Preview

A Midsummer's Night Dream Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
612 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Midsummer's Night Dream Research Paper
In the play A Midsummer’s Night Dream, elements of insult comedy are found as Shakespeare incorporates to elevate the humor. Insult comedy is a form of comedy that is intended to offend or mock a person or group of people. Shakespeare utilizes this very well as a way to improve upon the plot, with examples such as Helena’s love for Demetrius and Demetrius’s hate for Helena, as well as describing the terrible acting of the Mechanicals. Insults are an effective form of comedy for Shakespeare and are seen throughout the play A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
Shakespeare uses insult comedy to advance the comedy of his play with Helena and Demetrius. While Helena is madly in love with Demetrius, the feeling is certainly not mutual, as Demetrius

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander, an Athenian man, portrays insult comedy. Insult comedy is the use of insults, often one liners, at the expense of another character to create comedy. In this case Insult comedy is used to insult another person or object with the intent of creating humor. In act 1, scene 1, Lysander and Demetrius are fighting over the beloved Hermia. Egeus, Hermia's father, expresses his wish to Theseus, the duke of Athens for Hermia to be married to Demetrius. However, Hermia loves Lysander and refuses Egeus's offer. Later the two Athenian men, Lysander, and Demetrius begin arguing about who should get Hermia. During this argument Demetrius exclaims…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare used insults in many ways, from characters directly having a conversation or indirectly in which a character talk badly about a different character without them knowing, characters who made fun of others appearance, or dreams, even characters who insulted themselves. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare used insults as a form of comedy, in which the characters use insults to make the audience laugh. In the olden times, men had always been convinced that women were less and for the same they had to follow mans rules and demands. Insults are used in Act Ⅳ Scene ⅰ, after Theseus, Egeus, and Hippolyta found the four lovers laying on the floor after Puck tricked them. The four lovers try explaining the reason they were sleeping on the floor, and who they all came to their senses in who they wish to marry. After hearing their story Theseus, decide to overrule Hermia’s father’s demands, and let her marry Lysander, while Demetrius is to marry Hermia.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Directions: Open and save this document to your computer. Look for answers as you read, but finish reading each scene before you compose your responses. Type and save your answers here; the boxes will expand as you write.…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The love of Hippolyta and Theseus is less playful than the four crossed lovers. But it is also less elastic, and lacks the endless sensory allusions that signal trouble. Titania and Oberon, who dwell in the sensory world, can embrace and bless the marriage state but cannot truly achieve it themselves. This triple wedding at the end of the play is not necessarily happy. Essentially, Shakespeare embraces the necessity of law without reveling in it. One cannot live their life in the sensory world without controlling their perception. This control is human reason, and judgement. The beauty of the world, and the capacity of our vision to perceive it, is even greater when we understand what we are seeing and why. A Midsummer Night's Dream is not…

    • 147 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Comedy is, by nature, difficult to translate as its appeal depends on local and topical interest. However, William Shakespeare ahs evidently proven in his play “Much Ado about Nothing”, that comedy can transcend time. This play, which was written in a patriarchal society, can be applied to today’s modern audience in a post – feminist world. Shakespeare’s conventions have ensured the ongoing success and due to his use of sexual innuendos, satire, deceit and wit, the modern audience is willing to look beyond the language barrier. Shakespeare is deemed unique because he has taken personalities, situations, and events and has used various techniques which can be interpreted into different contexts to be enjoyed 400 years after it was written.…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    You are Helena. In your personal diary, describe your decision at the end of this scene. Comment on how it feels to be in love with Demetrius, keeping in mind that he is in love with your best friend, Hermia. Given this situation, what conflicting emotions are you experiencing?…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare, is about four lovers and their "dreamlike" adventure through a fairy ruled forest. There are many different characters in this play and they each play their own individual role in how the play is performed and read. Three main characters that showed great characteristics are: Puck, Tom Bottom, and Helena. The play, "A Midsummer Nights Dream" by William Shakespeare, uses characters and their conflicts to give meaning to this piece of literature.…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare incorporated the three types of irony (verbal, dramatic, and situational) in Romeo and Juliet by subtly putting it in his legendary play. William shows verbal irony in the play in act when it opens and says “Two households, both alike in dignity … to mend” (Prologue, lines 1-15). At first, when you hear this, you think that the two families honorable and dignified. But as the play goes on, you start to see that the families are violently competitive and undignified.…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    Webster’s Online Dictionary defines the word romance as” a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.” However, individuals within a society have the opportunity to manipulate the definition of the word romance to one that is personally believed to be the correct answer. This definition is based upon past experiences/future expectations and hopes of the word. However, when given the opportunity to define the word comedy, society has the same interpretations of what is found humorous and what is not. This leaves an assumption that the word romance is a personal vendetta, whereas comedy is personal on a different level; audiences find different things humorous, however comical themes are generalized compared to personal romantic experiences. Both themes are evident in Shakespeare’s plays “Twelfth Night” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” through comedic Sir Toby Belch, and side-kick, Sir Andrew Augucheek, as well as romantic hungry females, Helena and Hermia. Therefore, the question at hand is how Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream relate to one another in romantic and comedic genres.…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the verbal sparring between these two characters there can be a debate over whether Shakespeare is in fact broadcasting his own misogynistic views onto his audience, which perhaps can seem a little shallow and uninspired thing to do for such a creative, celebrated writer, which is why I feel Shakespeare uses irony to highlight the fact that women should be treated differently, as intelligent people are often the most liberal, and he is using his high position to influence others.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet, humor plays a huge role in entertaining the audience and bringing comedy to otherwise tragic scenes. Although many main characters die, the use of word play turns these heavy moments into…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dramatic irony is a literary technique that occurs when an event happens in the story that the audience understands, but the story’s characters cannot grasp. William Shakespeare uses this device throughout a numerous amount of his plays, whether it be a comedy or tragedy. This particular element, in Shakespearian tragedies, is used in order to add a tragic element of not knowing to the story. It is also used to engage the audience and to help reveal the tragic flaw that evidently leads to the hero's downfall. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, dramatic irony is a key piece to the stories unveiling of the major plot. It occurs many times throughout the play and all have an essential purpose.…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author criticizes the tragedist for his atheism and Machiavellism, urging him to repent. His advice to the comedian is that he should not use his gift for sarcasm too slightly, for fear of offending people. The author's remark towards the third play-writer is…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays