Preview

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Critical Analysis

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3107 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Critical Analysis
Mandy Conway Mrs. Guynes English 12 16 March 2000 A Critical Analysis of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" William Shakespeare, born in 1594, is one of the greatest writers in literature. He dies in 1616 after completing many sonnets and plays. One of which is "A Midsummer Night's Dream." They say that this play is the most purely romantic of Shakespeare's comedies. The themes of the play are dreams and reality, love and magic. This extraordinary play is a play-with-in-a-play, which master writers only write successfully. Shakespeare proves here to be a master writer. Critics find it a task to explain the intricateness of the play, audiences find it very pleasing to read and watch. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a comedy combining elements of love, fairies, magic, and dreams. This play is a comedy about five couples who suffer through love's strange games and the evil behind the devious tricks. This play begins as Theseus, the Duke, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. He woos her with his sword. Hermia is in love with Lysander. Egeus, Hermia's father, forbids the relationship with Lysander and orders her to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but she does not love him. On the other hand, Helena is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her father's command, Hermia and Lysander run away together. Amidst all the problems in the human world, Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king, continually argue about their various relationships that they have taken part in. (Scott 336) Titania leaves Oberon as a result of the arguments. Oberon is hurt and wants revenge on Titania. So he tells Puck, Oberon's servant, to put a magic flower juice on her eyelids while she is sleeping. This potion causes the victim to desperately in love with the first creature that they see. Oberon's plan is carried out, but the potion is also placed on Lysander's eyes.


Bibliography: Works Cited Draper, James P. "Critical Essays on Major Shakespeare Plays." World Literature Criticism. 1992. Dutton, Richard. A Midsummer Night 's Dream. New York: St. Martin 's Press, 1996. Garber, Marjorie B. Dream in Shakespeare: From Metaphor to Metamorphosis. London: Yale University Press, 1974. Kenneth, Muir. Shakespeare the Comedies: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1965. Magill, Frank N. "A Midsummer Night 's Dream." Masters of World Literature. 1989. McIntosh, Heather S. "Critical Essays on Shakespeare Plays: A Midsummer Night 's Dream." www.calpoly.edu/libraryservices.com, 1999. Scott, Mark W. and Joseph C. Tardiff. Shakespeare for Students. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1992. "A Midsummer Night 's Dream." www.thinkquest.com, 2000.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Midsummer Night's Dream: Fate vs. Free Will Essay
    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Midsummer Night's Dream: Fate vs. Free Will Essay

    Throughout the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare uses both fate and free will to present his philosophy towards the nature of love. The characters struggle through confusion and conflicts to be with the one they love. Although the course of their love did not go well, love ultimately triumphs over all at the end of the play. The chaos reaches a climax causing great disruption among the lovers. However, the turmoil is eventually resolved by Puck, who fixes his mistake. The confusion then ends and the lovers are with their true love. Throughout the play Shakespeare's philosophy was displayed in various scenes, and his concept still holds true in modern society.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Snout A Midsummer Night's Dream Analysis
    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Snout A Midsummer Night's Dream Analysis

    Shakespeare’s most popular play, A Midsummer Night’s dream, is a romantic comedy that features young lovers that fall deeply in and out of love in a brief period of time. This play is unique because it demonstrates tragedy and comedy at the same time. The comedy not only provides amusement and laughter but also helps ease tension between characters. In the play, A “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, William Shakespeare produces a comedy through foolish characters and mistaken identities.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Reality In A Midsummer Night's Dream
    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Reality In A Midsummer Night's Dream

    Dreams are used throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare to strengthen points and reveal important aspects of both the play and the characters within. Often linking different periods, dreams are a prevalent and important aspect of the play that commonly reveal important plot characteristics. Therefore demanding attention by the reader and analyzer. Shakespeare is trying to show his readers the thin line between dreams and reality by foreshadowing future events through dreams, providing a link to reality, and revealing how reality reflects perspective and circumstance…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Male Dominance In A Midsummer Night's Dream
    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Male Dominance In A Midsummer Night's Dream

