The woman in the three worlds of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a world is shown where Athenians struggle with heart desires, fairies dance and trick one another, and peasants work in a play to get paid. At first glance, this seems like a giant expansive world but in reality there are three distinct worlds that are interwoven. The man who brought this play to life was William Shakespeare, one of the most famous English writers to have ever lived. He has lived among the wealthy, and poor which explains his masterful usage of both classes’ languages. He is recognized for writing classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, etc. The play is essentially about four young Athenians who resolve …show more content…
In the forest the faeries live in wild yet sophisticated manner. They talk with an elevated language, but still revel in magical dances without inhibitions. Regardless of the fantastical elements, the fey nobility where also prone to same problems the humans in Athens had. Oberon and Titania can be seen as parallels to Theseus, the duke, and Hippolyta. One interpretation by James Calderwood is that the faeries are manifestations of Theseus fears “In his nightmare he finds himself transformed into a fairy king married to a fairy queen even more uncontrollable than he fears his Amazonian queen may turn out to be.”(Calderwood 61-62). Continuing with this view of the play in the forest, Theseus and Hippolyta are freed from the formalities of Athens and are much more vocal to their desires. The reason Oberon wants the changeling is to demonstrate his power over Titania. When she denies his request he is furious over Titania’s refusal to submission, and tricks her. He makes her fall in love with Bottom who has an ass’ head. After removing the spell Titania is obedient and loyal to Oberon which was what he wanted. This is exactly what happened between Theseus and Hippolyta. Both men wanted something from the women, and where not content until they succeeded in achieving it. In Athens the women tried to defy men and choose who to be with. Hermia did this by denying her father’s wishes and Helena by chasing Demetrius. Regina Bucolla says that only in the forest are the woman able to do anything worthwhile “Characters such as Helena and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are thwarted in their bold attempts to secure the spouse of their choice in defince of the men socially positioned to deny the matches until they enter the fairy wood on the margins of their community” (144). A contrast from Athens found in the forest is how small their problems appeared. In the forest their problems
In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a world is shown where Athenians struggle with heart desires, fairies dance and trick one another, and peasants work in a play to get paid. At first glance, this seems like a giant expansive world but in reality there are three distinct worlds that are interwoven. The man who brought this play to life was William Shakespeare, one of the most famous English writers to have ever lived. He has lived among the wealthy, and poor which explains his masterful usage of both classes’ languages. He is recognized for writing classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, etc. The play is essentially about four young Athenians who resolve …show more content…
In the forest the faeries live in wild yet sophisticated manner. They talk with an elevated language, but still revel in magical dances without inhibitions. Regardless of the fantastical elements, the fey nobility where also prone to same problems the humans in Athens had. Oberon and Titania can be seen as parallels to Theseus, the duke, and Hippolyta. One interpretation by James Calderwood is that the faeries are manifestations of Theseus fears “In his nightmare he finds himself transformed into a fairy king married to a fairy queen even more uncontrollable than he fears his Amazonian queen may turn out to be.”(Calderwood 61-62). Continuing with this view of the play in the forest, Theseus and Hippolyta are freed from the formalities of Athens and are much more vocal to their desires. The reason Oberon wants the changeling is to demonstrate his power over Titania. When she denies his request he is furious over Titania’s refusal to submission, and tricks her. He makes her fall in love with Bottom who has an ass’ head. After removing the spell Titania is obedient and loyal to Oberon which was what he wanted. This is exactly what happened between Theseus and Hippolyta. Both men wanted something from the women, and where not content until they succeeded in achieving it. In Athens the women tried to defy men and choose who to be with. Hermia did this by denying her father’s wishes and Helena by chasing Demetrius. Regina Bucolla says that only in the forest are the woman able to do anything worthwhile “Characters such as Helena and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are thwarted in their bold attempts to secure the spouse of their choice in defince of the men socially positioned to deny the matches until they enter the fairy wood on the margins of their community” (144). A contrast from Athens found in the forest is how small their problems appeared. In the forest their problems