A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is a play about romantic, true love. Although the play is a comedy, behind the sexual innuendos and theatrical jokes a tragic subplot runs throughout the play. The play destroys all the noble ideals of true love leaving only a shadow of irrational passion. Every virtue of the romantic true love of the Elizabethan time is decimated and ridiculed as the play progresses. Every relationship hacks away at the stability, the nobility, the gravity, and the power of love. Thus, the play whittles away the idea of a true love, an emotion so profound that nothing could overcome it, into nothing more than a frivolous midsummer night's dream.
The supposed true love of Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena stand out as the most prominent example of the instability of love. The love of these four individuals seems to run their lives. Every action of these four characters seems to be spurred by nothing more than love. When Lysander and Hermia plan to meet in the woods Hermia's first response to the idea is to "swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow" (I.i.171). Helena betrays her Hermia's plan to Demetrius solely to gain the attention and maybe even his love. The weight of love is heavy in the minds and actions of the four lovers. Thus when Puck and Oberon misguide the eyes of love so easily, love's value seems to be diminished. Lysander's love is so easily turned that he goes from saying to Hermia "One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth" (II.ii.43) to "Hermia, sleep thou there: And never mayst thou come Lysander near" (II.ii.134-135) in the same scene. At the same time the love that Lysander and Hermia share is often considered "true love" (I.i.33) and yet it is turned so easily. Oberon even states this idea as he tells Puck "Some true-love turn"d and not a false turn"d true" (III.ii.90). Love even turns to disgust and later to hate suddenly after slight nap.
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" 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...
SHAKESPEARE"S A MIDSUMMER NIGHT"S DREAM "THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH" The course of true love in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" never did run smooth. From not being able to marry the love of your choice Egeus is determined that his daughter, Hermia, will m...
Critique of A Midsummer Night's Dream I went to see Nevada Ballet Theatre's rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream on Friday October 4, 2002 at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre. ... A Midsummer Night's Dream focuses around the tangled web of four lovers who are the subjects of Duke Theseus' court, and who get accidentally mixed up in the magical world of elves and fairies. ... Overall I really enjoyed watching A Midsummer Night's Dream. ...