Hi all
Our MSND lesson (for BN & GR) has once again been taken over by TKAM but I trust that you have all been catching up and continuing with your reading and revision and research at home.
Our MSND lesson (for BN & GR) has once again been taken over by TKAM but I trust that you have all been catching up and continuing with your reading and revision and research at home.
In the meantime, please find the time to pen down your thoughts on the following:
1. Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play?
2. How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
and
3. Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
Please prepare your thoughts in advance for next week's lesson.
As a precaution against last minute changes, please ensure that you have your MSND text in school every week, regardless of lesson.
Cheers
~Ms. Nsa~
16 comments:
1. Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play?
Both Oberon and Theseus are contradictory characters. Oberon being kind and benevolent towards the 4 lovers and his willingness to help Helena shows his positive character. However Oberon has his malicious character too; his treatment of Titania, no matter the happy ending that ensued, his treachery and male-chauvinism is much apparent. Theseus is like Oberon in the sense that they are both symbols of leadership and power. Theseus contradicts himself (such as Oberon) when he allows the 4 lovers to marry whoever they please at the end of the play. On the one hand, he is the ruler of Athens and represents the voice of law and authority in the mortal realm, paralleling Oberon's similar position in the fairy world. His duty as dispenser of justice is seen early in the play through his interaction with Hermia and Egeus. Although Theseus is more understanding of Hermia's situation than her father, he still vows to sentence her to death if she won't accept one of his two alternatives: marrying Demetrius or entering a convent. Even when Hippolyta is noticeably upset with his verdict, Theseus insists that a daughter's first goal must be to obey her father. As upholder of authority in Athens, Theseus' first duty is to support the city's laws, even when they appear unfair. Both Oberon and Theseus have similar functions in the play which is to ensure law, justice and order. In Theseus’ court there is order, in the woods, Oberon restores order by ordering Puck to rectify his mistakes and by playing the trick on Titania, he makes up with her and general order is restored to the realm of fairies and mortals alike.
Titania and Hippolyta are similar characters in the sense that both are Queens but both hold little power and authority in their hands. Their roles in the play are to show the male-dominance during their time. Titania is asked of to give up the little Indian boy and when she refused, Oberon is incensed by her insubordination and stubbornness. Oberon expected her to agree and give up the Indian boy with immediate effect. Hippolyta is similar in the sense that she part of the spoils of war that was won by Theseus. Even though she seems to love Theseus, it is obvious that she had no say whether or not she is going to marry Theseus and even though she is going to be Queen, Hippolyta has no say in either the relationship or court matters. She is to follow Theseus’ lead such like in the conflict of Hermia and her father. Hippolyta is unhappy about the situation, is it possible that she herself reflected in Hermia? Some commentators, however, have observed Hippolyta's relative silence throughout Act I of the play. They believe that this silence does not reflect Hippolyta's happy acceptance of her marriage to Theseus. Rather, her reticence suggests that she has been coerced into the marriage (remember, she has been taken captive), and that she seems to regard it with resignation and sadness. Forced into an arranged marriage and having no say? In addition, Theseus though noting her disapproval on that matter, he stills follow Athens’ laws and set and ultimatum, thus showing the lack of consideration for his love.
2. How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
Even the rational Theseus claims time moves too slowly as he anticipates his wedding day, showing his unreasonable longing. But his love for Hippolyta is not the pure, fresh, freely chosen affection of Hermia and Lysander. As Theseus reminds his bride, he won her by doing her harm: She was part of the spoils of war. In their quarrel, Oberon and Titania tell us this is not the first relationship for either Hippolyta or Theseus. Not only has Theseus' name been linked with Titania's, but he has supposedly ravished and deserted Perigouna, Ariadne, and Antiope, among others. Similarly, Hippolyta has been the "buskin'd mistress" of Oberon and has spent time with Hercules and Cadmus. Not lovers in their first bloom, Theseus and Hippolyta offer a picture of more mature love. Many commentators see Hippolyta's and Theseus's relationship as providing a framework for the dramatic action of the play, given that the couple only appears in the beginning and the end of the play. Additionally, this relationship undergoes no change during the course of the play and arguably represents stability and consistency, in direct contrast to the somewhat capricious relationships of the young lovers. Theseus and Hippolyta’s love is steadier and more binding then the fickle love of the 4 lovers.
