Act I
A Midsummer Night’s Dream starts out in Athens and there are a few characters that I want to mention. Egeus has a daughter named Hermia. He has promised a man named Demetrius that Hermia will marry him, but problems arise when Hermia wants to marry a man named Lysander. Therefore, Egeus brings his problems to Theseus, the duke of Athens, to complain about his daughter and tell her that she could be sent to a nunnery or put to death because of this. Do you think that Egeus was just being a typical father for that day and age or do you think that he is overreacting? I personally think that Egeus was doing what any father in Athens would do at that time. When Egeus is explaining the problem to Theseus, Lysander steps in and points out that Demetrius did once loves Hermia’s friend, Helena but he bailed on her for Helena. “The course of true love never did run smooth,” (I.i.134). Do you think that Lysander has a point? Why do you think Demetrius wants to marry Hermia if it is obvious that she dislikes him? Already in the play I think that there is a lot of irony going on.
Hermia was promised to Demetrius. While I, myself, do not think that Hermia's love for Lysander should be reacted to in this manner, if I look at it more from a historical perspective, I see the reason behind Egeus' threats. Honor and keeping one's promises were of huge importance during those times. It was a means of showing respect towards others, as well as gaining respect from others. His reaction shows that he disapproves of breaking one's promise, and for that time period, I do not believe it was a over reaction.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Lysander does have a valid point. From what he states, Demetrius seems fickle in terms of love. He does not seem able to make his mind up about who he desires to marry. This is a terrible spot of Demetrius to put Hermia in, when she could be with someone who she loves and who loves her. I think that Lysander should be allowed to be with Hermia.
As I look at this first act, I see a focus on the idea of love. It comes from many perspectives as Egeus is convinced that love can be formed through an arrangement. Demetrius is unsure about love and shows that it is often a messy and unpredictable emotion, while Lysander shows fortitude and strength in love through his fighting to be with the one who he loves, "I am beloved of beauteous Hermia: /
Why should not I then prosecute my right? " (I.i.109-110). I feel like the different aspects of love are going to be a huge theme in this play. Do you see any others in the play already?
Yes, I totally agree that love is a huge aspect in the play. I would say that moving forward into act two, that another theme would be self-interest and self-conflict. I say this because of the fact that they are all in the woods running after each other in a crazy love frenzy. What do you think of the fairies? I think that it is bad that they are messing with people’s lives, but it is a part of their nature. For example, Titania steals an Indian boy and wishes to keep him forever. I think that is pretty weird itself, especially since Oberon wants the boy as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen the puck puts a spell on Demetrius, I think that that is when the situational irony steps into play, which in turn creates the whole comedy. “A bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine. There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight (II.i.249–254). This is an example of when Oberon also put a spell on Titania to fall in love with the first creature that she sees. I think that it just shows the overall attitude of the fairies; they are very jocular and playful, yet mischievous. What are your thoughts on them?
I think that fairies are just like humans in nature. Some are calm and helpful, while others can be mischievous. I think the latter is seen in the case of Puck, who enjoys messing with the lives of humans. I do think that they serve to advance the play, as it is by Puck's mistake that Lysander runs off in love with Helena. What do you think will come of this mistake? Will Hermia stay in love with Lysander?
ReplyDeleteOne detail I noticed was that of Oberon and Titania's relationship with each other. They were once married, however now Titania says, "I have forsworn his bed and company" (II.i.431). This brings a new aspect to the conversation of love. Here the love has gone sour over past events. Titania is mad at Oberon, claiming that he loves Hyippolyta, while Oberon claims Titania loves Theseus. This makes them bitter towards each other, and even influences Oberon to seek revenge against Titania. This shows the potential problems with love, and the aftermath of it.
I think that everything will get fixed and that Hernia will stay in love with Lysander.
