Study Notes for Midsummer Nights Dream Essay Example for Free

Study Notes for Midsummer Nights Dream Essay The scene in Act V clearly echoes Shakespeare’s idea of love, presented in multiple parts of the play. Perhaps the greatest example of the dream-like qualities of love emerges in the awakening of Titania to Bottom, with whom she immediately falls in love. For Titania, real life becomes a dream. Upon first observing Bottom, even in his transformed shape, she exclaims, â€Å"Mine ear is much enamoured of thy note; / So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; And thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me / On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee† (3. . 122-125). Titania’s language emerges as flowing and poetic; she ends in a sing-song rhyming couplet, supplicating her lover. Shakespeare emphasizes the poetic qualities of the language of love; he additionally exaggerates the dream-like nature of love in Titania’s awakening and immediate falling in love. Even Bottom initially doubts her instantaneous love, but eventually admits that â€Å"reason and love keep little company together nowadays† (3. 1. 127-128). Bottom upholds that reason and love cannot exist together. Theseus’ world of reason and facts cannot coexist with the dreamlike and poetic world of love in the woods. Indeed, his love life emerges as entirely devoid of any of the truly romantic or dreamy qualities of love. Throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays how the experience of love often seems like a dreamlike experience and cannot be proven, as Theseus would like, with facts and rational arguments. For instance, the relationship between Hermia and Lysander seems quite romantic at the beginning of the play, as the young lovers escape to the woods to elope in secret. Likewise, at the end of the play, even the newly formed relationship between Helena and Demetrius closely parallels the ideals of romantic love. The setting is one way in which Shakespeare created the dream-like setting, both the time and the place setting. Night is when most people sleep and therefore, when most people dream. By setting the play to occur mostly during the night, it is easy for the audience to relate to the ephemeral quality. By putting most of the action in the forest, where there is much mystery because of the darkness and because of unseen creatures living there, Shakespeare further emphasizes the mystical quality. The characters are another way Shakespeare gives the play a dream-like nature. The fairy-folk characters of Oberon, Titania, Puck, and all the others give the play this quality. These creatures arent real, but many people of Shakespeares day would have been unsure about whether or not fairies existed. This doubt combined with the magic that the fairies can perform give the play a dream-like effect. Finally, the action of the play itself gives the play the effect. Another powerful image is the unnatural affection between Titania and Bottom. Whereas Titania is graceful and royal, Bottom is earthly and deformed. Working within this harmony versus disharmony is the use of contrast. The character, Bottom, is very useful because he illustrates a very central dichotomy in the play—what is true and what is thought true. Bottom considers himself an eloquent speaker and talented actor worthy to play every part in the play when, in reality, he often uses completely wrong words and conflicting statements. And when Robin transforms him and the spell causes Titania to fall in love with him, Bottom believes he is simply reaping the good fortune due him. He remains completely unaware of his true self. Although the tensions arise most poignantly among the lovers, it is Bottom who emerges from the dream state with the desire to learn from his unconscious moment and the ability to see the mingling of the dream versus reality. Love and dreams both become foggy, unclear, passionate states in which the individuals involved become delusional victims. The title emphasizes the importance of each of the characters dream, and highlights the irrational, impersonal and under valued qualities of love. Like dreams, love is foolish, crazy and driven by desires. Shakespeare highlights the absurdity of love by showing the dispensable and interchangeable emotions within the dreams. The male characters claim each love as being the greatest love, yet their shallow and conventional words show the true nature of the en. Dreams and love have a reoccurring way of mimicking and repeating conventions. Despite the trite words, betrayals and heartache within the dreams, not all of the characters within the play change or learn upon awakening. In fact, some of the characters seem unchanged by their dreams, such as Hermia and Helena, who remain blind to the pain their lovers had bestowed, while Lysander once again directs his affection toward Hermia as though it had never faltered. Then, Demetrius is seemingly changed for the better as though he remained dreaming. Prior to falling asleep, Demetrius seemed concerned only in himself, disregarding the wants of the woman he claimed to love. Rather than letting her marry a man whom she loved in return, he set out to force her to unwillingly marry him. However, when dreaming, Demetrius finds himself under the enchantment of the love juice and in love with Helena. Upon awakening, he remains true to the person he had become in the dream, restoring order in reality by marrying Helena and allowing Lysander and Hermia to be together.