The 4 lovers’ love is irrational and fickle as the love they hold for their lovers, the men especially is based on physical appearance such can be seen from the incident of the love juice. The love between Theseus and Hippolyta can survive and is consistent is probably due to the fact that they are older as well, and more mature in that sense. The 4 lovers are young and inexperienced, like children, they can be fickle-hearted. Their inconsistent love is probably due to the interference of the love juice that show their love can be easily displaced and it is interchangeable. Their inconsistency also shows the little trust and faith they have in each other and also the lack of confidence in the women; lack of confidence for themselves and for their men.
3.Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
Hermia and Helena is not as fickle minded as the men and they stick to their convictions and promises till the end. It is possible that Shakespeare uses their faithfulness and loyalty to show the fickle minds of the men. It is also to show the theme of blind and irrational love because by having distinct differences between Hermia and Helena, it shows that Demetrius is irrational because Helena is supposedly the “dove” whereas Hermia is the “raven”. However Demetrius prefers the “raven” as to the “dove”
1. Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play? How are the Hippolyta and Titania similar and/or different? Theseus and Oberon?
Many contemporary productions of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream cast the same actor to be either both Theseus and Oberon or Hippolyta and Titania at the same time, partially because the characters come out at different times of the play, and do not come out together. However, what I believe is the main reason is that Theseus’s and Oberon’s characters are rather similar to one another, and so is Hippolyta’s to Titania’s. Thus, the same actor is able to act out both Theseus and Oberon, or both Hippolyta and Titania as the characters are alike in their characteristics.
Theseus and Oberon are similar in character that they bring justice and equality into both the worlds of the mortals and the fairies. Theseus is able to do this because he is the Duke of Athens, the highest authority of Athens, just as Oberon is the king of the fairies. In the sense of justice, Theseus makes use of the law in order to make Hermia marry Demetrius under the will of her father Egeus, hence showing that Theseus will uphold justice. This is so even though Theseus knows that Hermia is reluctant to marry Demetrius by her speech “So will I grow, so live, so die, my Lord” in Act 1 Scene 1. In Oberon, he brings justice most obviously to Helena, who is willing to do anything just to win Demetrius’s heart. He orders Puck to anoint Demetrius’s eye with the “love-in-idleness” juice, but in doing so, he is not aware that Lysander is in the woods at the same time, and tells Puck to look for the man with the “Athenian” clothes. In the end however, he brings justice to Helena, whom finally gets Demetrius’s love after suffering under his taunts and his lack of love towards her.
Also, in terms of bringing equality to the world, both characters are able to do so quite interestingly. In Act 4 Scene 1, Theseus and his train stumbles upon the two pairs of lovers, who are now at peace with one another. However, Egeus still wants his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius. Even though Theseus is supposed to be the upholder of justice, he is able to see that if he was to abide by the rules and make Hermia marry Demetrius, unrest might occur between the lovers. Thus, being overbearing Egeus and making the two pair of lovers marry on the day itself, Theseus brings equality to the lovers. For Oberon, his method of bringing equality is most amusing: through his tricks. This can be seen through the argument that he had with Titania. Both are certain that their argument has brought calamity to the world of the mortals “We are their parents and original”; yet neither one of them would conceit defeat. Oberon thus brings equality to the world of the fairies and the world of the mortals by the most unimaginable way: he bewitches Titania with the “love-in-idleness” juice, causing her to love the first person that she sees. He finally gets the Indian boy, the subject of their argument, from Titania while she is in love with Bottom, and in order to restore the original balance between the mortals and the fairies, he releases Titania from the spell. Some could say that it was due to his kindliness due to his speech in which he says “Her dotage now I do begin to pity”. Whatever the explanation, Oberon brings peace and equality back into the world of the fairies, which can be seen by Titania waking up and saying “My Oberon!”; most obviously they have reconciled. Thus, both Theseus and Oberon are figures of authority and equality.
Also, both Theseus and Oberon are similar in the fact that they are amorous. As said by Titania, Oberon had “in the shape of Corin sat all day, / Playing on pipes of corn and versing love / To amorous Phillida”. This shows that Oberon had previously flirted with other people, as can be shown. But Theseus is the same too. As said by Oberon in an attempt to try to rebut Titania, “How canst thou thus for shame, Titania, / Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, / Knowing I know thy love to Theseus? / Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night / From Perigenia, whom he ravished? / And make him with fair Aegle break his faith, / With Ariadne and Antiopa?”. According to Oberon, Theseus used to have relationships with other women before Hippolyta! Thus, Theseus is also amorous, just like Oberon. In this manner, their character is similar.
