David Wiles A Midsummer Night's Dream

Throughout the 16th century, it was customary for a marriage to be arranged based on practically and monetary benefits, not love. William Shakespeare lived in the midst of these cultural custom, yet some of his works left critics with the impression that he believed in true love being a vital element in a marriage. One critic, David Wiles, wrote about A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the representation of an epithalamium; a poem celebrating a marriage. Wiles begins verifying his claim by discussing various nuptial symbols. Dew and moisture are a constant occurrence throughout the play. Wiles believes the dew represents the blessing of holy water during a traditional Catholic marriage. Titania orders the fairies to guide Bottom to bed with beeswax …show more content…
Initially, the play appears to be a ridiculous and slightly nonsensical story about magical beings. The constant stream of innuendos and ironic remarks from the characters often creates confusion and possibly discomfort about the main plot of the story. Wiles’ explanation of the sexual references and activity relieves this discomfort by helping readers understand the parodical nature and realistic application of the plot line. His examination also reveals the capacity of the versatility of the time period and physical setting. Wiles’ analysis of the play narrows the focus down to a statement on the tradition of marriage. The character’s attitudes and actions declare this statement, making the setting available to change. No matter the time period of the setting, the actions that unfold would be considered absurd, making the time period changeable. Wiles’ analysis shows the audience that different productions of the play may be slightly different in setting, yet the important message is easily applicable to any …show more content…
In his criticism, there is no mention of the wedding finale or the play Bottom presents to the married couples. Claiming a play to be a long epithalamium, yet failing to discuss the actual wedding ceremony that occurs or one of the storylines about love, is somewhat questionable. Wiles’ focused on the parodies of tradition and one of the most recognizable examples of parody is the players’ play. Each character in the play is obviously absurd and extravagant. Although the comical mimicry of forbidden love seems unrealistic and ridiculous, Wiles’ belief in being symbolic of marriage is applicable. In an effort to find true love, the main characters in the brief play make rash decisions that lead to their demise. Two people who would rather die than live without love makes a clear statement: marriage is more enjoyable if it is accompanied by love. This conclusion, although not provided explicitly by Wiles, appears to be agreeable with Shakespeare’s own