Essay about William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights...

William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream There are so many references to the eyes in A Midsummer Nights Dream that one would expect there to be a solid and consistent reason for their appearance. However, this does not seem to be the case. Indeed, the images associated with the eyes are so varied, and shift so frequently, that it is practically impossible to define what it is they represent. This difficulty reflects the problem of distinguishing between what is real and what is illusion -- a central theme of the play. Confusion and misunderstanding abound throughout A Midsummer Nights Dream. The lovers chase through the forest is perhaps the most obvious example. The mechanicks bumbling performance of†¦show more content†¦Here, Theseus reminds Hermia that filial duty alone demands that she close her eyes to Lysander, and instead train her sight on the man her father deems more appropriate, i.e. Demetrius. This supposed power of the fathers, to manipulate his daughters actions, reflects Theseus description of the ideal father-daughter relationship, in which he likens the daughter to a form in wax (1.1.49). Not surprisingly, Hermias inability to pull the heartstrings of her father drives her to despair. In expressing her anguish to Lysander, she advises him to look into the tempest of [her] eyes (1.1.131) for the source of her troubles. Here, rather than cold, clinical judgment, the eyes denote fiery, turbulent emotion. This shift in imagery can be seen to represent the contrasting character traits of Egeus and Hermia; and, on a broader level, man and woman. Another shift in imagery takes place when Helena bemoans her inability to lure Demetrius away from Hermia, during which she compares the latters eyes to lodestars (1.1.183). Here, Helena suggests that Hermias eyes are a kind of light by which Demetrius love is guided. This image is revived by Lysander when he informs Helena of his decision to flee from Athens with Hermia: Tomorrow night, when Phoebe doth behold/Her silvery visage in the watry glass/Through Athens gates have we devised to steal (1.1.209-210, 213). In this instance, the moon, rather than the stars (theShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Night’s Dream1973 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Night’s Dream The focus of this discussion will be upon the language and performance possibilities of this extract from the Dream[1], following brief consideration of the manner in which the extract relates to the rest of the play in terms of plot development and the reflection of certain of the play’s themes. Performance aspects are considered alongside the distinctive features of the language, as it is suggested that the natureRead More William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay935 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream could have easily been a light-hearted, whimsical comedy. Complete with a magic forest and a kingdom of fairies, it is an iconic setting for amorous escapades and scenes of lovers. But Shakespeare’s writing is never so shallow; through this romantic comedy, Shakespeare postulates an extremely cynical view of love. A Midsummer Night’s Dream becomes a commentary on the mystery of love, and lovers in general emerge shamedRead More William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are endless images of water and the moon. Both images lend themselves to a feeling of femininity and calm. 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If the audience became too attached to any one character, they might lose sight of the bigger pictureRead MoreThe Supernatural in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream1550 Words   |  7 PagesSupernatural in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Consider the presentation of the supernatural in A Midsummer Nights dream. In what way does it reveal Shakespeares moral and philosophical concerns? How does Shakespeares stagecraft (setting, Characterisation, language, verse form etc) facilitate the consideration of his concerns? and how do we as a modern audience respond to the play as a piece of theatre? The main themes of A Midsummers Night Dream areRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essays3973 Words   |  16 PagesWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream In the following essay I am aiming to show how Lysanders claim that the course of true love never did run smooth is supported by other events in the play. A Midsummer Nights Dream was written by William Shakespeare. No one knows the exact date it was written but we know it was between 1589 and 1595. He combines romance with comedy to produce this popular story. When he was writing the play superstition aboutRead More Night in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay1379 Words   |  6 PagesNight in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream One of the recurring themes throughout Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the time of day during which the play’s major action takes place: night. This being the case, there are certain words that are directly linked to this theme that appear numerous times throughout the script. Four such words are â€Å"moon,† â€Å"moonlight,† â€Å"moonshine,† and â€Å"lunatic.† Each comes from a feminine root that serves to identify the women in the play asRead MoreEssay on Women in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream780 Words   |  4 PagesWomen in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, is a play that illustrates a good picture of woman’s lack of freedom. It is a story of several couples, among which there is a fairy king, Oberon, who proves his sovereignty over the queen of the fairies, Titania. The two have an ongoing conflict about who should keep the Indian boy, whose mother had recently died. Titania doesn’t want to give him up because she and the boy’s mother knewRead MoreEssay about William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream1283 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Shakespeare, in his A Midsummer Night’s Dream, uses his characters to cast a sense of derision over the use of the imagination. â€Å"The lunatic, the lover and the poet† are thrown together all on one line, and it is implied that the latter two are as crazy as the first. (Midsummer Night’s Dream, V.1.7) Despite this seeming scorn for plays and their ilk, Shakespeare is implementing a strong irony. Characters who scorn the imagination are no moreRead MoreThe Men of Rule in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream†1491 Words   |  6 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream† two worlds are distinctly contrasted throughout the play. These worlds serve to be the extremes both in thought and action. One world is the Athenian state; which is governed by order, law and reason; whereas, the forest or fairy world lies within the domain of imagination, where anything is possible. While both worl ds are paralleled in the play, they have complex interactions in which the characters succumb to influences to influences from both