Also, both Theseus and Oberon are similar in the fact that both of them disliked disloyalty. Oberon is the more obvious of the two who shows this trait. He says “Am I not thy Lord?” when addressing Titania, probably in an attempt to show that he is of higher position, and that she must listen to him. Also, when Titania refuses to give him the Indian boy even with his pleas, he becomes enraged and wants to punish Titania for her “mistake” “Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove / Till I torment thee for this injury.” (Act 2, Scene 1). Thus, from this evidence, we can see his dislike for disloyalty. For Theseus, his side of disloyalty is that of children towards parents. The evidence is that of him trying to get Hermia to marry Demetrius under Egeus’s will, probably because he is unable to accept the fact that Hermia would disobey her father, and even turn aside from the law. This could make him feel displeased, thus making her decide between the choices (death, being a nun, or marry Demetrius) in four days time, during their wedding. Thus showing his dislike for disloyalty. Thus, the two are similar in character in this manner, that of the dislike of disloyalty.
Another way that Theseus and Oberon are similar in character is that they are both sympathetic. For Theseus, his sympathy can be shown in Act 5 Scene 1. Despite him knowing that the craftsmen work may be crude and unruly, he still allows them to perform in order to show the appreciation that he has for their effort. This is despite Hippolyta’s and Philostrate’s complains to deter him from his decision. Also, he is seen appreciating the play. Thus, he sympathises with the craftsmen, as he understands their hardship and the work that they have put in. For the case of Oberon, the most obvious incident would be when he sees Demetrius and Helena in the woods. In this scene, Demetrius is trying to shake off Helena, at times even threatening to kill her or do some unruly thing towards her. Despite this, Helena still chases after him due to her love for him. Oberon is a fairy, and being king of the fairies, he could not have wanted to help Helena gain Demetrius’s love. However, he does so, saying probably to himself: “Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this grove, / Thou shalt fly him and he shall seek thy love.” This shows his determination to help Helena win Demetrius’s heart. Thus, this shows his sympathy. Thus, both Oberon and Theseus are similar in character by their sympathy.
Hippolyta and Titania are similar in character in a way that they both like peace. Titania is obvious. From the play in Act 2 Scene 1, she shows this by stating out all the suffering that the mortal world and the fairy realm has suffered since their (Oberon and Titania) argument began. At the end of this speech, she adds in “We are their parents and original”. This shows that she knows the root of the source, and by adding the root of it at the end of the consequences, it signifies that she wants the troubles to stop. Thus, she is considered peace-loving in this manner. In Hippolyta’s case, this is indirect from Theseus’s speech when he says “What cheer, my love?”. This shows that Hippolyta could be upset or something, because the problem in question is that Hermia could be executed: on their wedding day too! Thus, Hippolyta could be rather unhappy, resulting in Theseus asking her how she feels. Hence, we can tell that Hippolyta would rather peace than trouble, though this may be because she wants the wedding to be a joyous occasion, not an occasion where sacrifices are made. Hence, both Hippolyta and Titania are similar in character in that they both like peace.
Both Hippolyta and Titania are also very similar in character because they dislike the lower classes. In Titania’s case, the lower classes refer to the mortals. This can be seen when she leaves with Oberon, “That I sleeping here was found / With these mortals on the ground.” Here, we can assume that Titania is saying it in a distasteful tone. Of course she could be saying this due to her curiosity as she had been sleeping alone at first. However, this is rather more like disdain. Thus, she has a heavy dislike towards the mortals. Hippolyta is easier to recognise. In Act 5 Scene 1, she thinks most negatively of the craftsmen’s performance “This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard.” This shows that she dislikes the performance, and comes to think of it as “silly” after watching just the first scene of the play, in which Pyramus talks to Thisbe through the wall and leaves after making a date, if it could be considered a scene. Thus, she has disdain towards the actors, the craftsmen, who are supposed to be of a lower class than the aristocrat that she is. Thus, she has distaste towards people from the lower class. Thus, both Titania and Hippolyta are similar in the fact that they dislike people who are supposedly of a lower class from them.
Hence, Theseus and Oberon are similar in their character because they are generally sympathetic, they dislike disloyalty, and that they bring justice and equality into both the worlds of the mortals and the fairies. For Hippolyta and Titania, they are both similar because they dislike, or rather, look down on the lower classes, and that they also love peace.
