"The course of true love never did run smooth." (Shakespeare, 1993, pg. 15) nothing is running smoothly in any of these young Athenian youths' love lives.
In sonnet thirty-three, Shakespeare once again describes the odd effects that rise in a mortal when in love by comparing it to different situations in a mortal's life. The sonnet describes an actor forgetting all his lines on stage because he is so infatuated with his maidens love that he cannot remember anything or focus on anything except for the love he is withholding; the actor also becomes tongue-tied in his love's company. In line two, "Who with his fear is put beside his part," the line explains that out of fear, he is distracted from what he is doing and can no longer continue; to put oneself aside and not stand beside oneself, is a state of mental turmoil. Shakespeare also potrays love as a wild beast in a fury thrashing around in futility, unable to achieve anything. In line four, "Whose strength's abundance weakens his own heart," The glut of rage the wild beast has inside gives him a large quantity of strength, but he seems to be lacking sense of direction. Line fourteen truly describes the definition of love in Shakespeare's sonnets, "To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit." This line explains how love can make you hear with your eyes what the heart is speaking. Once again we see love as a reverse of everything that is normal to us. We hear with our ears, not our eyes and our heart cannot speak, yet, Shakespeare describes love as a force that is uncontrollable and confusing. Although love is blind, Shakespeare gives the man the ability to hear with his eyes. Love is like a mental turmoil, your body goes into a state of self disagreement because the magnitude for your love is so great.
In The Odyssey, The main character's, Odysseus, love is tested many times to see if his love is still true to his wife which during his journey the course of love never runs smoothly and, he goes through a stage of mental turmoil. When lost at sea, Odysseus encounters many women in which he has love affairs with, yet, After going through all these women, Odysseus still retains Penelope's, his wife, love within him. At the same time, in the palace, Penelope is being courted by many suitors wanting to marry her and takeover the palace believing that Odysseus is already dead. Penelope's love is still strong while she retains the suitors from marrying her and destroying her kingdom. The course of love between these two lovers, didn't run smoothly because the plan was for Odysseus to return home from the Trojan war safe and alive right away, instead, he ended up not coming home until twenty years later. Their love has strong and held together during those years while it was tested many times. The course of love between Penelope and Odysseus ran its course and they ended up together. In this case, their story is exactly what Shakespeare describes in all his sonnets and his plays. Although they have been through some tough times, in the end, they ended up together and in love once again. In the end of A Midsummer Night Dream, Helena ends up with Demetrius, and Hermia with Lysander just as planned. The path love had to take to get there never ran smoothly.
Both Odysseus and the characters Shakespeare creates, have troubles with love and encounter new challenges that may be overcome by love; both succeed. Just as Odysseus and Penelope, Lysander and Hermia had to run away into to woods to keep their love together; Odysseus struggles to stay alive to see his love once again. Both couples of lovers struggle together in order to be able to be together and in love; it was rough, but love got them through it. They realize what love has gotten them thru; and know that their love is true and real. Between Shakespeare and Odysseus, they both send one great message: the road of love has its bumps at first, but after one gets the hang of it, the road becomes smooth.
Consider the presentation of the supernatural in "A Midsummer Night's bream". In what way does it reveal Shakespeare's moral and philosophical concerns? How does Shakespeare's stagecraft (setting, Characterisation, language, verse form etc) facilitate the consideration of his concerns? and how do we as a modern audience respond to the play as a piece of theatre?
The main themes of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" are the supernatural, dreams, nature and the difficulty of love. Shakespeare's ideas are represented by his use of symbolism. If you look at the play in general at a glance it comes across as being benevolent. But if you look closely then you can see that Shakespeare engages the audience in thought about the world they live in. The audience is left to think about the difficulty of love, the magic or supernatural power of love, and what is illusion or dream.
In "A Midsummer Nights Dream" love is a constant theme, there is a clear difference between genuine love and the illusion made by love, that has no meaning. Shakespeare suggests that love is an emotion that has to be balanced by reason. Nothing can stand in the way of true love. Hermia and Lysander are prepared to leave their friends, family, and home in order to get married, and Pyramus and Thisbe die for the love of each other. Titania shows the blindness of love when she falls in love with Bottom she is the highest immortal - a beautiful fairy queen, but she is in love with the lowest immortal - an ass. Puck portrays the cynical and foolish view of love "lord what fools these mortals be", he is unaffected by it. Puck is the only one to see the madness of love, he sees it as just a mating ritual "man will have his mare again and all shall be well.
