A Midsummer’s Nightmare Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream suggests that its relationships are happy ones, but this suggestion is complicated. In fact, the interplay between each of the couples indicates a nefarious quality present in all these relationships. This sinister quality can become even undeniably present in productions of this play. Brown writes that while scholars cannot consider any performance to be an authoritative adaptation, every performance brings interpretative potential to the source text. Each performance is able “to explicate ‘secret’ theatrical messages in the text and so help readers to hear and see what could, and, sometimes, must happen on stage” (45). Davies’ 2016 A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one such
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In the film, Titania has a much less subdued response. Rather than loathing Bottom’s visage, as Shakespeare’s text states, she loathes Oberon’s visage. When they hold hands as the text states, in Davies’ film Titania offers her hand to Oberon, who places his hand in hers, suggesting that she is not now his subordinate anew but that they are partners (if perhaps Oberon is not her subordinate). Further, she also speaks regarding the morning powers which are Oberon’s lines in Shakespeare’s text. Understanding their relationship not as a romantic and pleasant one but rather a relationship of convenience seeming to focus on caring for mortals rather than each other is logical, especially considering Titania’s kiss at the end of the film, not with Oberon but instead the lady Hippolyta. Further scenes provide yet more information to support the secret language’s suggestion that relationships in Shakespeare’s play are not what they …show more content…
Even Shakespeare acknowledges at the beginning of his play that their relationship is not a naturally occurring one through Theseus’ lines: “I woo’d thee with my sword, / And won thy love doing thee injuries” (I.i.16-17). They are together now because Theseus, Athenian leader, has captured Amazonian Hippolyta, traditionally a race of women who refuse to be subject to men. Yet even this strained relationship appears to bear happy promises by the end of the play, never mind that many questions remain as to how their relationship could ever reach a happy, equal level. Theseus eagerly awaits a “play / To ease the anguish of a torturing hour” (V.i.36-37) that remains before he may go to bed with Hippolyta. Though she makes no such mention of love or affection for Theseus, she calls him “my Theseus” (V.i.1), making it possible and easy for readers to assume that this relationship of questionable provenance is one that will go on happily as will the others. Yet the inherent issues in their relationship remain in the minds of the readers, and in Davies’ production one possible interpretation emphasizes the secret language of underlying tensions in this relationship as well as in the
In the film, Titania has a much less subdued response. Rather than loathing Bottom’s visage, as Shakespeare’s text states, she loathes Oberon’s visage. When they hold hands as the text states, in Davies’ film Titania offers her hand to Oberon, who places his hand in hers, suggesting that she is not now his subordinate anew but that they are partners (if perhaps Oberon is not her subordinate). Further, she also speaks regarding the morning powers which are Oberon’s lines in Shakespeare’s text. Understanding their relationship not as a romantic and pleasant one but rather a relationship of convenience seeming to focus on caring for mortals rather than each other is logical, especially considering Titania’s kiss at the end of the film, not with Oberon but instead the lady Hippolyta. Further scenes provide yet more information to support the secret language’s suggestion that relationships in Shakespeare’s play are not what they …show more content…
Even Shakespeare acknowledges at the beginning of his play that their relationship is not a naturally occurring one through Theseus’ lines: “I woo’d thee with my sword, / And won thy love doing thee injuries” (I.i.16-17). They are together now because Theseus, Athenian leader, has captured Amazonian Hippolyta, traditionally a race of women who refuse to be subject to men. Yet even this strained relationship appears to bear happy promises by the end of the play, never mind that many questions remain as to how their relationship could ever reach a happy, equal level. Theseus eagerly awaits a “play / To ease the anguish of a torturing hour” (V.i.36-37) that remains before he may go to bed with Hippolyta. Though she makes no such mention of love or affection for Theseus, she calls him “my Theseus” (V.i.1), making it possible and easy for readers to assume that this relationship of questionable provenance is one that will go on happily as will the others. Yet the inherent issues in their relationship remain in the minds of the readers, and in Davies’ production one possible interpretation emphasizes the secret language of underlying tensions in this relationship as well as in the