Now, I’m not very great at interpreting Shakespeare, so this fantastic, magical and unique piece- A Midsummer Night’s Dream- was mystifying and complex in its own way for me. It was certainly a lot to absorb the farther I got. I’m probably not the first to ask myself, what on Earth was this man thinking when he wrote this? Although there is no solid answer, I believe he wrote to entertain and inspire people. This play could be considered insubstantial since the audience, if they didn’t enjoy it, could think of it as simply a dream. In all honesty, I couldn’t just focus on one point throughout the play. That’s why I kept note of a few motifs throughout. I’ve deeply analyzed Shakespeare’s brilliance once in eighth grade when my class read Julius
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Whether it be light and dark imagery, analogies, or people themselves and their individual stories. One large aspect of light and dark imagery would be the idea that light signified the beginning and end of the play as well as stability and structure. Meanwhile, in darkness came about the complications of love and magic. Other examples would be used to describe concepts, such as the intensity of love, with phrases like “the jaws of darkness” and “so quick bright things come to confusion” (I.i.148-149). Shakespeare managed to include these subtle elements in the language of his plays. The largest contrast in A Midsummer Night’s Dream would be that of a “real” world and a “dreamlike” realm. In the real world, Theseus and Hippolyta represent structure and control, there is light, and the craftsmen are very literal, like with their interpretation of nighttime with the role of Moonshine. They are also very earthy, awkward, and inelegant. Meanwhile, in the forest is where the night, magic, and love exist. The fairies are much more merry, delicate, and graceful with their enchantments. Here one does not have control of themselves or their surrounding, especially when it comes to love. The magic and meddling that occurred within the dreamlike world created and restored chaos. If the fairies had never gotten involved, Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius would still be stuck in a love imbalance, but at least they would have understood. The love potion brought out insecurities in the girls and aggression in the boys. When neither of the men loved Hermia anymore, she became self-conscious, thinking that it was Helena’s tall stature (unlike her short one) that won Lysander over (III.iii). I would consider this another contrast in the play. In the midst of the confusion, I also found it hilarious that not only would Bottom’s head turned into that of an ass, but that a
Whether it be light and dark imagery, analogies, or people themselves and their individual stories. One large aspect of light and dark imagery would be the idea that light signified the beginning and end of the play as well as stability and structure. Meanwhile, in darkness came about the complications of love and magic. Other examples would be used to describe concepts, such as the intensity of love, with phrases like “the jaws of darkness” and “so quick bright things come to confusion” (I.i.148-149). Shakespeare managed to include these subtle elements in the language of his plays. The largest contrast in A Midsummer Night’s Dream would be that of a “real” world and a “dreamlike” realm. In the real world, Theseus and Hippolyta represent structure and control, there is light, and the craftsmen are very literal, like with their interpretation of nighttime with the role of Moonshine. They are also very earthy, awkward, and inelegant. Meanwhile, in the forest is where the night, magic, and love exist. The fairies are much more merry, delicate, and graceful with their enchantments. Here one does not have control of themselves or their surrounding, especially when it comes to love. The magic and meddling that occurred within the dreamlike world created and restored chaos. If the fairies had never gotten involved, Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius would still be stuck in a love imbalance, but at least they would have understood. The love potion brought out insecurities in the girls and aggression in the boys. When neither of the men loved Hermia anymore, she became self-conscious, thinking that it was Helena’s tall stature (unlike her short one) that won Lysander over (III.iii). I would consider this another contrast in the play. In the midst of the confusion, I also found it hilarious that not only would Bottom’s head turned into that of an ass, but that a