A Midsummer Night's Dream Illusion Vs Reality Essay

Numerous references to eyes and sight help develop the theme of love and illusion versus reality in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare reminds the readers that dreams help with escaping what is seen in the harsh realities of love and chaos. The power of the word “eye” help develop the theme of love through its meaning. Lovers begin to defy their worldly values in order to be with their true love. Since blindness is the weakest attribute to the eyes, it causes lovers to become crazy and irrational. Eyes and sight also develop the theme of illusion versus reality. Beauty and perception is seen completely different for each character based on their circumstances. During the day in Athenian court, people are under control by the duke. As night comes in the forest, the moon is responsible for all the erratic behaviors. While chaos sparks at night, characters remember the moments they see as dreams instead of accepting the reality. The idea of eyes and sight provide a double meaning to remind the audience that reality seems different than expected and that beauty is within the eyes of the beholder. One major recurring theme in the play is that love looks the with eyes. Shakespeare mocks the idea of love and that people fall in love with physical beauty. …show more content…
During the day, the mortal worlds come to life and reality sets in. Throughout the play, daylight represents realism. When Egeus wants his daughter to marry Demetrius, he tells Theseus, “Full of vexation come I, with complaint against my child, my daughter Hermia” (I, i, 23-24). Theseus then gives orders to Hermia, she has the choice of becoming a nun or marry Demetrius. This is a more typical situation that would occur in Athens when a problem needs to be resolved. These situations are not rare because parents usually have a say in who their daughter/son gets married to. While there is order in Athens, the forest is filled with imagination and