A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by the poet and playwright William Shakespeare(1564-1616), was first published in the Quarto edition in 1600, although it is suggested, that this play was ‘first put on in court in 1595’ (Salgado, 1975: p. 116).Whether this play was made in the early 1580s or later than that, became a controversial matter. Francis Meres’ in his Palladis Tamia Wits Treasury (1598), mentioned A Midsummer Night’s Dream as ‘one of a dozen Shakespeare plays’(Stritmatter, 2006: p. 81). This clearly suggests, that this play had to be written before the year 1598. The critic, Eva Turner Clark, argues, that A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written even before that year in the early 1580s. In her Hidden Allusions in Shakespeare 's Plays,
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From simple stage platforms, through to the creative, and often elaborate stage alterations transferred later onto the screen using extravagant and excessive sceneries, these adaptations attract viewers and critics from around the world. Looking through the lens of studies of such scholars as Carson, Tiramani, and many more, this essay will analyse what theatres looked like and how they functioned during the Elizabethan era. This analysis will help to understand the form of early varieties of A Midsummer Night’s Dream adaptations, which because of its time period lacks detail. Furthermore, with such adaptations as Hall’s ‘hippie’ film, as well as Brook’s ‘fresh’ production, staged in a blank, white box, this paper will look closely into the reasons (whether political, cultural or literary), that influenced and fuelled the desire to change and adapt Shakespeare’s text. This essay will subsequently examine the majority of A Midsummer Night’s Dream adaptations from the Elizabethan time period, ranging from Pepys eyewitness mementos, to the 1970 Peter Brooks’ circus production, which epitomises modern day inventions and creativity, which will be further summarised by David Selbourne’s …show more content…
58). Because of this, it is highly possible that, for instance, female characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream such as Hermia or Helena, wore some kind of silken outfits, to emphasise their femininity. Another important aspect when considering costumes is that when playing historical roles, costumes were often from a different time period. Moreover, if possible, the costumes were often reused or embellished with expensive lace (Mabillard, 2014). This was a matter of actors, either not being able to afford new outfits for every play they performed in, or because of practical reasons. (Tiramani, 2008: p. 58). In Shakespearean times, actors wore costumes that mirrored their ‘character’s social status’ (Mabillard, 2014). For important roles such as kings or queens, the costumes were extravagant and therefore expensive. It follows, that in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with characters such as Oberon, the king of the fairies, and Titania, the queen of the fairies, their costumes would be elaborate, most likely covered with expensive ornaments. On the other hand, actors, who performed less important roles, could even wear their own clothes (Mabillard, 2014). In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck comments on
From simple stage platforms, through to the creative, and often elaborate stage alterations transferred later onto the screen using extravagant and excessive sceneries, these adaptations attract viewers and critics from around the world. Looking through the lens of studies of such scholars as Carson, Tiramani, and many more, this essay will analyse what theatres looked like and how they functioned during the Elizabethan era. This analysis will help to understand the form of early varieties of A Midsummer Night’s Dream adaptations, which because of its time period lacks detail. Furthermore, with such adaptations as Hall’s ‘hippie’ film, as well as Brook’s ‘fresh’ production, staged in a blank, white box, this paper will look closely into the reasons (whether political, cultural or literary), that influenced and fuelled the desire to change and adapt Shakespeare’s text. This essay will subsequently examine the majority of A Midsummer Night’s Dream adaptations from the Elizabethan time period, ranging from Pepys eyewitness mementos, to the 1970 Peter Brooks’ circus production, which epitomises modern day inventions and creativity, which will be further summarised by David Selbourne’s …show more content…
58). Because of this, it is highly possible that, for instance, female characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream such as Hermia or Helena, wore some kind of silken outfits, to emphasise their femininity. Another important aspect when considering costumes is that when playing historical roles, costumes were often from a different time period. Moreover, if possible, the costumes were often reused or embellished with expensive lace (Mabillard, 2014). This was a matter of actors, either not being able to afford new outfits for every play they performed in, or because of practical reasons. (Tiramani, 2008: p. 58). In Shakespearean times, actors wore costumes that mirrored their ‘character’s social status’ (Mabillard, 2014). For important roles such as kings or queens, the costumes were extravagant and therefore expensive. It follows, that in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with characters such as Oberon, the king of the fairies, and Titania, the queen of the fairies, their costumes would be elaborate, most likely covered with expensive ornaments. On the other hand, actors, who performed less important roles, could even wear their own clothes (Mabillard, 2014). In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck comments on