The exaggerated language of the people under the love spell that Oberon creates from the "flower hit by cupids arrow" shows how irresponsible and foolish love can be. When Titania first meets bottom she says "on the first view to say, to swear, I love thee" and Lysander announced instant love to Helena saying "run through fire I will for thy sweet sake!" Shakespeare also shows that true love overrides all other loyalties. When Titania falls in love with bottom she disowns the changeling boy, that she fell out with Oberon about. Shakespeare shows the reverse side of love through Oberon. Love can cause jealousy, hatred and dominance. The jealousy between Oberon and Titania caused disruption in the natural world, and when Oberon falls out with Titania he wants to make a fool out of her. He does this by putting the juice of a flower which has been "touched by cupids arrow" on her eyes this makes her fall in love with the next living thing she sees. When Oberon puts this juice on Titania's eyes he says "Wake when some vile thing is near!" this shows he doesn't care how much he humiliates Titania as long as he gets revenge. Jealousy between the four lovers caused Helena and Hermia to brake their livelong friendship, and argue with each other and Lysander and Demetrius want to kill each other. Shakespeare tells us that jealousy destroys relationships but jealousy is a product of love.
The world of nature is shown as a place of natural beauty but also an area of potential danger. The place where Titania sleeps is an enchanting place where-fragrant flowers grow. But also in the woods there is no direction or pathway so the mortals can feel lost and afraid. The woods are dark and a place of mystery and magic, an Elizabethan audience would associate this with the supernatural. The individual fairies names - Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustard seed are embodiments of nature They are all loyal follows of Titania and they spend their time helping nature. The way that the natural world can be beautiful and balanced is an example to the human world, but Shakespeare also shows that the natural world can be unbalanced and dangerous just like the human world. The wood is an embodiment of love.
The Elizabethan's believed that order was an important part of life. There had to be balance in the world, which was maintained by order, and when order was broken and the balance was upset it would end up with terrible consequences. Shakespeare uses this idea in "A Midsummer Nights Dream". The fairies are seen as significant in keeping order in the natural world and the human world. The argument between Titania and Oberon means that harmony is gone from the fairy world and as a result the human world is suffering, the crops are destroyed, the natural patterns of the climate and seasons have changed and it also effects the mortals lives. Titania is aware of the consequences of the argument and wants to sort them out "The human mortals want their winter cheer;" Oberon is less concerned about the consequences. When Titania and Oberon make up it leads to human reconciliation and blessing, and ends with music and harmony.
The fairies are superior to humans, they are not restricted by time, place "I'll put a girdle round about the earth, In forty minutes!" or social rules, this is an extension of our aspirations and fantasies. The use of language suggests the fairies are never limited to a concrete appearance, Titania is able to embrace Bottom but the fairies can also "creep into acorn cups, wrap in a snakeskin, make coats from bat fur".
As the king of the fairies Oberon represents power, but his mischievous use of power brings chaos and confusion. Oberon can make himself invisible and has such good eyesight that he has seen Cupid flying "between the cold moon and the earth". There is a dark side to Oberon, which can make him quite frightening. His jealousy caused mayhem in the natural world and his plan to get the changeling boy involved humiliating Titania. The audience sees that he can be selfish and expects, to get his own way and that he is prepared to be ruthless get what he wants. But also he is capable of feeling sympathy, he reverses the spell on Titania after he has got what he wanted, and he sympathises with Helena when he sees Demetrius treating her badly and tries to help her. The duality of his character can be seen when he uses his magic to help Helena, but at the same time uses it to humiliate
Titania.''
Titania, the Queen of fairies is described by Oberon as "proud" because she refuses to agree to give him the changeling boy. Even in the fairy kingdom females are subservient to male and Titania challenges this as she is prepared to stand up to Oberon. When he says, "Am I not thy lord?" she replies with "Then I must be thy
lady". Titania is associated with mothering she wants to protect the changeling boy to stay loyal to the boys dead mother and she is very in touch with nature and its beauty and almost mothers it, as she sends her fairies to protect the plants and creatures.
Titania and Oberon are given human characteristics and weaknesses, which make them more believable, and the audience can engage and empathise with them because they have genuine human emotions.
