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.
