A Midsummer Nights Dream Shakespeare's treatment of illusion and reality in the play
A Midsummer Nights Dream Write about Shakespeare's treatment of illusion and reality in the play. A Midsummer Nights Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare, it is a play about lovers and includes madness, mayhem, magic and illusion. The title tells us of the inevitable confusion to come, as in Elizabethan times 'A Midsummer Night' was a festival linked with mayhem and chaos, and the fact it is a 'dream' conjures up ideas of illusion and fantasy. The play has two settings, Athens which represents reality, order and daylight and the woods, the world of the fairies, which symbolize illusion, magic, and a place of darkness. There are three main groups of characters the courtiers, the workmen and the fairies whose actions form four different plots within the play. . The wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta 2. The love affairs between Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena 3. The workmen's play, its planning, rehearsal and performance 4. The quarrel between Oberon and Titania A Midsummer Nights Dream itself is an illusion, and to enjoy it you must temporarily suspend reality. Love is an important theme in the play, whether it is true love or induced by magic; it inhibits people's ability to distinguish what is real or simply an illusion. The play begins in Athens, with the preparations for the forthcoming marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta Queen
The form and structure within "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
The form and structure within "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is very complex at times but equally effective upon the reader. There are many complicated concepts to consider which have made the play what it is; one of the most original, magical, mysterious and thoroughly enjoyable ever written. The division of the acts and scene was a key element to the build-up of tension, and introduction to the characters and their statuses. The first three scenes each have a different set of characters; Act 1 Scene1 - The Courtiers (who eventually split up into two separate strands and two sub-plots - The Courtiers and The Lovers) ,Act 1 Scene 2 - The Mechanicals and Act 2 Scene 1 - The Fairies. This is interesting as it establishes the three character groups before they merge. It establishes the three different stories and clearly separates them as they have a scene each. It is not until Act 2 Scene 2 that the three groups come together and create yet another story, as Puck, one of The Fairies, enters the same scene just after a conversation between Lysander and Hermia and later leaves after his monologue. Enter Helena and Demetrius. The exposition through language is an important aspect of the play to explore. For me the most outstanding would be at the beginning of the play in Act 1 Scene 1 where Hippolyta says: "Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will
Shakespeare - Midsummer Night's Dream "In what ways (and to what ends) does Shakespeare use metamorphosis?"
Shakespeare - Midsummer Night's Dream LT111-1 "In what ways (and to what ends) does Shakespeare use metamorphosis?" Throughout this play, Shakespeare employs the theme of metamorphosis (through the inclusion of the fairies and their magic) not only to further the story as an indirect plot device but also to highlight the play's other prevalent themes (e.g.: love, marriage, gender, jealousy, etc.). Despite the undertones of 'tragedy', the play is primarily concerned with comedy, the employment of both ideological and physical metamorphosis throughout providing the basis for the comedic elements. The majority of the comedy revolves around the derision and scorn of the craftsmen whose inclusion supplies the humour in their woeful attempt at writing a tragedy (a scene specifically calculated to amuse regular theatregoers and urban sophisticates) and the patronising tones by which they are addressed (regarded as 'hempen homespuns', III.1.70 and 'hard-handed men...which never laboured in their minds until now', V.1.72-3 by Robin and Philostrate respectively). On a more base comedic note, Bottoms physical metamorphosis also serving to belittle the craftsmen further as well as the humorous pun regarding his name coupled with the fact that he is transformed into an ass. A 'Midsummer Nights Dream' is, above all else, a play about metamorphosis, the alteration or change from
Write an essay on the following passage (3.1.80-135) from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
TMA 01 - AA306 Write an essay on the following passage (3.1.80-135) from A Midsummer Night's Dream. You should give consideration to such matters as: (a) how the episode relates to the rest of the play (be careful not just to tell the story); (b) the distinctive features of the language; and (c) the performance aspects of the extract. The focus of this discussion will be upon the language and performance possibilities of this extract from the Dream1, following brief consideration of the manner in which the extract relates to the rest of the play in terms of plot development and the reflection of certain of the play's themes. Performance aspects are considered alongside the distinctive features of the language, as it is suggested that the nature of the language employed governs performance. Broadly speaking, it is argued that while the language of the extract lends itself to a humorous performance on more than one level, in certain respects the humour seeks to convey a serious message and the extract's comedy should not mask unexpected instances of sincerity. As suggested above, this extract relates to the Dream as a whole through simple plot development and the illustration of some of the play's recurring themes. The extract progresses two of the play's four principal plot lines. As it structurally occupies a central point in the play, it also represents a mid-point
Consider the presentation of the supernatural in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". In what way does it reveal Shakespeare's moral and philosophical concerns?
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
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