Puck loves to tease, he is the alternative aspect of the supernatural. He has none of the dignity of Titania or Oberon. From the first meeting of him the fairy describes him as a "knavish sprite" and the audience is aware that he finds pleasure in mischief. Puck doesn't get involved with anything emotionally. He enjoys creating the circumstances where ridiculous events and behaviour happen, and he just watches. He acts under the instructions of Oberon, his master, but he still has his own mind and own ideas, like when he but an ass's head on Bottom. Puck loves practical jokes, but because unlike Oberon he doesn't have any feelings of guilt the audience probably would not fully share the pleasure of his tricks. Puck causes most of the mayhem and it has the potential for tragedy but the audience knows that the watching Oberon will not let that happen so it results in comedy.
Both Puck and Titania openly interact with humans. Titania interacts and emphasises with humans she has close relationships with individual mortals. But Puck interferes with humans purely to play practical jokes, and he does not empathise with them, he prefers the mayhem even at the expense of human suffering and chaos. Puck mocks the workmen and takes pleasure in tormenting the "hempen homepuns". Oberon has a powerful force over human beings, he is interested using his magic to help individual mortals' e.g. Helena. He tries to help Helena's relationship because his own relationship has spiralled out of control. Puck manipulates the lovers and sees humans as an inferior species.
The fairies' magic brings about many of the most strange and funny situations in the play. At the climax of "A Midsummer Nights Dream" the misuse of magic had caused chaos and confusion. Titania is in love with an ass. Puck applied the love potion to Lysander's eyes instead of Demetrius', Oberon bewitched Demetrius so he too is in love with Helena, and the four lovers are arguing. Oberon wants to sort all this out and restore the harmony. But Puck enjoys the chaos "this their jangling I esteem a sport" The magic also resolves the play's tensions by restoring harmony between Titania and Oberon which leads to the reconciliation among the four lovers.
The human imagination is not restricted or controlled by social order Shakespeare wanted to show the difference between humans working within social constraints and humans responding to instinct without limits. Shakespeare provides an insight into the human mind by contrasting Ancient Athens with the woods. Athens is a civilised world, which is governed by reason and order, the woods however, has no laws and no direction or pathway, imagination and love dictate what happens when the characters are in the wood they are in a dream-like state where reason is clouded. The woods represent the human imagination and mind when it's relaxed like when a person is on their own, in their own environment and Athens represents the human imagination and mind when it has to think about physical social limitations.
In Elizabethan times there were only a limited amount of props and setting that Shakespeare could use. Therefore he had to take the audience to the fairy world using their imagination and his ability to create a place by using only words. Shakespeare uses his words very effectively by emphasising the beauty of the fairy world by using world like, orbs, gold coats and rubies. The sort of language that Shakespeare uses is an indication of the type of character that is speaking. Theseus, Hippolyta, Oberon, and Titania all use blank verse this shows that they have a high status. The workmen speak in prose this reflects their low status. Puck's language alludes to the darker side of the supernatural. He shows that good can not exist without evil. Puck speaks of midnight and darkness. Night-time is when humans are usually asleep and when magical creatures are about. Humans don't see very well in the dark so this is a time when we are more vulnerable and feel insecure. Puck also speaks about death and hell "Now it the time of night, That the graves, all gaping wide, Everyone lets forth his sprite" humans are confused and scared about death, but Puck is aware of what happens after death.
A modern day audience would be more doubtful about the existence of the Supernatural. But they suspend their disbelief so that they can see things from the character's point of view and get more into the story line. There is more props and better setting available to make the supernatural more believable.
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of love in a midsummer nights dream.
A midsummer nights dream was originally supposed to have been performed at a wedding. Therefore the theme of love would have been a suitable theme for the play. In this play, as in many of Shakespeare's plays the main theme is love. Shakespeare presents many different aspects of love in the play. He shows how love can affect your vision of reality and make you behave in irrational ways. He presents many ways in which your behavior is affected by the different types and aspects of love. The main types of love he presents are; true love, fake love, unrequited love, young and irrational love and platonic love. Shakespeare tries to show what kinds of trouble, problems and confusion, love can get you into.
