Transcript File
About The Play A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written between 1594 and 1598. Unlike the plots of many of Shakespeare’s plays the story in A Midsummer Night’s Dream seems not to have been drawn from any particular source but rather to be the original product of the playwright’s imagination. It has three interlocking plots, all involving marriages. The first is the planned marriage between Duke Theseus and the Amazonian queen, Hippolyta; the second involves a mad scramble between four young lovers who fall in and out of love with each other in the depths of the forest; and the third involves the marriage between Titania and Oberon, two fairies who reside in the forest of Athens. Setting Greece Athens & The Athenian Forest Characters Theseus The Duke of Athens. He claims to be related to Hercules. Theseus is a character from Greek mythology, made famous for lifting a boulder. This strength may have contributed to his success in conquering the Amazons. Hippolyta Queen of the Amazons. She has agreed to be Theseus’ bride after he defeated her in battle. Characters Oberon Titania King of the Fairies. He is currently at odds with Titania, because she has adopted a young Indian boy that he wants as his henchman. This conflict leads to most of the confusion in the woods. Queen of the Fairies. She refuses to be in the company of her husband Oberon until he will leave the young Indian boy alone with her. Characters Egeus Hermia’s father. He is furious that she does not wish to marry Demetrius and asks that Theseus threaten her with death if she will not obey him. Robin Goodfellow “Puck” Fairy servant to Oberon. He is famous for playing pranks and causing mischief. Characters Demetrius Hermia Although he originally claimed to love Helena, Demetrius quickly fell in love with Hermia after Helena began to reciprocate his feelings. He is well liked by Egeus and feels he has the right to marry Hermia. She loves Lysander against her father’s wishes. Both Lysander and Demetrius are in love with her, but she is determined to elope with Lysander. Characters Lysander In love with Hermia. His belief in the power of love is what leads all of the lovers to travel into the woods. Helena Hermia’s best friend. She is madly in love with Demetrius, who now loves Hermia. She wishes to be more like her best friend, and tries to attract Demetrius’ attention by following him into the forest after Hermia. Characters Philostrate The Master of Revels, in charge of all wedding celebrations. Peter “P.T.” Quince A carpenter. He leads the group of mechanicals in their attempt to put on a play for Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding celebrations. He recites the prologue at the beginning of their performance. Characters Snug Tom Snout A joiner. A joiner is a carpenter that does more detailed work without nails and screws. This usually applies when making furniture. He plays the role of the Lion. A tinker, or a metalsmith. He is asked to play the role of Pyramus’ father, but plays the Wall in the performance. Robin Starveling A tailor. He was originally asked to play Thisbe’s mother, but is seen in the performance as the role of Moonshine. Characters Nick Bottom Francis Flute Asks to play every role in the performance. He makes many claims about his strength as an actor. He plays the role of Pyramus. A bellows-mender, or someone who helps to repair leather. He plays the role of Thisbe. Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote & Mustardseed The fairies ordered by Titania to attend to Bottom after she falls in love with him. Themes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Loves Difficulty Magic “The course of true love never did run smooth,” – Lysander Shakespeare uses magic both to embody the almost supernatural power of love (symbolized by the love potion) and to create a surreal world. Though most of the conflict in the play stems from the troubles of romance, and though the play involves a number of romantic elements, it is not truly a love story; it distances the audience from the emotions of the characters in order to poke fun at the torments and afflictions that those in love suffer. Dreams The theme of dreaming recurs predominantly when characters attempt to explain bizarre events in which these characters are involved: “I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what / dream it was. Man is but an ass if he go about t’expound this dream,” Bottom says, unable to fathom the magical happenings that have affected him as anything but the result of slumber. Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes. The idea of contrast is the basic building block of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The entire play is constructed around groups of opposites and doubles. Nearly every characteristic presented in the play has an opposite: Helena is tall, Hermia is short; Puck plays pranks, Bottom is the victim of pranks; Titania is beautiful, Bottom is grotesque. Symbols Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Theseus & Hippolyta The Love Potion They represent control & order (they bookend the play) The love potion is a symbol of the unreasoning, fickle, erratic, and undeniably powerful nature of love, which can lead to inexplicable and bizarre behavior and cannot be resisted. The Craftsmen’s Play The play-within-a-play that takes up most of Act V, scene i is used to represent, in condensed form, many of the important ideas and themes of the main plot.