The Forest In A Midsummer's Night Dream Essay
A student is writing an essay during an ordinary English class, when his paper spontaneously bursts into cobalt flames. Before he realizes what is happening, all the pupils in the room morph into baby harp seals and start barking hysterically like Great Danes. He is utterly confused; the moment before, his world was perfectly normal, and then in a heartbeat, he is immersed in a fantastical realm of disorder that is absolutely incommensurable from his own. Similarly, this must be the effect that the unique setting of “A Midsummer's Night Dream” has on the characters in the play. The setting of the play consists of two distinct worlds, Athens and the Fairy Forest, which are both alike yet disparate in many ways. By identifying and comparing the numerous characteristics of William Shakespeare’s two contrasting worlds, the readers can find the ways that he used the setting to his advantage as a play writer.
There are several characteristics of Athens and the Fairy forest that can be identified by reading the play. One preeminent attribute of Athens is that it is a sophisticated, law-abiding city. The play takes …show more content…
place during the Golden Age of Greece, with extravagant structures such as Theseus’ palace.
Strict laws force the lovers Hermia and Lysander to leave to avoid certain death. Another noticeable characteristic of the play’s setting is that the Fairy Forest combines elements of magic and nature. The forest is the home of the fairies; fairies do not live in a city. The inhabitants of the Forest demonstrate a close bond to the plants and animals, as demonstrated by the fairy monarchs in the play. While conversing with Puck, King Oberon of the fairies states how “[he] know[s] a bank where the wild thyme blows / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows .../ There sleeps Titania sometime of the night./” (II: i : 235-236, 239) According to Oberon, Titania chose her resting place in a spot that was enveloped by flowers
and other greenery, which determines that fairies would rather live among nature than in a house. Titania and Oberon also demonstrates power over nature when they altered seasons and caused extreme weather while quarreling. Their power over nature assists in further identifying an intriguing feature that the two worlds are intertwined. Happenings in the fairy world can also affect the human world. One compelling piece of evidence is when Oberon and Titania’s quarrels caused horrible weather and altered the seasons. This had affected the mortals’ crops as, “the green corn/ Hath rotted…”(II: i : 79-80). Fairies are furthermore able to bless the mortals of Athens and are able to fall in love with them. To illustrate, Titania once fancied Theseus and Oberon fell in love with Hippolyta. By examining the characteristics and traits of Athens and the Fairy Forest, the reader can now make connections between the two.
In correlation between the two worlds, there are quite a few similarities that can be made known to the reader throughout the play. Notably, both the Fairy Forest and the city of Athens have characters and creatures of myths. The worlds include the fairies and sprites of the Fairy Forest, as well as mythical characters such as Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons and Theseus, the legendary Greek hero. Despite all the laws of Athens and the magic of the Fairy Forest, both worlds are flawed and far from perfect. In one case, Hermia could have been put to death for not marrying Demetrius. On the other hand, Demetrius was not punished for being a “...spotted and inconstant man”(I:i:110) when he made love to Helena. In the Fairy Forest, Puck caused plenty of trouble without being disciplined, and the two rulers of the Forest faced no consequences after quarreling and causing extreme weather. Moreover, each world has its own government, whether it is a duke, or a king and a queen. Theseus, the duke of Athens, has power over everyone in Athens, while King Oberon and Queen Titania has power over all inhabitants in the Fairy Forest, except for each other.