The different interpretations of love are aimed at showing what being in love could lead to. When you think that you are in love and not really, how easily emotions can be confused and changed. For example, Demetrius's love for Hermia is fake and easily changed in one night to Helena. Hermia and Helena share a platonic love between them; but Lysander, turning to loving Helena by a drop in his eyes, disrupts it. Helena and Hermia fight and feel betrayed by each other because of Lysander talking about loving Helena. Helena thinks that Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius are playing a practical joke on her. Lysander and Hermia share young, but true love. The both act irrationally. When Hermia's parents refuse to allow her to not marry Demetrius she and Lysander decide to run away together and then get married. Just just a drop in Lysander's eye disrupts their love easily. They are both easily deceived by blind love. Jealousy is a factor in the relationships in the play. One person's love for another can make a third person jealous and feel betrayed or pathetic. Shakespeare also presents irrational and short-lived love. The love brought in by Titania and Bottom also based on false impressions and appearance. Oberon shows jealousy towards Titania of Bottom and others, their love is true in the end when she realizes what Bottom really looks like and that she never loved him but Oberon.
Shakespeare shows the emotions and social standing of the characters by the language he gives them to use in their speeches. He uses a mixture of blank verse, prose and poetic verse throughout the play. He does so in all his plays. When the characters speak to each other in poetic verse it indicates that they share a type of love between them. Poetic verse is usually associated with lovers writing poetry to each other. This changes between certain characters as that confusion is misleading them or false emotions are shown. When Helena and Hermia argue the way they speak to each other changes when they both think the other has betrayed the other. When the workmen are trying to speak in verse, but it is very poor quality, it shows that they are trying to act on being someone else, but they are not doing a good job. The language of the workmen is that of the lower classes in Shakespeare's time. They speak in prose usually. They try to speak in verse so the parts of Pyramus and Thisbe, who are meant to be truly in love, sound realistic. With the parts of Pyramus and Thisbe Shakespeare shows that love cannot be interpreted and if it is faked it will not work and be obvious when it is fake. The workmen are tying to imitate love, but are doing a bad job. Showing that you cannot pretend to be in love if you're not.
The title 'A midsummer nights dream' relates to the settings, influences and the imagery used in the play. For example, midnight is a very romantic time of night and summer is related to passion. Also the word 'dream' relates to the confusion in the woods when the lovers are ticked into loving someone else with the love potion in their eyes. The Latin word for moon was 'Luna' and this relates to the word 'lunatic' that means people who act strangely on full moons or times when the moon is visible; which is what happened in the woods: people acting differently (strangely) towards each other and people acting irrationally. Also references are made regularly towards nature and stars. Disorder within the two worlds, the fairy and human world, caused by argument, jealousy and blindness from reality. The fairy world having problems would affect the human world causing disorder and confusion. A lot of the images created are linked to Greek mythology for example Cupid is blind like the types of love in the play, if cupid is blind then the love that he causes will also be blind, like the loves in the play. He used what we traditionally associate with love to create images: roses, gift, stars, nature, poetry, etc. Shakespeare talks about beauty and how true love always had some problems involved. There is a lot of symbolism in the play. For example, when you are blind, you cannot see with your eyes and when the fairy Puk puts a drop of potion into the lovers eye their love changes to a blind love.
When Shakespeare uses all these ideas and images in this play, it creates a very structured and complex play. Also it creates a very complex and structured perception of love Shakespeare has. The images he uses all have something to do with love and its different factors. Using imagery he shows how love can affect your behavior, thinking and perception. He uses the images to make a point about his opinion on love. This play was written for a wedding but was not performed for that purpose. This could be because of the ideas he shows that could have gone wrong and how it could be false even if you think its true. Shakespeare also makes a point of how quickly situations where you think you are in love, or where here you are good friends, can changes around and prove otherwise. It would for the reasons that he shows how complicated and how false love can be, be an inappropriate theme for the play to be performed at a weeding. He could of upset the couple with his imagery and references to what trouble love can lead to.
Shakespeare shows how he feels about love. The play demonstrates his perception of love by using imagery and language. He presents love as being irrational, blinding and obsessive. He shows that it can be very misleading.
Discuss the impact Act 3, Scene 1 where Titania the queen of the fairies falls in love with Bottom a mere human weaver -Titania - From a Midsummer Nights Dream.
In this essay I am going to discuss the impact Act 3, Scene 1 where Titania the queen of the fairies falls in love with Bottom a mere human weaver.
