A Midsummer Night S Dream
Argumentative Essay
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Theme/ Symbolism
Carrie Connell
February 21, 2014
A Midsummer Night’s Dream was one of the first plays written by William Shakespeare and written in the Elizabethan Era. The king’s men were the acting troop that performed Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe, an English theater in which Shakespeare was part owner. Shakespeare wrote for the poor not for the rich, 85% of the audience for his works were poor. There was rumor that Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth were secretly in love with each other and that is why none of the plays he wrote were cancelled under her reign. This play is furthermore noted to be a love letter to the queen. The play takes place in Athens at the start of a wedding between Theseus and Hippolyta. Two other human couples cause ruckus within the story. ” Shakespeare 's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start….” (goodreads.com) Hermia and Lysander are a couple forbidden to be together. While, Helena wants to be with Demetrius who is too busy chasing after fair Hermia. The humor in the story come from the fairies: Titania, Oberon, and Puck, as well as the members of an acting troop: specifically Nick Bottom. Hermia is supposedly a fictional representation of Elizabeth while Shakespeare is Lysander. The whole play is based on an illusion of a dream. A double storyline that merges together and exciting and mysterious plot twists lure readers into the illusion of the dream. The mystical factors of the play intrude reality to a great extent. Throughout this play and the resolution of the conflicts there is a central symbol that is recurring, which is the purple flower that the drug that starts all the major drama comes from. The purple flower represents the manipulation of love though can be mistaken to believe that it is a representative of true love conquers all. “The course of true love never did run smooth.” (brainyquote.com) The purple flower, or pansy, is a
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Theme/ Symbolism
Carrie Connell
February 21, 2014
A Midsummer Night’s Dream was one of the first plays written by William Shakespeare and written in the Elizabethan Era. The king’s men were the acting troop that performed Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe, an English theater in which Shakespeare was part owner. Shakespeare wrote for the poor not for the rich, 85% of the audience for his works were poor. There was rumor that Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth were secretly in love with each other and that is why none of the plays he wrote were cancelled under her reign. This play is furthermore noted to be a love letter to the queen. The play takes place in Athens at the start of a wedding between Theseus and Hippolyta. Two other human couples cause ruckus within the story. ” Shakespeare 's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start….” (goodreads.com) Hermia and Lysander are a couple forbidden to be together. While, Helena wants to be with Demetrius who is too busy chasing after fair Hermia. The humor in the story come from the fairies: Titania, Oberon, and Puck, as well as the members of an acting troop: specifically Nick Bottom. Hermia is supposedly a fictional representation of Elizabeth while Shakespeare is Lysander. The whole play is based on an illusion of a dream. A double storyline that merges together and exciting and mysterious plot twists lure readers into the illusion of the dream. The mystical factors of the play intrude reality to a great extent. Throughout this play and the resolution of the conflicts there is a central symbol that is recurring, which is the purple flower that the drug that starts all the major drama comes from. The purple flower represents the manipulation of love though can be mistaken to believe that it is a representative of true love conquers all. “The course of true love never did run smooth.” (brainyquote.com) The purple flower, or pansy, is a
Bibliography: Cheney, Donna R. "A Midsummer Night 's Dream: All an Illusion." Utah Shakespeare Festival. Southern Utah University, 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://www.bard.org/education/studyguides/Midsummer/midsummerillusion.html>. "A Midsummer Night 's Dream." Goodreads. Goodreads Inc, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1622.A_Midsummer_Night_s_Dream>. "A Midsummer Night 's Dream: All an Illusion." A Midsummer Night 's Dream: All an Illusion. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://www.bard.org/education/studyguides/Midsummer/midsummerillusion.html>. "Joyce Brothers Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/joycebroth143030.html>. "Opium." The Partnership at Drugfreeorg. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://www.drugfree.org/drug-guide/opium>. "William Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night 's Dream." Duke. WordPress MU, Dec. 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://sites.duke.edu/midsummer/category/background-information/>. "William Shakespeare Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, 2001. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/william_shakespeare.html>. Xoxosara99. "A Midsummer Night 's Dream Symbols, Themes, Alike and Different Characters Flashcards." Quizlet. Quizlet, 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://quizlet.com/23835127/a-midsummer-nights-dream-symbols-themes-alike-and-different-characters-flash-cards/>.