On the contrary to the various similarities between the worlds, an abundance of differences also make appearances in the play. To start with, the Fairy Forest is more free and has less laws than Athens. When Lysander and Hermia escape together into the Forest, their love for each other is no longer forbidden. Athens has strict laws and death penalties for disobeying, while in the Fairy Forest, Puck can get away with being a trickster. Equally important, the Fairy Forest is a magical, surreal world, while Athens is not. Athens in the play is similar to Athens of Greek history, while the Fairy Forest is entirely a creation of the human mind. Magic does not exist in Athens, while it plays a key role in the Fairy Forest. Another distinct difference is that the Fairy Forest is inhabited only by magical creatures, such as sprites, fairies, and goblins. Athens, on the other hand, is inhabited solely by humans. The characters of the Fairy Forest even appear to have magical powers, like when Puck “ ...put a girdle round about the Earth / In forty minutes…” (I: ii : 160-161). When Puck flies around the world in forty minutes, he demonstrates only one of the countless magical powers that he and other fairies appeared to have. In contrast, there are no examples in the play regarding if the humans of Athens possess magical powers. Despite the fact that the two worlds can at times be the antithesis of each other, Shakespeare was still able to weave the worlds into the same play.
With this in mind, the reader can find the various ways that Shakespeare used the characteristics of the worlds to his advantage while writing the play. First and foremost, the setting of the fairy forest provided excitement and enjoyment to the Elizabethans of the 1600s, because they believed in fairies. Since both worlds uses people and creatures of myths, writing two worlds into the play helps to create the setting and bring a fantastical element to the play. Additionally, moving between the two worlds rapidly changes the mood throughout the play. When the humans journeyed into the Fairy Forest, they felt free from the strict Athenian law. It adds to the theme of love and passion. For instance, Lysander suddenly attempts to persuade Hermia to sleep with him during their first night in the forest, because they were forbidden to do so in Athens. Nearly all the violence, the intense feelings of passion, and feelings of heartbreak occurred in the Forest. Likewise, combining two different worlds in the play contributes to the theme of dreaming. The Fairy Forest is like a magical dreamland, while Athens is stark reality. The scenes in the Fairy Forest gives the play a dream-like quality to the audience, as towards the end of the play, the four lovers are awakened from sleep by Theseus, with their memories muddled. To emphasize this, the Duke thinks that the lover’s experiences in the Forest are “...more strange than true.”(V: i : 2). This causes him to be convinced that the lovers’ recounts of the previous few days are only dreams.
On the whole, from reading the examples of similarities and differences from the play, we can conclude that Shakespeare’s use of his two distinct worlds allowed him to write a compelling and indelible play. His setting will continue to perplex his audience, and will remain a cause for great contemplation for centuries to come. In the future, while writing stories, plays, or other creative works, readers can recall how Shakespeare used the setting of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” to his advantage. In doing so, readers can learn from his play when creating their own fantastical settings.
There are several characteristics of Athens and the Fairy forest that can be identified by reading the play. One preeminent attribute of Athens is that it is a sophisticated, law-abiding city. The play takes …show more content…
place during the Golden Age of Greece, with extravagant structures such as Theseus’ palace.
Strict laws force the lovers Hermia and Lysander to leave to avoid certain death. Another noticeable characteristic of the play’s setting is that the Fairy Forest combines elements of magic and nature. The forest is the home of the fairies; fairies do not live in a city. The inhabitants of the Forest demonstrate a close bond to the plants and animals, as demonstrated by the fairy monarchs in the play. While conversing with Puck, King Oberon of the fairies states how “[he] know[s] a bank where the wild thyme blows / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows .../ There sleeps Titania sometime of the night./” (II: i : 235-236, 239) According to Oberon, Titania chose her resting place in a spot that was enveloped by flowers
and other greenery, which determines that fairies would rather live among nature than in a house. Titania and Oberon also demonstrates power over nature when they altered seasons and caused extreme weather while quarreling. Their power over nature assists in further identifying an intriguing feature that the two worlds are intertwined. Happenings in the fairy world can also affect the human world. One compelling piece of evidence is when Oberon and Titania’s quarrels caused horrible weather and altered the seasons. This had affected the mortals’ crops as, “the green corn/ Hath rotted…”(II: i : 79-80). Fairies are furthermore able to bless the mortals of Athens and are able to fall in love with them. To illustrate, Titania once fancied Theseus and Oberon fell in love with Hippolyta. By examining the characteristics and traits of Athens and the Fairy Forest, the reader can now make connections between the two.