In Act 3, Scene 1, Bottom and his companions are trying to prepare for a play they must perform to entertain the guests at Theaseus's and Hippolyta's wedding the next day. Bottom, Flute, Snug, Snout, Straveking and Quince are all the mechanicals I group who have decided to put on the play. When the mischievous fairy sent from Oberon the king of the fairies to put magic juice in Titania's eyes, he decides to cause a little mischief and humour to the play by turning Bottoms head in to one of an Ass's when he sees them rehearsing in the forest. When the mechanicals try to explain to Bottom about the transformation of his head that has magically taken place, Bottom thinks the mechanicals are trying to trick him and get rid of him. Bottom is left to muse on his own in the forest, when with his singing he awakes Titania from her flowery bed. From the moment Titania rests her eyes on Bottom she believed that he is the most exquisite creature she has ever seen and becomes enchanted with him. At once she proclaims her love for Bottom and instructs her fairies to attend to Bottom's every wish and command.
Titania, as we have seen from other scenes is a powerful, intelligent and beautiful queen of the fairies. In previous scenes, Titania is portrayed as very domineering women because when we are first introduced to her. Titania is having an argument with Oberon about the Indian boy, which seams to of great importance as they are both arguing over him. She speaks to Oberon with no respect denying Oberon the Indian boy. "Not for my fairy kingdom. Fairies, away: We shall chide downright, if I longer stay." And because she won't allow him to have the Indian boy, Oberon is resentful towards her. The Indian boy seams to be a symbol of status between Oberon and Titania, as they both want him and the possessor seams to feel more powerful than the other and therefore Titania is the more influential character. Titania is queen of the fairies and in the eyes of an Elizabethan audience has a great deal of power and status because still in those times it was extremely unlikely for women to have very much of. Oberon commanded Puck to put the juice into Titania's eyes to make a fool of her to show he has control over her as she made a mockery of him by refusing his demands for the Indian boy. To get his revenge on Titania, Oberon put love drops in her eyes so she would fall in love with whatever awakes her. "And ere I take this charm from off her sight... ill make her render up her page to me. "Oberon thinks that if the queen of the fairies a woman of high status and intelligence were to fall in love with a weaver would degrade her. Titania speaks in rhythm an example of this is "And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, and sing, while thou pressed flowers dost sleep "Which again shows Titania intellect and status far above, Bottom, a mechanical one of the lowest of the low in Elizabethan society does not rhythm at all in his speech. Shakespeare makes his deliberately dislike Bottom from the beginning by making him conceited "You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a sweet faced man, a proper as one shall see in a summers day, a most lovely gentleman-like-man..."
My first impressions of Bottom is that he is very self centred as he tries to acquire the parts of the other actors claming he is best suited for their part and not them. This quote demonstrates how conceited Bottom is when he talks about his acting "That will ask some tears in the true performing it. If I do it let the audience look to their eyes: I will move storms; I will condole in some measures" Bottom treats the other mechanicals as if they are mere peasants compared to him and he is the only one who knows about acting and plays "There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?" he thinks that the ladies watching will frightening when watching an actor pretending to kill themselves and may believe that it is real. Bottoms name is even a metaphor for his personality and life because he behaves like a bottom and is in the bottom of society. So when Puck transforms Bottoms head into an ass's head again it is a reflection and play on words that Bottom actually acts like an ass. Shakespeare has used dramatic irony here where the audience realise that Bottom's head is an ass's but the character doesn't. Shakespeare has make the play amusing by it being very ironic with an element of pathos, after Bottoms head has been transformed, the mechanicals try to explain to him about the ass's head and he thinks that they are joking about with him and replies " I know their knavery this is to make an ass of me" Bottom obviously thinks he has out smarted them y figuring out their plan although they were trying to help him whereas he is just being conceited. Although, looking in more depth at Bottom and Titania's personalities they do have a few traits in common for example both of them like to be in control. Titania because she offers the fairies to do everything for Bottom and herself and because she refuses to give Oberon the Indian boy. Bottom demonstrates that he likes to be in control when he tries to organise the play himself "Are we all met?" And again when Quince commences on Bottom taking control "What sayest thou, bully Bottom?" Quince is obviously put out by Bottom controlling the play. Bottom remains a stable character with very little change in his personality thought the play. Whereas Titania now bewitched with Bottom, is desperate not to let him have a reason to leave her "Out of this wood do not desire