A Midsummer Night’s Dream

1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

2. Background • Written between 1594-5 • Later than Comedy, considered a more mature play

3. Locations • Athens, Greece • Begins in the Court, where laws of man are important and serious • Moves to the forest, where nature takes over (human nature, such as love, jealousy, sex, and animal instincts take over • Considered: full of spirits, spells and madness – just like Comedy • The forest TESTS the lovers and the strength of their devotion and loyalty. • Shakespeare became known for showing the contrast between the Courtly world and the natural world in his plays (ex. The Tempest, As You Like It)

4. Four Main Plots • Court party of Theseus, Duke of Athens • Four young lovers (Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena) • The Fairy world, ruled by Titania and Oberon, king and queen of the fairies • Rude Mechanicals (would be actors)

5. The Overplot • Marriage of Theseus of Athens and Hippolyta of the Amazons • Theseus won Hippolyta in marriage by sword – by defeating the Amazons and taking her by force. • Sets up the theme of male vs. female domination • Doubling of Characters: Theseus and Oberon, Hippolyta and Titania (duke and duchess of Athens, King and Queen of the Fairies)

6. The Play Within the Play • A very popular device in Shakespeare (ex. Hamlet) • Pyramus and Thisbe – Performed by the Mechanicals • Performed by members of the working class for the celebration of the duke’s marriage • Mechanicals take a serious view of the play, even though it is ridiculously performed. • Seems an inappropriate topic for a celebration of marriage. • Similar storyline to Romeo and Juliet

7. Themes LOVE: Love is an imaginative journey that goes from social conflict to a fantasy world then a return to reality (transformed by the experience). Explored in the play: The power of love The irrationality of love

8. Themes Law: Athenian law sides with the parents, males, wealth and position against youth and romance. Daughters are the possessions of their fathers and subject, by law, to their fathers’ decisions. If a daughter refused to marry the man her father chose, her only options were death or a nunnery (eternal virginity).

9. Themes • The young lovers flee Athenian law to the natural world (forest) to lose themselves in sexual desire and love • Question at the end of the experience: Is love real or imagination? • The play uses words to weave spells on others. • Spells cast on lovers: Demetrius, Lysander, Titania, Bottom

10. Conflicts • Parental/Child • Law vs. Love (desire) • Jealousy • Unrequited love • Gender power struggle

11. Classic vs. Folk in Nature • Shakespeare blended the classical with folk in this play. • Classic: Cupid type character = PUCK (Robin Goodfellow) • Folk: Changeling child (children stolen by the fairies and a child was left behind). • Fairies are both humorous, mischievous and sweet, but there is a hint at their more devious and evil natures, i.e. stealing children.

12. The players. The story. • Theseus is going to marry Hippolyta in a few days. • Egeus, father of Hermia, wants his daughter to marry a man named Demetrius. Hermia wants to marry Lysander. • The duke sides with Egeus. • Helena, Hermia’s BFF, is in love with Demetrius (who hooked up with her at some point in the past, but lost interest). Demetrius wants to marry Hermia now. • All of the characters end up leaving Athens for the forest where the bulk of the play takes place.

13. Double Nature Characters are shown as having a double nature – in the world of Athens and the natural world. True natures are shown outside of society. Bottom (mechanical) – ½ man – like classical figures of the Sphinx, griffin, centaurs and satyrs. What is another word for your bottom?