2. How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
The relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the four young lovers in that the love that they have for one another is not the innocent love that youths have for one another which is like that of the four young lovers; instead their love is that of mature love. This can be seen when Oberon and Titania quarrel with one another in Act 2 Scene 1. As seen from Titania, “But that, forsooth, the bouncing Amazon, / Your buskin'd mistress and your warrior love” showing that Hippolyta once had an affair with Theseus. Thus, this is not Hippolyta’s first relationship with a man, which means that her love is more mature. Also, from Oberon, “Knowing I know thy love to Theseus? / Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night / From Perigenia, whom he ravished? / And make him with fair Aegle break his faith, / With Ariadne and Antiopa?” This shows that this is not Theseus’s first relationship with a woman, which means that he is more experienced in love than the other lovers. Thus, their relationship and their love for one another is that of maturity. However, the lovers are that of an innocent relationship. They make fantastic oaths with one another which they break just as if they had never said the oaths before. For example, Lysander says that “Thus ends life when I end loyalty”. However, when he is anointed with the “love-in-idleness” spell, he falls in love immediately with Helena, and in an attempt to woo her, says that all the vows he made for Hermia are fake. If this evidence is not strong enough as Lysander’s change may be due to the “love-in-idleness” juice and not his own character, Demetrius is a good example. From Helena, “For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne, / He hail'd down oaths that he was only mine; / And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, / So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt.”, this can tell us that Demetrius had made oaths towards Helena saying that he would never leave her and that he was only hers. However, when he fell in love with Hermia, he forgot entirely about his oaths towards Helena “showers of oaths did melt”! Thus, the lovers have an innocent love. Thus, the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers by that of maturity.
The relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta could also be that of a stable relationship, unlike the lovers who change their love from one person to another in a quick instance. Theseus, as seen in Act 1 Scene 1, is heard as saying that he had wounded Hippolyta before to win her heart. However, in this scene, he is heard also saying later that he wants the marriage to be that of celebrations. Thus, Theseus is actually willing to marry Hippolyta, and not as a spoils of war. Hippolyta might feel the same way. When Theseus laments that time passes too slowly, Hippolyta approaches him by saying that time will pass very quickly. This might show that Hippolyta is trying to comfort him, thus showing that her love towards him is genuine. Thus, the two have a rather stable relationship. However, the lovers are different. The most obvious person is again Demetrius. Lysander is quoted as saying “Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head, / Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, / And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes, / Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry, / Upon this spotted and inconstant man.” During this time, Demetrius is in love with Hermia. Thus, this shows that Demetrius has switched his love from Helena “made love to… Helena” to Hermia. Thus this shows the instability of the relationship that the lovers have for one another. Thus, the difference between the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta and the relationships between the four lovers is that of the stability of the relationship.
3. Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
First of all, how are Hermia and Helena distinguishable from one another? Hermia has a rather shrewd character, compared to that of Helena whose character is rather mild, and well, rather sarcastic too in a sense. This can be prominently seen in Act 3 Scene 2. Hermia, enraged by Helena “seducing” Lysander, tries to fight her, which can be seen from this evidence “But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.” Helena, on the other hand, seems to be unable to fight back, for the next sentence states “I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen, / Let her not hurt me: I was never curst; / I have no gift at all in shrewishness; / I am a right maid for my cowardice:” showing that she would not fight anyone, and has a rather mild character. In this sense, both Hermia and Helena are distinguishable.
Another way Hermia and Helena are distinguishable from one another is their appearance. Hermia, it appears, is short and rather dark-skinned. This is compared to Helena, whose appearance is fair and tall. For Hermia, the evidence can be seen from Act 3 Scene 2. “you Ethiope” “raven” (by Lysander) is to show her skin tone, which is rather dark. “Because I am so dwarfish and so low?” (by Hermia herself) in order to show her height, which is rather low indeed. This is compared to Helena, whom Hermia calls a “painted maypole”, showing that her beauty is faked. However, the emphasise here is on “maypole”, which shows that she is tall. Also, we can tell that she is fair from Act 2, Scene 2, in which Lysander calls her a “dove”. Thus, both Hermia and Helena are distinguishable from one another due to their appearance.
Thus, one of the reasons that I believe Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men is because the women face far more problems in love than the men, who face only one. In the play, Hermia faces the problem of having to marry Demetrius under the word of her father and the law despite her stubbornly loving Lysander. Helena faces a totally different problem, which Hermia later faces prominently in Act 3 Scene 2: she is not loved at all by Lysander or Demetrius! On the other hand, the men have the same problem: they both like the same woman, and thus they, being typical men of Athens, decide to fight in order to win the woman’s love. Thus, in order to separate the problems that the women have, Shakespeare has made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable. However, the men need not be distinguished as their problems are that of the same!
