by the social attitude of the Elizabethan era. During Elizabethan times magic – unlike today – was widely believed in. It was considered a crime to practise magic and
was an offence punishable by law. People (usually single women) were executed if they were suspected of committing this “crime”. I think that this may have
influenced Shakespeare to make magic have such a dramatic and often catastrophic effect. An example of the disastrous effects of magic is when Robin Goodfellow pours the love potion in the wrong man’s eye, causing him to fall in love with
another woman. This shows us that magic often has devastating and consequential effects, which affect the play as a whole. It also insinuates that magic might
be a devious, if not evil, force.
Magic plays a large and indispensable part in the play’s main plot, with the lovers. Magic is actually used to structure the main story – line. This can be seen where Oberon says: “A sweet lady is in love/ With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes -/ But do it when the next thing he espies/ May be the lady…” This shows us that magic is an extremely significant theme throughout the play. There would have been no main plot, had Robin Goodfellow not anointed the wrong man’s eye with the love potion.
Magic also plays an essential part in many of the subplots. This can be seen
where Bottom’s head is turned into that of an ass. Titania is then made to love him through magic. This suggests that magic is crucial to make the play the comedy
that it is. These subplots can seem slightly insignificant and trivial at times, however, they all merge to create a gripping and interesting story.
Magic is also used to solve or correct the problems at the end of the play. This can
be seen where Shakespeare writes “… Jack shall have Jill; / Nought shall go ill: / The man shall have his mare again and all shall be well...” This can also be seen in
Puck’s final speech, for example “… Think but this and all is mended…” The lovers are all as they were – except Demetrius who now loves Helena (though this is a
good thing); Bottom’s head is restored etc. These, when combined form
the resolution/conclusion of the play. Without the use of magic, normality would not have been restored. The play would not have had a proper ending. This supports
my opinion that magic plays a fundamental and imperative part in the play.
Magic is also used to make the lovers happy. Demetrius is made to fall in love
with Helena. Consequently, Hermia can marry Lysander, with whom she is in love. This also makes up a critical part of the conclusion – another main role.
Magic affects the environmental setting in the play. This can be seen when
Titania says “…Therefore the winds, piping to us in void/As in revenge for having sucked up the sea…” This shows us that the whole of nature has been set off – balance by a mere argument between the rulers of the fairies. This shows
us the intensity and extent to which magic influences the setting and design of the play.
The name of the play, itself suggests the importance of magic. The reference
to “midsummer” at first does not seem significant to the story. Why, then,
did Shakespeare include it in the title? The reference to “midsummer” is actually
an inconspicuous clue of the events in the play. Midsummer is widely considered
to be a time of magic and mystery. Such tales of fortune personified walking on Earth support this. The fact that this play is set in midsummer contributes to
the mysterious effect created by Shakespeare. This seems to be a direct and
deliberate indication of magic, before you have even read the first word.
Another hint of the content of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the use of the word “dream”. Dreams are also widely considered to be a magical aspect of life. They are often interpreted and read by those who believe in magic. This, again, seems to suggest that magic will play a crucial role in the play.
Even the word “night” could be interpreted as a reference to magic. Often –
especially in older writings – magic plays a more vital role during the night,
i.e. the hours of darkness. This is another obvious hint of magic, situated by Shakespeare before the play begins. This further reference to magic implements the role of magic as a theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and highlights its criticality
to the story as a whole.
In fact, Shakespeare actually seems to personify magic. After all, what is Puck? A mischievous being of magic that invokes supernatural events. This again is evidence of the importance of magic. Puck is often the character to inflict magic upon others resulting in a catastrophic yet comedic effect. Without the use of Puck’s magic, the lovers would not have ended up falling in love with the wrong people, and as this is the main storyline in A Midsummer Night’s Dream I think this is one of the most significant roles that magic plays and proves its necessity to the play.
Magic, is therefore a significant factor of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is
woven into most of the subplots and plays an extremely important role in the main plot. In my opinion, it would have been impossible for Shakespeare to have written this play without including magic. Therefore, magic is almost definitely the
most important and essential theme of the A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shakespeare impresses this significance on us using all of the story – lines in the play. It
affects nature, physical appearance and even the mind. Magic is used both
positively and negatively throughout the story. It is often the cause of problems,
but ultimately it solves them.
