Discuss the way in which Shakespeare presents the theme of love in "A midsummer Night's Dream.
Discuss the way in which Shakespeare presents the theme of love in "A midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare presents his views on love in many different ways, there is parental love, doting (one-sided obsessive love) and true love. I am going to discuss the themes of love in this play. The first type of love in the play is parental love between Egeus and Hermia but is this real love? Egeus wants his daughter Hermia to marry Demitreus, which is against her wishes, she wants to marry Lysander who she truly loves but Egeus dismisses this and says she must marry Demitreus or face death, which is a bit harsh. The Duke Theseus says that she must "treat her father as a God," and obey his wishes but Theseus opens up another option for Hermia "the livery of a nun," so it looks like Hermia has only Two choices to die or to become a nun. Theseus gives her four days to make her decision " by the next new moon the sealing day betwixt my love and me," so Hermia has four days until Theseus marries Hippolyta to decide what she is going to do. Doting love is shown with Helena in the woods with Demitreus who is looking for Hermia. Helena follows him around and is always making loving gestures towards him like "I am sick when I look not on you," Demitreus always rejects her but it seems to make her more determined to be with him. Demitreus says things like "I am sick when I look on thee,"
In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream there are many instances of betrayal.Betrayal plays a big role in this play.
Name: Janaty Kondos English Course Work A Midsummer Night's Dream In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream there are many instances of betrayal. Betrayal plays a big role in this play. Betrayal, according to the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary and Oxford Student's Dictionary for Hebrew Speakers means: ) To reveal unintentionally, disclose in violation of confidence. 2) To behave without loyalty or honesty towards (a person, a persons feelings) 3) To allow (a secret) to become known, either by accident or on purpose From reading this play, I can see that, betrayal is also an intentional action with a specific goal. There are two kinds of betrayals in the play. There is intentional betrayal where the person who is betraying is aware of his actions and acts with a specific goal in mind, this betrayal can be motivated by feelings such as: love, jealousy and anger. In addition there is also betrayal under magic where somebody casts a spell on a character to do his actions. Therefore, the characters who do the action are not aware and can not act intentionally. They are only puppets acting out in order to make the audience laugh or help mortals out. In this paper, I will not discuss betrayal under magic because the characters can not be held responsible for their own actions. I have chosen to discuss three examples of intentional betrayal because they serve a
As a director, how would you want your audience to respond to the opening scene of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and how would you direct the scene in order to achieve your aim?
As a director, how would you want your audience to respond to the opening scene of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and how would you direct the scene in order to achieve your aim? The opening scene of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is very significant to the play, as it introduces the audience to the main characters in the play, almost instantly, portraying to the audience the situation between the lovers. In concern to the Court, I would want the audience to immediately realise that Theseus is both a very important, and highly respected man. In order to achieve this, I would set the scene in a very lavish meeting hall, such as a royal press office, with Theseus sitting high above the rest of the court to show his superiority. I would also like to express his immense wealth by using bold strong colours to decorate the hall, expensive shimmering metals, and many doting courtiers in the background of the scene, also showing his importance. I would also like to include a fanfare whenever somebody important entered of left the stage, as this would show that Theseus is a Duke, and more than a simply wealthy man. I would want Theseus to appear wise, knowledgeable, just and fair. In order to highlight his fairness, I would have the actor emphasise the choice he leaves with Hermia, instead of enforcing his word onto her, he leaves Hermia with her own decision, and therefore, her own
Consider Shakespeare's presentation of the world of Athensin Act I and the world of the fairies in Act II. A Midsummer night's dream
Consider Shakespeare's presentation of the world of Athens in Act I and the world of the fairies in Act II. Although 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' was set in Athenian times, the fact that it was written in Elizabethan times is obvious. Shakespeare has introduced this element of the then modern society in order to not alienate the audience, who obviously had not been to Athens around 200 BC. Theatre played a much more prominent role in the lives of the average person in Shakespeare's time than it does now, and therefore a much wider stratum of society would regularly go to the theatre. In the present time, the cinema seems to have replaced it. For this reason, it was important for a comedy, such as 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', to have a wide appeal. Shakespeare's comedies were often based on conflict, and in this instance, the conflict was between the worlds of Athens and the fairies. The confusion in love, and the conflict resolved at the end, also shows it is a comedy. There was a hierarchy in all Shakespeare's plays; in this case, there was the orderly world of Athens, the confused, magical world of the fairies, and the uncultured buffoonery of the 'rude mechanicals'. Shakespeare accentuates this by setting scenes in the Athenian world in the day time, and in the wood by night. The light of day symbolizes the clarity of Athens, while the darkness mimics the confusion in the
In what ways is 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' a play of discord and disorder?