    William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night's Dream” (c. 1595) is a play that dramatizes gender tensions arising through complicated familial and romantic relationships. In the beginning of the play, a young woman, Hermia, fights her father, Egeus, for the right to choose her own husband, a duke, Theseus, is set to marry a woman, Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, who he recently conquered in battle, and the King and Queen of the Fairies, Oberon and Titania are performing warfare against each other. All these scenarios enact immensely intense battles of the genders. Throughout the play, stereotypes about traditional gender roles when it comes to romance are also being challenged. For instance, norms…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Midsummer Night Dream Analysis
    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Midsummer Night Dream Analysis

    A Midsummer Night Dream is a play written by the late William Shakespeare. This play is about a love triangle how one loves the other when the other does not like them until finally it all ends in a resolution, as they have a secret fairy world looking over at them, this play is almost like a mix between the fantasy world and the real! Bottom is one of the characters in this play, and in this play Bottom is a humorous and confident character, although being intelligent in other fields Bottom is not a very clever or educated man. Bottom and his fellow workmates are named the “rude mechanicals”, unsophisticated men but rather great tradesmen, working not with the mind but with the hands, though Bottom may be labeled a “rude mechanical” in many…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis Of A Midsummer Night's Dream
    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis Of A Midsummer Night's Dream

    I am Kaitlyn Luepann and I am portraying the fairy attendants Peaseblossom, Bottom, Cobweb, and the “jester fairy” Puck From William Shakespeare’s play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” I will be portraying all these characters as one character with characteristics of all four. The ways I am going to adapt the characters that I am portraying are for me to have a witty sense of humour, yet have common courtesy and manners, and have respectful body language and a humourous tone of voice because the three fairy attendants are very respectful, but Puck is humourous. How I adapt all of the fairies body language and tone of voice from the play to the modern day is to be a respectful Starbucks worker, who cracks jokes in a funny manner while customers…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Midsummer Night S Dream
    • 310 Words
    • 1 Page

    A Midsummer Night S Dream

    William Shakespeare seems to view love as full of conflict and physical desire in Act One and Act Two of his play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “ The play begins with Theseus, Duke of Athens, and his bride-to-be, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, anticipating their upcoming nuptials, which are to take place in four days. Hippolyta takes the wedding and the festivities surrounding it very seriously, stating “Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow, New bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities.” (1512) However, Hippoloyta is looking forward to consummating the marriage and believes the four days to be an eternity. “but O, methinks, how slow this old moon wanes! She lingers my desires, like to a stepdame or a dowager.” (1512) She seems to be looking forward to the marriage while he is looking forward to the wedding night. He prepares to party over the next four days in anticipation of the pomp and circumstance of the wedding.…

    • 310 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    A Midsummers Night Dream Analysis
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Midsummers Night Dream Analysis

    In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare portrays the plays female characters in two different lights. While late 16th century English women were expected to become wives and mothers, A Midsummer Night’s Dream does not adhere to the set gender roles of the time. This can be seen through the character of Hermia who is a daring and strong willed female that transcends established norms. On the other, the character Helena represents desperate and submissive females, which were more commonplace than daring ones. William Shakespeare’s sovereign at the time, Elizabeth I, is given a positive critique by the playwright evident throughout the text.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Midsummer Night's Dream Analysis
    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Midsummer Night's Dream Analysis

