1. A midsummer nights dream
Therefore they could be seen as equal in existence to the humans in the play. In this chapter I will try to prove that both interpretations, allegorical or real, are equally possible. The fairies' allegorical or real position determines their relationship with the lovers: are they allegories for the humans or real beings? Beside this choice a director must decide if his/her fairies are close to mankind or alien creatures. This also affects their position with regard to the humans. I will examine the relationship of the fairies with the human world as it is presented in Shakespeare's text and see how Michael Hoffman and Bernard Haitink, Peter Hall and John Bury interpreted it in the play and how they represented the fairies in their screen and stage production. .
The first fairy to appear on stage in A Midsummer Night's Dream describes her task to the audience:.
"To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be.
In their gold coats spots you see;.
Those be rubies, fairy favours;.
I must go seek some dewdrops here,.
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear," (2.1.9-14).
This fairy appears to be a physical allegory rather than an actual creature. Such physical allegories were first used in the fifth century B.C to explain Greek mythology, because; "with the growth of philosophic rationalism in Greece [], the traditional myths [with its humanlike, and sometimes immoral gods] came under attack. [] Physical allegory assumes that the myths were invented to account for natural phenomena," (Isabel Rivers, 21).
Employing this allegory, fairies could be explained as metaphors for natural occurrences, such as dewdrops on flowers. However, according to fairy tradition fairies are not indifferent to men. "Tales, description and anecdotes of the fairies from all over the country and, indeed, from all over the world, make it clear that they are not generally conceived as existing in a independent and self-contained state, but have great concern with mortal things" (Briggs, The Fairies in Tradition and Literature, 95).
A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream is a classic love story about two young would-be couples, and an aspiring actor named Bottom who end up being caught in the middle of a lovers quarrel between Oberon, the king of the fairies and Titania, his Queen. ... Just like how Michael Hoffman's A Midsummer Night's Dream is based on a dream world, so are these little magical creatures named fairies. ... Peter Hall and Michael Hoffman are both very prestigious filmmakers and both of their versions tend to depict a very distinct image...
A Midsummer Nights Dream In Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" the mortal teenage characters fall in love foolishly, and the character Bottom states, "O what fools these mortals be". ... Then let us teach or trial patience, Because it is a customary cross, As due to love, as thoughts and dreams and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers." ... William Shakespeare's A Midsummers Night's Dream shows how childishly foolish lovers can be....
William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play primarily on the difficulty of love. ... As the title alludes to, dreams are an important theme in A Midsummer Night's Dream; dreams are an important theme in the play. Hippolyta first words in the play show how essential dreams will be; "Four days will quickly steep themselves into night, Four nights will quickly dream away the time... Shakespeare loves the inter-workings of dreams, how they occur, and even the sense of lost time in dreams. ... In the play A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare creates of wo...
A Midsummer Night's Dream was originally named "A Midsummer Night's Dream". On October 8th 1600, Thomas Fisher published "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in quarto format thought to have been printed from Shakespeare's own handwritten copy. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is the most popular comedy, it portrays the adventures of four young lovers, and their interactions with woodland fairies. ... Characters In "A Midsummer Night's Dream" the characters are depicted as fictional individual because they fall in love, they s...
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is just one of Shakespeare's many masterpieces. ... There are many different themes in "A Midsummer Nights Dream", and I will describe all of them to you. ... Conclusion So, in conclusion, "A Midsummer Nights Dream" has many qualities to it. ... I think "A Midsummer Nights Dream" is a popular play because of the qualities within it, and Shakespeare was defiantly ahead of his time when he wrote this for the stage....
The complex circle of love in A Midsummer Nights Dream', that Shakespeare portrays, contains both a crude and chaotic love, such as with Bottom and Titania, and a symbolic love, such as with Lysander and Hermia representing chastity. ... On the contrary Hippolyta feels the four days leading up to their wedding day is racing by, "Four will quickly steep themselves in night; four nights will quickly dream away the time."" ... In A Midsummer Night's Dream, love is a token thing dispersed by a sprite. ...
In A Midsummer Night's Dream there are 5 acts, even though it is not really necessary to have the last act due to the fact that a good amount of the action ends at the final scene of act 4. ... Almost one-half of the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, was the play, Thisbe & Pyramus. ...
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer night's dream", presents us with a complex and twisting plot, which is fairytale like and magical. ... Another occurring theme throughout the play is dream versus reality. ... So we are quickly led out of Athens and into the "dream world" into the woods. ... Though there is little character development of Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and no true protagonist, critics generally point to as the most important character in the play. ... "A midsummer night's dream" is a v...