Symbolism and Imagery in A Midsummer Night's Dream In A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare brilliantly uses the night as a motif which plays a valuable role in the play. ... The night forest provides a setting for dangerous and daring acts such as Hermia and Lysander's plan to escape Athens. ... (Act III, Scene 2, 177-182) Throughout the course of the night, the gaze of the mind becomes enchanted, as depicted in Lysander and Demetrius "blindly" loving Helena under the magic spell; this twists the meaning of "love is blind". ... In Act IV, Scene 1, Demetrius comm...

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• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

One such actor is Kevin Kline's portrayal of Nick Bottom who plays the lead in the play for the Duke, adds the comic relief that lightens the mood of the confused lovers, in Acts I and III, he is also the only human who interacts with the fairies. ... But those times were few and far between. ... By the end of the first act Bottom's comedic talents are just what the audience needs. ... Fortunately his ignorance to the real meaning of the jesting he receives at the hands of those around him is not realized. ... Bottom is so confused and baffled by what has occurred that he cannot eve...

• Word Count: 1788
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Because these factors are highly personal it is difficult to illustrate to what extent they influence an production, but one might consider what the relationship is between the play and the cultural framework. Performances of Shakespeare's plays are not isolated, unrelated occurrences. ... With the representation of magical creatures, there must be some upward limit to what people may be asked to believe. ... The fairies interact with each other, but also with other characters in the play. ... Therefore they could be seen as equal in existence to the humans in the play. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

When Shakespeare's company performed Act V, for instance, the noble men and women in the first audience of the play would be watching other noble men and women (Hippolyta, Theseus, Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, and Lysander) doing on stage exactly what they themselves were doing in real life: watching a play meant to entertain them at a wedding. ... Perhaps the play's notion of a "marriage- between Hippolyta and Theseus was meant to refer to the "League of Amity- signed between Elizabeth of England and the King of France at the time that the play was written. ... He is asked by ...

• Word Count: 10864
• Approx Pages: 43
• Grade Level: High School