Amy Walters Shakespeare In Context Word Count: 1900 In what ways is 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' a play of discord and disorder? Through out the play there are many examples of discord and disorder. Many of these occasions appear through the relationships of the characters but often a single character has the ability to create immense confusion. Love is a common theme through out Shakespearian comedy and it is interesting in a Midsummer nights dream how the theme of love and relationships is often used to create discord and disorder. It is also apparent how the infusion of worlds creates extreme discord and disorder. Throughout the play two different world seem apparent, that of reality and that of dream. The Fairy world falls into the dream category and it is the events that lead to the combining of these worlds that create, it seems, the majority of disorder through out the play. The fairies intervention into the lives of the human characters creates disorder with in the wood. The lovers complete confusion and uncertainty coupled with Bottoms introduction in the fairy world appears both disruptive to both reality and dream and causes much discord amongst the characters. The first example we see of discord is in the relationship between Hermia and her father Egeus. At the start of the play Egeus explains "Full of vexation come I with
Explore the theme of Appearance and Reality in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare Essay: Explore the theme of Appearance and Reality in A Midsummer Night's Dream In A Midsummer Nights Dream the theme of appearance and reality is a key theme. In the play everyone seems to confuse appearance and reality at one point. This means they confuse what is real with what is not real. The title itself is a sign of the confusion to come. 'Dream' gives the idea that it is all going to be a bit confusing and hazy. It also indicates that however terrible it may be, everything will be fine at the end. 'A Midsummer Night' was an Elizabethan festival, linked with mayhem and chaos. The settings of the play are quickly separated, Athens and the woods. Athens is the place of order and reality. The Woods is the place of magic and illusion. The thought of illusion is emphasised, as the play itself is an illusion and to enjoy it we must suspend reality and believe the illusion. In the play the power of love and the power of magic is used to create an illusion. Love, whether magic induced or real, often robs people of their common sense, making it hard for them to distinguish between appearance and reality. Egeus accuses Lysander of stealing Hermia; he does not believe that Hermia would love Lysander by her own free will, he believes that it must be trickery or magic. Egeus uses words like 'stolen' to show how he feels about Hermia loving Lysander. Egeus' speech
Weak or Strong? How does Shakespeare portray his female characters in "A Mid-Summer Nights Dream"
Weak or Strong? How does Shakespeare portray his female characters in "A Mid-Summer Nights Dream" "The story shall be changed. Apollo flies and Daphe holds the chase." In the Athenian setting of "A Mid-Summer Nights Dream", women play an important role. The position women play is both strong and weak, and I will be discussing these matters. Compared to the English society in Shakespearean times, the female characters behaviour in "A Mid-Summer Nights Dream" would have been unconventional. The only exception in those days would have been Queen Elizabeth because she was very powerful even though she was a woman. This would have affected how Shakespeare portrayed women in "A Mid-Summer Nights Dream". Women would have been made to look weak but their strength would be judged by their social position. The two women I am going to focus on closely are a Titania, queen of the fairies and the other Helena, a lover. At this point I would say Titania seems the stronger but it may not be as straight forward as this. Titania had a high social position as queen, also commanding the fairies. With the aid of her fairies e.g. "fairies be gone", she has quite a powerful force. This alone is not all of Titania's strengths, during the play she is persistently asked by Oberon for the possession of her young Indian boy but strongly refuses, "I will not part with him". This strength of
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Character Analysis