Also, another reason why I believe that Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men is to bring out the theme of male chauvinism. In the play, Hermia and Helena both love Lysander and Demetrius respectively throughout the play: their love does not change at all. However, Lysander and Demetrius are able to change their love from one person to another in a rather short span of time, from Hermia to Helena in Act 2 Scene 2 and Act 3 Scene 2, and for Lysander, from Helena back to Hermia again in Act 4 Scene 1. One might say that this is under the influence of the “love-in-idleness” juice. But what about Demetrius? He used to love Helena before the play, yet when the play begins, he enters with Egeus and Lysander: in order to try to marry Hermia! Thus, the men are able to choose between the lovers, yet the women are unable to. This is despite them complaining about the circumstances, either to themselves (Helena in Act 1 Scene 1 when she makes her final speech) or to the public (Hermia saying that she would rather be a nun or die than marry Demetrius to Theseus in Act 1 Scene 1). Thus, this shows the male dominance over the women. Thus, Shakespeare has made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable, I believe, to emphasise the point that it does not matter who you are: as long as you are a woman, you can forget about choosing your own rights due to male chauvinism.
The next reason that I think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men is to bring out the theme of irrational love. As stated above in the first two paragraphs, Hermia and Helena differ in both character and appearance, the former being rather shrewd and stubborn, while being dark-skinned and short, whereas the later is rather mild, while being fair-skinned and tall. In Elizabethan times, women who were fair and tall were considered beautiful. However, this is the exact opposite for Lysander and Demetrius, who turn to love Hermia instead of Helena! This is despite her appearance, which is dark and short and not rather well-liked in society. Thus, as Helena mentions, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind”. Thus, the stark distinction between Hermia and Helena is in order to dramatise the theme of irrational love.
This suggests that Theseus and Hippolyta, Oberon and Titania have contrasting functions in the play. Although they are all people who are important in the society and all of them have the power to affect the lover’s relationship but they represent different things in the play. Theseus and Hippolyta represent the harmony of marriage and order.This is shown when they cannot wait to get married, “Another moon, but methinks so slow.”They also represent order as Theseus is the figure of authority in Athens. He sets down rules which the people must abide in this case the people are the lovers. However Oberon and Titania are just the opposite. They represent the problems in marriage when they quarrel over the changeling boy, “Rash Titania” ,”Jealous Oberon.”They also represent the disorder in the woods where anything is possible. They represent magic and fantasies in life. Due to this silly relationships are allowed to develop among the lovers. Furthermore Theseus is just the opposite of Oberon. Theseus is a good and law abiding ruler but Oberon relies on underhanded means to get what he wants for example he place the love juice in Titania’s eyes so she will be madly in love and give him the child. Titania and Hippolyta are also somewhat different. Hippolyta seems more submissive to Theseus than Titania is to Oberon. Titania “crosses” Oberon and refuses to obey him, it seems that she has her own mind and wishes to make her own decisions. However Hippolyta is a woman Theseus defeated at war so she is probably softer and does not meddle in his affairs nor talk when he is speaking. By allowing the same actor to act as both characters this allows us to see the vast difference between the two couples. In another case the two couples do have a similar function in the play as they both represent mature love. Their love is not that of first sight but of years of development .They do not behave similarly to the lovers. Their love is neither blind nor transitory. Each of them uses to have different lovers for example it is said that before Hippolyuta, Theseus had wooed Araidna, Antiope and many more. Thus they are definitely not lovers in their first bloom but people who have a deeper understanding of love.
Sherri Lee (16) 4GR
Qn1)
I believe that Theseus and Oberon both serve highly similar functons in the play.
Theseus is a Duke and thus holds the highest authority in the city of Athens. He is able to command others to do his bidding, "Go, Philostrate,Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments". This is similar to the position Oberon holds in the realm of faries. Oberon is the king of faries, wielding power over all the land.
It is with this power that Theseus and Oberon become the catalyst for the story to progress.
Theseus' ultimatum to Hermia, "Either to die the death, or to abjure; For ever the society of men." sets off a chain reaction in the play for it is due to this ultimatum that Lysander and Hermia decide to elope, thus taking them into the setting of the woods, closely pursued by Demitrius with Helena not far behind. Without this verdict by Theseus, Hermia and Lysander would not have run off and thus the play would never reach the setting of the forest.
Oberon also triggers a chain reaction which is crucial for the play to progress when he commands Puck to anoit the eyes of Demetrius with polyjuice potion after he witnesses Helena's quarrel with the man. He, unfortunately gives very vague descriptions, "Thous shalt know the man; By the Athenian garments he hath on." thus causing Puck to make a mistake. This mistake is the source of all the chaos which happens in the woods.
