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Essay on Midsummer Night's Dream
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a comedy that mixes realistic
humor with scenes involving fairies and enchanted lovers, yet the
comedy also has a serious side. In this play, Shakespeare
demonstrates his genius for weaving dramatic actions into a
unified plot. He does this by writing the play within a play.
Act I opens up with plans for the upcoming wedding of Duke
Theseus to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazon, which is to take place
on the 9th of the next new moon. At this point Egeus accuses
Lysander of "bewitching" his daughter Hermia, so as to make her
fall in love with him, however, she is already promised to
Demetrius. When Hermia acknowledges her love for Lysander,
Theseus tells her that according to Athenian law, she must either
die or enter a nunnery if she refuses to wed the man of her
father's choice. He then gives her until the new moon to reach a
decision. The lovers, however, agreed to flee from Athens
together and arrange to meet the following night in a wood
outside the city. Meanwhile, a group of artisans are preparing
an interlude to be performed on location of the Duke's wedding.
Act II takes place in the woods near Athens, where Oberon,
King of the Fairies, and his wife, Titania adopts a boy as her
page, however Oberon wants to make him his attendant. When
Titania refuses to surrender the boy, Oberion orders Puck (Robin
Goodfellow) to bring him "a little western flower." If the juice
of this flower, is placed on one's eyelid he will lose his heart
to the first living creature that he sees upon awakening. It was
Oberon's idea to force Titania to his will by falling in love
with some wild animal. While Puck is off getting the "flower",
Oberon witnesses a scene between Helena and Demetrius, who has
followed Lysander and Hermia and now impatiently refuses the love
of his mistress. When Puck returns with the flower, Oberon tells
him to seek Demetrius, whom he describes as "a distinctive youth"
dressed in Athenian clothing, and to daub his eyes with the magic
juice.
Finding Titania asleep, Oberon squeezes the flower over her
eyelids. Lysander and Hermia, having lost their way in the wood,
also falls asleep nearby. Puck comes upon a young man and
mistaking him for Demetrius, drops the potion on his eyes.
Demetrius and Hermia now arrive, awaking Lysander who promptly
falls in love with Helena, though she is convinced that he
mocking her.
In Act III, near the spot where Titania lies asleep, the
Artisans rehearse their play. At Bottom's suggestion, they
decide to add two prologues to assure the audience that Pyranus
does not really kill himself and that the Lion is merely Snug.
Puck, who has watched the rehearsal with amusement, places an
ass' head on Bottom causing his terrified companions to run away.
Titania then awakens, sees Bottom and summons four fairies
(Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed) to attend him.
Oberon is annoyed to find out that the love juice was
sprinkled on the eyelids of Lysander other than Demetrius.
Oberon then corrects Puck's error by sprinkling the juice on
Demetrius while asleep, when he awoke he fell in love with a girl
he previously rejected. Oberon then instructs Puck to put an
anecdote for the love juice on the eyelids of Lysander.
In Act IV, Duke Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus awaken the
lovers from their sleep. Now free from the effects of the
potion, Lysander explains that he and hermia have fled to evade
the Athenian law. Theseus Then declares that the two couples
(Demetrius and Helena) will be married along with him and
Hippolyta.
Act V takes place after the wedding. Dude Theseus asks
Philostrate, master of the rebels, whether he has arranged any
masque for their entertainment. Thusly Quince recites the
prologue, while the other players enact a show of the tragedy.
During the play itself, Snout explains that he is the "wall
between the homes of the illstared lovers" and held up his finger
when Pyramus wishes for a "chink which he might glimpse his
beloved Thisbe." After the play, the performers perform a
Bergomaslc dance.
In conclusion, Shakespeare balanced this romantic fantasy
with the rough humor of Bottom and his friends. Gaily but firmly
Shakespeare makes fun of romantic love, as Puck comments "Lord,
what fools these mortals be!" Shakespeare also transports the
audience from reality to an imaginary and magical wood where
flowers bloom and fairies play. He also suggests that dreams can
come close to nightmares when lovers discover that love can be
cruel and vengeful as well as romantic and charming.
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