" A Midsummer Night's Dream " Character Analysis Hermia When we first meet Hermia she is the typical girl in love against her fathers wishes. Obviously we see from the start that she is very devoted to Lysander, her love, and she does not like to be forced to do things that she does not want. She does not want to marry Demetrius even though her father has pretty much told her it is that or death. Yes, she could always go live in a nunnery or live a life of chastity but who really wants that. So from the start we see that she is very adamant and very in love. Before going into Hermia's inner self I must address her physical appearance. She is Egeus' daughter and she is a tiny woman with a dark completion. She is often mocked for this like when Helena and her were quarreling in the woods Hermia says this in regards to height - "Now I perceive that she hath made compare between our statures: she hath urged her height, And with her personage, her tall personage, Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him." (Act III Scene 2 Line 292). So obviously she is aware of her lack in height and it seems to cause her a bit of pain. Though Helena is taller than Hermia even she admits that Hermia has "sparkling eyes and a lovely voice". Hermia is very set in what she wants from the very first scene. She has eyes only for Lysander.So obviously she is very faithful. Even when faced
Discuss the similarities and differences in the presentation of Theseus and Oberon in Midsummer Nights Dream.
Edward Darbyshire 11G Discuss the similarities and differences in the presentation of Theseus and Oberon in Midsummer Nights Dream. Theseus and Oberon are leaders of their respective kingdoms. Theseus is Duke of Athens and Oberon is king of the fairies and are therefore both figures of authority and royalty. The positions they occupy are reflected by their use of language and their relationships with other characters in the play. Theseus is the ruler of the Athenian State which was seen as being highly civilised and controlled by strict but fair laws. It is the job of Theseus to see that the laws of Athens are obeyed even when he feels them to be severe. We are first introduced to him when he is acting as an adjudicator between Hermia and her father in the matter of her marriage do Dimetrius.(she is in love with Lysander, and wants to marry him against her fathers expressed wishes) In act 1 scene 1 line 117 to 120 we see a good example of Theseus' firm expression mixed with some compassion. "For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself to fit your fancies to your fathers will, Or else the law of Athens yields you up- Which by no means we may extenuate- To death, or to a vow of single life". Theseus is called upon to be a judge and guide because he is considered a wise and fair ruler who will uphold the law. His firmness is tempered by consideration for Hermia. He
Racter Analysis of Hermia and Helena
Character Analysis of Hermia and Helena Hermia * Hermia has a dark complexion, in contrast with Helena's blondness. When Lysander was under the influence of Puck's potion, he had said "Away, you Ethiope!" and " Thy love? Out, tawny Tartar, out!" Act Three, Scene 2, Line 266. An Ethiope is a dark-skinned person, here is it clearly intended as an insult. Tawny Tartar is another insulting reference to Hermia's dark complexion. Tawny is a light brown to brownish orange colour. A Tartar is a member of any of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples of central Asia who invaded western Asia and eastern Europe in the Middle Ages and also a person regarded as ferocious or violent. * Hermia is short, compared to elegant Helena's tallness and slenderness. Self-conscious about her short stature, Hermia suspects that Helena has wooed the men (esp. Lysander) with her height. She says "Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed him. And are you grown so high in his esteem Because I am so dwarfish and so low?" Act Three, Scene 2, Lines 296 to 298. * Hermia has a fiery temper. Helena had remarked "O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd. She was a vixen when she went to school; And though she be but little she is fierce." Act Three, Scene 2, Lines 328 to 330. Helena was scared that Hermia might do her some bodily injury for Hermia claimed that even if she is low, she is tall enough to claw