Themes and motifs A Midsummer Night's Dream

1 themes , motifs

1.1 carnivalesque
1.2 love
1.3 problem time
1.4 loss of individual identity
1.5 ambiguous sexuality
1.6 feminism

themes , motifs

lovers bliss

prior christian st. john s day, in ancient greece, marking midsummer event called adonia. first festive day (and night) when adonis allowed depart underworld spend 6 months paramour, aphrodite.* considered time celebrate first bliss of new , reunited lovers. wedding of theseus , hippolyta , mistaken , waylaid lovers, titania , bottom, erstwhile acting troupe, model various aspects (and forms) of love.

carnivalesque

both david wiles of university of london , harold bloom of yale university have endorsed reading of play under themes of carnivalesque, bacchanalia, , saturnalia. writing in 1998, david wiles stated that: starting point own analysis proposition although encounter midsummer night s dream text, historically part of aristocratic carnival. written wedding, , part of festive structure of wedding night. audience saw play in public theatre in months followed became vicarious participants in aristocratic festival physically excluded. purpose demonstrate how closely play integrated historically specific upper-class celebration.

love

hermia , lysander john simmons (1870)

david bevington argues play represents dark side of love. writes fairies make light of love mistaking lovers , applying love potion titania s eyes, forcing fall in love ass. in forest, both couples beset problems. hermia , lysander both met puck, provides comic relief in play confounding 4 lovers in forest. however, play alludes serious themes. @ end of play, hippolyta , theseus, happily married, watch play unfortunate lovers, pyramus , thisbe, , able enjoy , laugh @ it. helena , demetrius both oblivious dark side of love, totally unaware of may have come of events in forest.

problem time

there dispute on scenario of play cited @ first theseus 4 happy days bring in moon. wood episode takes place @ night of no moon, lysander asserts there light in night escape dew on grass shining liquid pearls. also, in next scene, quince states rehearse in moonlight, creates real confusion. possible moon set during night allowing lysander escape in moonlight , actors rehearse, wood episode occur without moonlight. theseus s statement can interpreted mean 4 days until next month. possibility that, since each month there 4 consecutive nights moon not seen due closeness sun in sky (the 2 nights before moment of new moon, followed 2 following it), may in fashion indicate liminal dark of moon period full of magical possibilities. further supported hippolyta s opening lines exclaiming , moon, silver bow new-bent in heaven, shall behold night of our solemnities. ; thin crescent-shaped moon being hallmark of new moon s return skies each month. play intertwines midsummer eve of title may day, furthering idea of confusion of time , seasons. evidenced theseus commenting on slumbering youths, observe rite of may.

loss of individual identity

edwin landseer, scene midsummer night s dream. titania , bottom (1848)

maurice hunt, chair of english department @ baylor university, writes of blurring of identities of fantasy , reality in play make possible pleasing, narcotic dreaminess associated fairies of play. emphasising theme, in setting of play, shakespeare prepares reader s mind accept fantastic reality of fairy world , happenings. seems axis around plot conflicts in play occur. hunt suggests breaking down of individual identities leads central conflict in story. brawl between oberon , titania, based on lack of recognition other in relationship, drives rest of drama in story , makes dangerous of other lovers come due disturbance of nature caused fairy dispute. similarly, failure identify , distinguish leads puck mistake 1 set of lovers in forest, placing flower s juice on lysander s eyes instead of demetrius .

victor kiernan, marxist scholar , historian, writes greater sake of love loss of identity takes place , individual characters made suffer accordingly: more extravagant cult of love struck sensible people irrational, , have dubious effects on acolytes. believes identities in play not lost blended create type of haze through distinction becomes impossible. driven desire new , more practical ties between characters means of coping strange world within forest, in relationships diverse , seemingly unrealistic brief love between titania , bottom: tidal force of social need lent energy relationships.

the aesthetics scholar david marshall draws out theme further noting loss of identity reaches fullness in description of mechanicals , assumption of other identities. in describing occupations of acting troupe, writes 2 construct or put together, 2 mend , repair, 1 weaves , 1 sews. join apart or mend has been rent, broken, or sundered. in marshall s opinion, loss of individual identity not blurs specificities, creates new identities found in community, marshall points out may lead understanding of shakespeare s opinions on love , marriage. further, mechanicals understand theme take on individual parts corporate performance of pyramus , thisbe. marshall remarks actor double , divide oneself, discover oneself in 2 parts: both oneself , not oneself, both part , not part. claims mechanicals understand , each character, particularly among lovers, has sense of laying down individual identity greater benefit of group or pairing. seems desire lose 1 s individuality , find identity in love of quietly moves events of midsummer night s dream. primary sense of motivation, desire reflected in scenery depictions , story s overall mood.

ambiguous sexuality

the awakening of fairy queen titania

in essay preposterous pleasures: queer theories , midsummer night s dream, douglas e. green explores possible interpretations of alternative sexuality finds within text of play, in juxtaposition proscribed social mores of culture @ time play written. writes essay not (seek to) rewrite midsummer night s dream gay play rather explores of homoerotic significations  ... moments of queer disruption , eruption in shakespearean comedy. green states not consider shakespeare have been sexual radical, play represented topsy-turvy world or temporary holiday mediates or negotiates discontents of civilisation, while resolved neatly in story s conclusion, not resolve neatly in real life. green writes sodomitical elements, homoeroticism, lesbianism, , compulsory heterosexuality in story must considered in context of culture of modern england commentary on aesthetic rigidities of comic form , political ideologies of prevailing order. aspects of ambiguous sexuality , gender conflict in story addressed in essays shirley garner , william w.e. slights albeit characters played males.

feminism

midsummer eve edward robert hughes c. 1908

male dominance 1 thematic element found in midsummer night s dream. in midsummer night s dream, lysander , hermia escape woods night not fall under laws of theseus or egeus. upon arrival in athens, couples married. marriage seen ultimate social achievement women while men can go on many other great things , gain social recognition. in imperial votaress, louis montrose draws attention male , female gender roles , norms present in comedy in connection elizabethan culture. in reference triple wedding, says, festive conclusion in midsummer night s dream depends upon success of process feminine pride , power manifested in amazon warriors, possessive mothers, unruly wives, , wilful daughters brought under control of lords , husbands. says consummation of marriage how power on woman changes hands father husband. connection between flowers , sexuality drawn. juice employed oberon can seen symbolising menstrual blood sexual blood shed virgins. while blood result of menstruation representative of woman s power, blood result of first sexual encounter represents man s power on women.

there points in play, however, when there absence of patriarchal control. in book power on display, leonard tennenhouse says problem in midsummer night s dream problem of authority gone archaic . athenian law requiring daughter die if not father s outdated. tennenhouse contrasts patriarchal rule of theseus in athens of oberon in carnivalistic faerie world. disorder in land of fairies opposes world of athens. states during times of carnival , festival, male power broken down. example, happens 4 lovers in woods bottom s dream represents chaos contrasts theseus political order. however, theseus not punish lovers disobedience. according tennenhouse, forgiving lovers, has made distinction between law of patriarch (egeus) , of monarch (theseus), creating 2 different voices of authority. distinction can compared time of elizabeth i, in monarchs seen having 2 bodies: body natural , body politic. elizabeth s succession represented both voice of patriarch voice of monarch: (1) father s stated crown should pass , (2) fact daughter of king.