ReplyDeleteIn act three, there is a lot going on with the involvement of Oberon and Titania because of the spells they have cast. Due to the spell that the puck put on Titania’s eyes when she was asleep, she is now in love with one of the play cast members with the head of an ass. She then tells her fairies to grant his every wish, I think that this is really funny because she has no idea what he actually looks like; she is just under a spell. After the discussing of the play and what all is going to happen in the play that will be acted out after Theseus’s wedding, the problem with Helena is discussed. Lysander and Demetrius are now both in love with her because of the potion that was put into their sleeping eyes. When Helena finds them all she gets really mad and is quick to want to fight Helena, but Helena is upset because she thinks that everybody is part of a big joke to make fun of her and tease her. Hermia then says to her friend, Helena, “ill shake thee from me like a serpent” (III.ii.262). What do you think that this means? Eventually, they all get returned to normal and wander back to Athens.
Well in réponse to that quote, I read that it was Lysander saying it to Hermia as she held him back. in this context, I believe he is saying that she is preventing him from earning Helena's love, and that it is a derogatory remark towards her. This is all due to Puck's mistake of putting the love potion in Lysander's eye by accident. However, I did read later that Oberon and Puck observe this event and realize their mistake. They then go to remedy it. Puck goes to Lysander as he sleeps once again, and in his own words he does, "I'll apply / To your eye, / Gentle lover, remedy" (III.ii.1526-1528). He once again applies the potion to Lysander in hopes that he see Hermia first and falls in love with her again. I find this whole mess of love rather ironic. We as the reader know exactly what is going on, however the characters are thrust into difficult places because they cannot explain what is happening. This created a comical effect when I read it, as the characters are acting so dramatically because of something that is not even their fault. However, I find it difficult to believe that everything will be alright after everything that happened, and I believe that there is more trouble to be discovered. I am also interested to see what happens to Titania and her new found love. I would like to see his reaction to finding out he has the head of a donkey. Is this play making you laugh? Would you view it as a comedy of sorts?
ReplyDeleteThis whole play has made me laugh in one way or another. One way it makes me laugh is the fact that Athens and arranged marriages are so different than today’s standards, so I can imagine how hard and comical it would be for us today. I would definitely view this play as a comedy, because I feel like there is so much irony going on. I think that one of the funniest parts in act four and five is right before Titania lies down to sleep with the ass head and she says, “O how I love thee, how I dote on thee!” (IV.i.42). What did you think about this? I thought it was ironic because the whole audience knew that she was under a spell yet nobody in the play did, so they thought she was being genuine. I think that the ending when all the craftsmen put on the play after the wedding was also comical, because of the props the used. For example, a man was used for a wall. Did you think that was funny? After the show was over, As they leave, Bottom tells them not to eat onions or garlic before the play, as they must be prepared to “utter sweet breath” (IV.ii.36). I thought that was really weird, which in turn made it extremely funny. Overall, I thought this play was comical and enjoyable. What did you think?
ReplyDeleteTitania love for Bottom is ironic. We know the cause for it, but to everyone else it is a strange occurrence.
ReplyDeleteI did find it funny that they used people as objects in the play. They could have easily used actual props, but they decided it was more fitting that some actor be the wall.
One thing I noticed was the happy ending of the play. Throughout the play, love was a mess. It was constantly be mixed up and broken, yet in the end it all worked out. Hermia and Lysander ended up together, while Demetrius and Helena ended up together. Even Oberon and Titania settle down and fixed their relationship. This was very strange to me as it seems to be the complete opposite of what you would expect from this play. I expected that at least a couple of the relationships would break or grow worse. The fact that revenge brought Oberon and Titania back together completely shocked me, " Sound, music! Come, my queen, take hands with me, / And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be" (IV.i.1636-1637). Also, I thought the play put on in the palace is one of love and loss. It seems to be what I expected the story to actually end for the lovers. it is quite ironic for a play like that to be put on during a time of such love. Overall, I found the play quite ironic and comical. I was shocked with the end, and I am not quite sure if I like how it is happy in such a strange play.
Great comments on the comparison of the humans to the fairies--are the fairies perhaps a way for Shakespeare to freely make fun of aspects of humanity without it looking like he's criticizing people? It's interesting that you don't necessarily like the ending. In a traditional comedy, especially in Shakespeare, everybody gets happily married at the end, as opposed to in a tragedy where everyone dies or is otherwise punished. Is there anything suitably strange about the ending so that it still fits "such a strange play"? Does Puck's explanation at the end, his speech to the audience about how none of this is real, help at all? Remember to press summaries consistently into analysis of quotes. Mostly great. Grade on portals.
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