Not only do Theseus and Oberon allow the play to progress with their minor actions and decisions, both men are the ones who eventually bring closure to the play.
It is Oberon who finally rights the chaos in the woods, "May all to Athens backagain repair,; And think no more of this night's accidents". He puts an immediate stop to the four lovers' forays in the woods and returns them to Athens. This allows the story to slow down and begin it's descend towards the end of the play.
Theseus too brings the play to a slower, more steady pace when he graciously allows the four lovers to marry whomever they choose, "Egeus, I will overbear your will",retracting the previous ultimatum he gave to Hermia at the beginning of the play.
Hippolyta as well as Titania are both strong women with minds of their own. I believe that it is due to them that the story can progress as well as it did.
It is Titania's strength that allows her to defy her husband thus causing him to fall out with her and in taking revenge on her, also anoit the eyes of the Athenian men. She is the on who causes Oberon to make the decisions he made, influencing the play as he did.
Hippolyta has a very strong influence over Theseus, "Four happy days bring in; Another moon - but O, methinks how slow; This old moon wanes!". Theseus is crazy in love with her and thus his decision in the end to release the lovers from their plight may be due to his deep feelings for Hippolpyta and his joy in very soon marrying her.
Both women have the ability to cause their other half to respond as such, thus wielding a large influence in the progress of the play.
I believe that both Titania and Hippolyta function as the root cause and thus the catalyst for the decisions made in the story, and to the play itself.
The reason many of the contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the roles of Oberon and Theseus as well as Titania and Hippolyta s because the roles are simply too similar. The same actor would be able to perfectly fit the other role should he or she fit the one. Also, it is unlikely that the producers of the play or the director would appreciate having to pay another person's wages when both characters could easily be played by one actor.
Also, as Hippolyta and Titania as well as Theseus and Oberon do not appear on stage at the same time, one actor to play both roles would be ideal, both as a way to cut costs as well as to completely give the characters the feel that the two characters are somehow similar, giving the audience an insight into the details of the play.
Question 1
Theseus, Oberon, Titania and Hippolyta all represent symbols of power and authority.
Theseus and Hippolyta are the leaders of an orderly society, Athens while Oberon and Titania are leaders of the forest and the fairies.
These characters may seem insignificant to the play, given the number of lines they have (especially Theseus and Hippolyta). However, they all had the power to change things and the power to alter the course of the play.
Theseus made an important change in the beginning of the play by threatening Hermia to either “abjure from the society of men” or leave Lysander to go to Demetrius. This no doubt alters the play. With this threat, the lovers decide to elope and subsequently this leads us to another setting in the play- the forest.
Oberon also made changes to the play. Oberon decides to help Helena with getting her love, Demetrius, which subsequently leads to a series of unfortunate events whereby the lovers quarreled and fought. However, the introduction of the love-in-idleness flower by Oberon has no doubt proved useful in solving the lovers’ dilemma. After all, it is what changed the pathetic situation of the play.
At scene 2, we also learn that Oberon and Titania possess the power to change and alter the people’s lives. They can cause changes in climates. “angry winter change” and can also solve it but refuse to. “Do you amend it then! It lies in you.”
Theseus also represents the power of being able to alter the course of the lovers’ progress. Perhaps touched by the lovers’ harmony in the last scene, he goes against his words and vows of punishing Hermia, and granted the lovers with the power to marry.
Indeed these characters represent symbols of power. The power to change, alter and make a difference.
Question 2
The play begins with the end in my opinion, an ending/resolution that is probably what the four lovers would experience after the trip to the forest, a turning point in the story.
At the beginning of the play, Theseus and Hippolyta are discussing about their “nuptial hour”. Theseus and Hippolyta represent the theme of marriage. Their marriage has grown out of discord. It can be seen that before this happy scene, several incidents had happened supposedly. This can be seen from Theseus’ “I wooed thee with my sword. And won thy love doing thee injuries”. Before the marriage, Hippolyta was probably an enemy of Theseus. Hippolyta only came to love Theseus after she was defeated.
On the other hand, the lovers appear to have a disagreement with one another, in contrast to the harmony and happiness in the court. Very similar to Theseus and Hippolyta’s beginning, the lovers are experiencing discord. While Hermia loved Lysander, Egeus wanted her to marry Demetrius, who was loved by Helena.
Theseus represents a man who had gone through the above dilemma. Throughout the story, we read that he was once flirtatious, having relationships with Ariadne and other women. Now, he has “grown” out of this part of his life and represents a man who has settled down with his true and final love- Hippolyta.