    a) There are many instances where the love potion “love-in-idleness is used in the play. The function of this love potion is to make someone fall in love with the first person/creature the see when awoken. The first instance where the love potion is used is when Oberon put’s the love potion on Titania’s eyes. The reason for this was is simply because Titania refuses to hand over the changeling boy. Oberon thinks that if Titania is so infatuated, she will be willing to hand over the changeling boy. Fortunately for Oberon, this is exactly what happens. The second time when the “love-in-idleness” potion is used is when Oberon orders Puck to place the love potion on Demetrius’ eyes, so he may fall in love with Helena. However, this is not what takes place. Puck accidently places the love potion on Lysander’s eyes instead of Demetrius’, this cause Lysander to fall in love with Helena. The third occurrence where the love potion was used is when Oberon puts the love potion on the correct male, Demetrius. Although Demetrius is now in love with Helena, so is Lysander. This leads to a conflict where Helena thinks the two males are plotting and making fun of her. Puck realizes that he has done wrong, and puts an antidote on Lysander’s eyes, so when he awake he will be in love with Hermia again. Another time where the love potion is used is very different. A potion isn’t being used to make people fall in love; instead it is to make them fall out of love. This potion is an antidote to the “love-in-idleness” potion. Oberon places the antidote on Titania’s eyes, out of pity, since she has handed over the changeling boy and has fallen in love with an ass. When Oberon places the antidote on Titania’s eyes that was the last time any potion was used. However, Demetrius is the only one still under a spell.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The tragedy of Romeo & Juliet vs the Comedy of "Midsummer Night's Dream".
    • 1728 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The tragedy of Romeo & Juliet vs the Comedy of "Midsummer Night's Dream".

    In the opening of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" we are in a palace in Athens with a couple, Thesus and Hippolyta, speaking of their upcoming wedding vows. They are interrupted by Egeus who complains that his daughter, Hermia, is in love with Lysander while he has betrothed her to Demetrius. Demetrius wants Hermia, but her friend Helena wants Demetrius, who once seemed to like her. Hermia, told that she must follow her father's word as law or join a nunnery, decides to run away and elope with Lysander. This Act is ended with a lighthearted scene in where six men decide to put on a play for Thesus forthcoming marriage. The play, wittingly enough, is, "Pyramus and Thisbe," which is what we can call the original story where, "A pair of star-crossed lovers take their lives." (prologue.6)…

    • 1728 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Midsummer Night's Dream
    • 1843 Words
    • 8 Pages

    A Midsummer Night's Dream

    Love is one of the most immense feelings a human can experience. Love is a deep tender feeling of affection and attachment and devotion to another person. Countless people experience love, both, as non-romantic with their families and romantic love with a special person who comes into their life. When people are on the expedition for love, people may become blindsided by infatuation or what is commonly referred to as lust. Infatuation is being completely carried away by a foolish or shallow affection. Individuals can accept infatuation instead of love, or they cannot tell the difference between the two. One of the many themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is love vs. infatuation. Love is stronger, no matter what the circumstance may be. The play A Midsummer Night’s Dream investigates and portrays the intricate relationships among three couples. The relationships become jumbled up and turn into a love triangle.…

    • 1843 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis Of Midsummer Night's Dream
    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis Of Midsummer Night's Dream

    Analysis in A Midsummer Night's Dream “O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!” (Act 2 vs.81)…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Response to a Midsummer Night's Dream
    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Response to a Midsummer Night's Dream

    An earlier play entitled, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, by William Shakespeare, is a comedy outlining the destinies of two bothered couples. Shakespeare tactically demonstrates the love of two Athens individuals, Lysander and Hermia. The conflict is, Hermia’s father is against the marriage of the two and insists upon marriage with a man named Demetrius. However, the already complicated situation becomes more complex when Hermia discovers that Helena, a deep-rooted friend, is in love with Demetrius. My initial interest of the play arose during the introduction of this conflict.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    A Midsummer Night's Dream Research Paper
    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A Midsummer Night's Dream Research Paper

    In one of Shakespeare’s famous plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the mischievous fairy Puck plays a role like no other. Although he has minor parts in this playwright, his personality and foolish traits make him admirable to readers. A perfect actor to cast the role of Puck I believe would be Joe Pesci, an American actor and comedian of the 20th century. Pesci shares his foolish and witless personality with the character of Puck and fits his role in many ways. The casting of Joe Pesci as Puck can be justified by their unique similarities.…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Midsummer Night's Dream Comparative Essay
    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Midsummer Night's Dream Comparative Essay

    The film adaptation of the classic Shakespearean comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Woody Allen’s A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy directed in 1982 was nothing less than a radical adaptation. The reasons for this is the change in time period and location, lack of any “real” magic, and the different storyline.…

    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More