1. A midsummer nights dream
Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," shows the use of "play" to simultaneously disguise and transmit essential but unpalatable truths. Through Shakespeare's work, we see that "play" displaces the concrete to the highly abstract, the human to the animal, the tragic to the comedic, and the clear and present to the indistinct and far away. Through this process of displacement, the surface is re-worked and disguised, leaving core associations and truths unmarred. In particular, Shakespeare uses play to convey a controversial commentary about the stark power relationships between the sexes that lie beneath the apparently benign concept of romantic love.
In the first scene of act I, Shakespeare introduces us to the patriarchal world of the court. Here, Theseus says, "Hippolyta, I woo"d the with my sword, and won thy love doing thee injuries." (I.i.16-17) Now the OED defines "woo" as "to court" or "to move or invite by alluring means." However, from this passage, we can see that Theseus does not use "alluring means" to court Hippolyta, but instead uses a warlike approach to forcefully appropriate her love. And therefore, we see that Theseus uses the benign, amorous image of a romantic courtship to describe what is in fact, the bellicose reality of love in his court. There is, then, a stark contrast between the characters conception of the nature of love in the court and its reality.
The unmasking of this hypocrisy is accomplished through the devices of "play". In the next scene, the actors meet to discuss the play Pyramus and Thisbe. In this scene, Bottom asks, "Who is pyramus? A lover, or a tyrant?" (I.ii.22) This question clearly parallels the question about the nature of Theseus himself. Quince responds by saying that Pyramus is, "a lover, that kills himself most gallant for love." (I.ii.24) Here we see that in this play, Pyramus proves his love to Thisbe not by hurting her, but by hurting himself, thereby following the traditional narrative of romantic courtship, or "woo".
A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream is a classic love story about two young would-be couples, and an aspiring actor named Bottom who end up being caught in the middle of a lovers quarrel between Oberon, the king of the fairies and Titania, his Queen. ... Just like how Michael Hoffman's A Midsummer Night's Dream is based on a dream world, so are these little magical creatures named fairies. ... Peter Hall and Michael Hoffman are both very prestigious filmmakers and both of their versions tend to depict a very distinct image...
A Midsummer Nights Dream In Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" the mortal teenage characters fall in love foolishly, and the character Bottom states, "O what fools these mortals be". ... Then let us teach or trial patience, Because it is a customary cross, As due to love, as thoughts and dreams and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers." ... William Shakespeare's A Midsummers Night's Dream shows how childishly foolish lovers can be....
William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play primarily on the difficulty of love. ... As the title alludes to, dreams are an important theme in A Midsummer Night's Dream; dreams are an important theme in the play. Hippolyta first words in the play show how essential dreams will be; "Four days will quickly steep themselves into night, Four nights will quickly dream away the time... Shakespeare loves the inter-workings of dreams, how they occur, and even the sense of lost time in dreams. ... In the play A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare creates of wo...
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is just one of Shakespeare's many masterpieces. ... There are many different themes in "A Midsummer Nights Dream", and I will describe all of them to you. ... Conclusion So, in conclusion, "A Midsummer Nights Dream" has many qualities to it. ... I think "A Midsummer Nights Dream" is a popular play because of the qualities within it, and Shakespeare was defiantly ahead of his time when he wrote this for the stage....
The complex circle of love in A Midsummer Nights Dream', that Shakespeare portrays, contains both a crude and chaotic love, such as with Bottom and Titania, and a symbolic love, such as with Lysander and Hermia representing chastity. ... On the contrary Hippolyta feels the four days leading up to their wedding day is racing by, "Four will quickly steep themselves in night; four nights will quickly dream away the time."" ... In A Midsummer Night's Dream, love is a token thing dispersed by a sprite. ...
In A Midsummer Night's Dream there are 5 acts, even though it is not really necessary to have the last act due to the fact that a good amount of the action ends at the final scene of act 4. ... Almost one-half of the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, was the play, Thisbe & Pyramus. ...
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer night's dream", presents us with a complex and twisting plot, which is fairytale like and magical. ... Another occurring theme throughout the play is dream versus reality. ... So we are quickly led out of Athens and into the "dream world" into the woods. ... Though there is little character development of Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and no true protagonist, critics generally point to as the most important character in the play. ... "A midsummer night's dream" is a v...
SHAKESPEARE"S A MIDSUMMER NIGHT"S DREAM "THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH" The course of true love in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" never did run smooth. From not being able to marry the love of your choice Egeus is determined that his daughter, Hermia, will m...
Critique of A Midsummer Night's Dream I went to see Nevada Ballet Theatre's rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream on Friday October 4, 2002 at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre. ... A Midsummer Night's Dream focuses around the tangled web of four lovers who are the subjects of Duke Theseus' court, and who get accidentally mixed up in the magical world of elves and fairies. ... Overall I really enjoyed watching A Midsummer Night's Dream. ...