In correlation between the two worlds, there are quite a few similarities that can be made known to the reader throughout the play. Notably, both the Fairy Forest and the city of Athens have characters and creatures of myths. The worlds include the fairies and sprites of the Fairy Forest, as well as mythical characters such as Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons and Theseus, the legendary Greek hero. Despite all the laws of Athens and the magic of the Fairy Forest, both worlds are flawed and far from perfect. In one case, Hermia could have been put to death for not marrying Demetrius. On the other hand, Demetrius was not punished for being a “...spotted and inconstant man”(I:i:110) when he made love to Helena. In the Fairy Forest, Puck caused plenty of trouble without being disciplined, and the two rulers of the Forest faced no consequences after quarreling and causing extreme weather. Moreover, each world has its own government, whether it is a duke, or a king and a queen. Theseus, the duke of Athens, has power over everyone in Athens, while King Oberon and Queen Titania has power over all inhabitants in the Fairy Forest, except for each other.
On the contrary to the various similarities between the worlds, an abundance of differences also make appearances in the play. To start with, the Fairy Forest is more free and has less laws than Athens. When Lysander and Hermia escape together into the Forest, their love for each other is no longer forbidden. Athens has strict laws and death penalties for disobeying, while in the Fairy Forest, Puck can get away with being a trickster. Equally important, the Fairy Forest is a magical, surreal world, while Athens is not. Athens in the play is similar to Athens of Greek history, while the Fairy Forest is entirely a creation of the human mind. Magic does not exist in Athens, while it plays a key role in the Fairy Forest. Another distinct difference is that the Fairy Forest is inhabited only by magical creatures, such as sprites, fairies, and goblins. Athens, on the other hand, is inhabited solely by humans. The characters of the Fairy Forest even appear to have magical powers, like when Puck “ ...put a girdle round about the Earth / In forty minutes…” (I: ii : 160-161). When Puck flies around the world in forty minutes, he demonstrates only one of the countless magical powers that he and other fairies appeared to have. In contrast, there are no examples in the play regarding if the humans of Athens possess magical powers. Despite the fact that the two worlds can at times be the antithesis of each other, Shakespeare was still able to weave the worlds into the same play.
With this in mind, the reader can find the various ways that Shakespeare used the characteristics of the worlds to his advantage while writing the play. First and foremost, the setting of the fairy forest provided excitement and enjoyment to the Elizabethans of the 1600s, because they believed in fairies. Since both worlds uses people and creatures of myths, writing two worlds into the play helps to create the setting and bring a fantastical element to the play. Additionally, moving between the two worlds rapidly changes the mood throughout the play. When the humans journeyed into the Fairy Forest, they felt free from the strict Athenian law. It adds to the theme of love and passion. For instance, Lysander suddenly attempts to persuade Hermia to sleep with him during their first night in the forest, because they were forbidden to do so in Athens. Nearly all the violence, the intense feelings of passion, and feelings of heartbreak occurred in the Forest. Likewise, combining two different worlds in the play contributes to the theme of dreaming. The Fairy Forest is like a magical dreamland, while Athens is stark reality. The scenes in the Fairy Forest gives the play a dream-like quality to the audience, as towards the end of the play, the four lovers are awakened from sleep by Theseus, with their memories muddled. To emphasize this, the Duke thinks that the lover’s experiences in the Forest are “...more strange than true.”(V: i : 2). This causes him to be convinced that the lovers’ recounts of the previous few days are only dreams.
On the whole, from reading the examples of similarities and differences from the play, we can conclude that Shakespeare’s use of his two distinct worlds allowed him to write a compelling and indelible play. His setting will continue to perplex his audience, and will remain a cause for great contemplation for centuries to come. In the future, while writing stories, plays, or other creative works, readers can recall how Shakespeare used the setting of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” to his advantage. In doing so, readers can learn from his play when creating their own fantastical settings.