The Importance of Magic in a Midsummer Night

The importance of magic in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Magic was one of the most important elements in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Throughout the play, the use and misuse of magic brought about the most unusual and comical situations. Despite that the supernatural force of magic was not seen by the powerless human beings (Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, Helena, Bottom, and the mechanicals), it controlled their thoughts and actions, and confused them throughout most of the play. Magic helped to resolve most of the conflicts of the play, therefore Shakespeare was implying that magic was a necessary element to make the characters happier and help them resolve their problems for a peaceful ending. The conflict that magic helped resolve were: when Oberon and Titania argued about the young boy, when Puck put the magical love juice on Lysander’s eyelids, and when Puck turned Bottom’s head into an ass’s head.
The first problem that was solved when magic was used was when Oberon and Titania argued about the young boy who Titania stole from an Indian king. In the first scene of the second act, Puck told the fairy why they were arguing, when he said, “/The king doth keep his revels here tonight/. /Take heed the queen come not within his sight/. /For Oberon is passing fell and wrath/ /Because that she, as her attendant hath/. /A lovely boy stolen from an Indian king/. /She never had so sweet a changeling/. /And jealous Oberon would have the child/, /Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild/. /But she perforce withholds the lovèd boy/, /Crowns him with flowers, and makes him all her joy/” (II.i.18-28). In the quote above, Puck told the fairy to make sure that Titania doesn’t see Oberon because he’s mad at her for teasing him and not giving him the boy. Titania also mentioned numerous problems such as flooded rivers, rotted grain, empty sheep pens in flooded fields, fields filled with mud, pale angry moon and diseases, and switched seasons. All these problems arose