to go: thou shall remain here, whether wilt or no" Titania once a strong and independent character trying to seduce a weaver. A Midsummer Night's Dream is again amusing because Titania thinks that Bottom is the love of her life whereas he is actually the opposite to what she thinks he is. When Titania says, "Thou art as wise as thou are beautiful" which is ironic because Titania is intoxicated with Bottom this is how she sees him. The audience know that neither are true because Bottom is not wise as he wanted to put a prologue into the play explaining that the lion is actually just an actor as so the ladies in the crowd will not be scared. The audience also know that Bottom is not beautiful as he has an ass for a head. In Shakespearean times, unless you were lower class relationships were not about love but more social stats and money so the audience would of not accepted that relationship and thought that Titania should have been in a relationship with royalty. Titania offers fairies to bribe him to stay "I shall give thee fairies attend on thee; and they shall fetch jewels from the deep"
Titania declares her love for Bottom and everything about him when saying "I pray thee, gental mortal sing again; Mine ear is much enamoured of thy note; So mine eye is enthralled to thy shape: And fair virtue's force perform doth move me On first view, to say, to swear, I love thee...I have foresworen his bed and company" Titania commands her fairies to leave her and Bottom alone together. As Bottom personality is so egotistical, he doesn't seem phrased at all when Titania a stunningly beautiful women he has known for only a few hours is madly in love with him and will do anything to make sure he is satisfied and conformable. This must seem very funny to its audience as it uses dramatic irony when the queen of the fairies is in love with a weaver, so when they are in the forest together is must look very strange. There everything is colourful, beautiful and covered in flowers and jewels and in the middle is Bottom wearing ordinary lower class clothes with an ass's head. Bottom thinks that this is the life he was born to lead and does not realise there is magical spell in play "Methinks mistress, you should have little reason for that: and to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays" By this Bottom means that she has little reason to love him as they have only just met but never the less even though he thinks love and reason have no connection he does not even contemplate that there maybe some mysterious going on. Bottom has obviously never been in before as he sees love as unreasonable and ridiculous which is another example of Bottom being prejudice because how can he critise love without ever experiencing it.In this scene, Shakespeare tries to produce a number of different emotions towards the characters in involve the characters more. I feel sorry mostly for Titania as she is being made a fool out of her and Oberon is laughing at her behind her back because of his jealousy of the Indian boy. Whereas I do not feel the slightest bit of sympathy for Bottom, as he is exceedingly big headed and deserve to have a fool made of him as a punishment. In another like I suppose Shakespeare could be trying to make us feel sympathy for Bottom as not a lot seems to go right for him. As he has an ass for a head and he is being made to look an idiot thinking that Titania actually loves him but the way that Shakespeare portrays this is with pathos so the audience laughs instead at his misfortune. The fairies are quite symbolic in A Midsummer Night's Dream because in Shakespearian times the fairies would have been seen as magical and the audience would of known it was a dream it is again anther use of dramatic irony. Also the fairies were thought to of controlled the seasons in the Elizabethan times so when there is a conflict between Oberon and Titania would have seen this as a rift in the seasons as they believe fairies control the seasons.
This scene is very important in the play because it explains how Titania becomes infatuated with Bottom and also how a powerful queen become almost a servant to a human weaver in the name of love. Its is also a lesson to the audience, that love is blind, Titania is a "sprit of no common rate" but she still loves Bottom despite of his social class. Which in Elizabethan times would have been very unheard of to marry anyone for true love instead they would look for status and money. The play I think is loosely based on an Elizabethan celebration called the summer solstice (June 23rd) when traditionally stories of supernatural events would be told and some of these would include disorder and wild behaviour which is different to ordinary Elizabethan life. Which would make sense of the title of the play because the celebrations take part on a midsummer evening, so the title is very appropriate. Even though the play was written for an extremely different audience and time, as the play was written between 1594 and 1596. His Elizabethan audience would of received the play very differently to what I have today it still has a lot of its orginal charm using basic humour. Although at the time it was considered to be quite rude with a character with an ass's head. A Midsummer Night's Dream is all about love and magic and this is a very critical scene as it displays both while using irony and comedy to get across the message within the story. Without this key scene the play out not have the same impact and the play wouldn't have flowed as well as it could with this scene