On the other hand, one of the lovers, Demetrius is just like the old Theseus. He is unable to make a decision as to who he loved and hence he acts like the old Theseus, having many relationships with different girls- a rather “skin-deep choice”. In Demetrius’ case, he once loved Helena. Now, he had changed his target to Hermia.
Once again, the lovers are a reminder to us readers that this is what Theseus would be shall he not settle down with Hippolyta. Theseus would be trapped in the triangle of love. Theseus and Hippolyta, on the other hand, serve as a reminder to us that this is the orderly world of Athens, whereby the lovers’ dilemma will eventually come to an end after they grow more matured in the forest, like how Theseus did grow after fighting with Hippolyta
Question 3
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1. Both Theseus and Oberon act as the turning points of the story. In Act 1, Theseus was confonted by the problem of Hermia rejecting Demetriu's marriage proposal. Theseus tried to explain about the laws of Athens and persuade her. In the end, Hermia had no chioce but to elope with Lysander to escape from the laws. For Oberon, he ordered Puck to put the love juice into Demetriu's eyes but was put into Lysander's eyes instead. Then a love war erupted when Demetrius was also under the influence of the love spell later on and fought with Lysander for Helena's love. In the end, Oberon solved the love problem and the four lovers reconciled with demetrus still under the love spell.
For Hippolyta and Titania, they were both powerful women in the play. Hippolyta was a great warrior while Titania was the queen of the fairyland.
2. In the relationship of Theseus and Hippolyta, Theseus wooed her by winning in battle against her army. For the four lovers, their relationships were complicating. Hermia and Lysander loved each other, Demetrius loved Hermia and neglected Helena's love.
Hermia and Lysander had to overcome obstacles in the path of love like eloping to escape from the strict laws of Athens. Demetrius once wooed Helena but now changed his mind to Hermia. When these four lovers were in the forest, everything changed because of Oberon helping poor Helena, the mistakes made by Puck and the love problem being resolved in the end.
3. Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than men, Lysander and Demetrius as these two women had to fight for their love and overcome the obstacles in their path of love.
By doin so, these two women could attract the attention of the audience in how they solved their love problems and had happy endings
Question to think about related to Characterization
Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play? How are the Hippolyta and Titania similar and/or different? Theseus and Oberon?
This shows that both the roles of Oberon and Theseus, Titania and Hippolyta serve the same function as being the figures of authority in the plays. Their roles are similar in the meaning and thus are interchangeable. However, Theseus and Hippolyta serve as the figures of authority in the mortal world while Oberon and Titania serves as the figures of authority in the fairy world. Titania and Hippolyta are similar as they are both the wife of Oberon and Theseus , who are the male figures of authority. Hippolyta and Titania are different as Hippolyta seems to be more submissive towards Theseus and ‘agrees’ with whatever decision he makes. She does not really comment on the decisions he make regarding the lovers’ marriage. The more obvious parts where Hippolyta makes comments is at the end of the play when Theseus makes the decision to hear the craftsmen’s play. On contrary, there is already conflict and tension as Titania pits herself against Oberon. Titania disregards Oberon and fights for her rights, showing that she is more of a person with her own mind and not very submissive, until the last part of the play where she and Oberon reconcile.
Theseus and Oberon are also similaras they are both the male figure of authority and they are mainly the people making the decisions in their worlds. However, they are also different in some ways. While Theseus is reasonable, upright and just man who abides the law, Oberon seems to be more of a cunning and sly person who uses underhanded means to achieve his heart’s desires. This can be seen from the way Theseus handles Hermia’s marriage and how Oberon filched the changeling boy form Titania. Theseus allows Hermia time to consider her decision and also goes by the book. Oberon on the other hand used trickery and underhanded means to get the changeling boy. He even find pleasure in taunting Titania after all that has happened.
2. How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
Theseus and Hippolyta have a mutual relationship where both of them love each other. A balanced love relationship exists between them as they both love each other and they are amicable together. The relationship between the lovers is more complex and is unbalanced. Lysander and Demetrius both love Hermia while Helena has a one sided love towards Demetrius who does not appreciate it at all. There is rivalry between Lysander and Demetrius thus tension and chaos exists between the relationship of the lovers, unlike the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta which is peaceful and amicable. Theseus and Hippolyta also have quite a mature relationship since they are about to even get married while relationship between the lovers is somewhat childish and immature judging from the love triangle between them and how Demetrius tries to break Lysander and Hermia up force his love onto Hermia as Helena tries to force her love for Demetrius onto him. No doubt Demetrius and Helena’s love may be real, but their actions are immature and irrational, causing all the chaos and the hurt Hermia and Helena herself has to go through.
3. Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
I think he did it so as to portray that in a game of love, women are as equally important as the men are and that women can also direct the course of love. In the olden times, men were thought to be the superior ones and women were the more submissive party. Shakespeare may portray the women more distinguishable to show that gender does not matter and that women are as equally matched to the men when it comes to issues of the heart. In the play, it is the women who cause the changes and turning points in the play. They are able to sway the hearts of the men and thus are able to direct the play. Hermia, was so attractive that Demtetrius left Helena for her and Lysander was able to put down every thing and elope with her, creating the turning points in the story. Helena on the other hand was willing to betray her best friend for the sake of the man she loved. Shakespeare probably wanted to bring out the strong side of women, show their determination and that women, apart from being the commonly thought submissive party, can be daring, bold and will do anything in the name of love. He may have wanted to show that if men can fight for their love, so ca women as in love, both parties are equal.
1. Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play?
The functions of the characters in the play – Theseus with Oberon and Hippolyta with Titania – are somewhat similar, where they represent figures of authority in both the mortal and the fairy worlds.
For the males – Theseus and Oberon, both possess the ability and the power to change things in the play. We can see this from the fact that Theseus overruled Egeus in the end to allow Hermia to be with her true love, Lysander, while Oberon has the power to ‘control’ Titania by means of the ‘love-in-idleness’ flower, putting a spell on her that allows Oberon to win the changeling boy over.
Besides the similarity above, there are also some differences evident in both Oberon and Theseus. One of these differences would be their personality traits. For Theseus, who represents ‘cool reason’, he is a person who is more understanding, reasonable and more law- abiding than Oberon. This is seen when Theseus allows Hermia some time to think through about her choice of love – to heed his advice to obey Egeus’ wishes or to follow her own heart and end up in a nunnery or death. Perhaps the purpose for the delay could be not wanting any bloodshed during his joyous marriage occasion. Perhaps he is a truly justified person, allowing Hermia to reflect on her thoughts. But being the reasonable, law- abiding ruler as shown later in the play, I believe that the latter holds. Oberon on the other hand, is a much more cunning and sly ruler than Theseus. Perhaps it is because of his possession of special powers that Oberon resorted to trickery to cast a love spell on Titania, taunting her through her love on the ass- headed Bottom. Another instance would be how he pushed the blame to Puck for causing mayhem in the four lovers’ relationships by anointing the love potion on the wrong Athenian. However, we can also see that Oberon still has some conscience in him for he is willing to help the mortals change their fate, especially in Helena’s case where he vows he would aid her regain Demetrius’ love for her. Once Puck had made a mistake, Oberon also demanded Puck to make things right instead of leaving things as it is.
For the females, we can see that both are similar in nature for they are happy with their marriage, with Titania dancing with Oberon after their reconciliation and Theseus and Hippolyta impatiently waiting for their joyous day to come. However, there is a difference between the two ladies’ personality. One is more submissive to her husband while the other does not give in but retaliates in the war of words. For Hippolyta, who submits to Oberon most of the time, she does not interfere in her husband’s job to solve Hermia’s case, except perhaps the time where Oberon mentioned bloodshed during the days to their wedding and she was not happy about it.
In all, both leaders in the play are very similar in one form or another, therefore it is very easy for a person playing the role of one to be involved in the role of the other.
2. How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
To the mature love between Theseus and Hippolyta which is the subject of the main overarching action in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the four lovers’ love, that of Lysander for Hermia and Demetrius for Helena, is one of youthful and transient.
The four lovers’ love for one another when tested by the many obstacles in the play show how weak and immature it is. Lysander had easily transferred his showering of love from Hermia to Helena with the interference of the fairies and the love potion, while Demetrius’ love had traveled the distance from Helena to Hermia, and back to Helena again, showing the transient nature of these youngsters’ love. Even with the many vows that these youngsters pledged their hearts against, especially for Lysander- one man who had made plenty of vows, for example his famous “Thus ends life when I end loyalty” to Hermia in the woods. As for Demetrius, who even without the fairies’ interference, had already staged an attempt to break his faith towards Helena, where for the sake of his infatuation of Hermia that he is willing to pursue her all the way to the woods, to anywhere she goes. The four young lovers’ love for their partners are sometimes solely based on what their eyes see, and not what Helena’s famous words “love looks not with the eyes but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind” actually meant. With the saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, we can easily see how Shakespeare made use of this to show the transient nature of love, where once a man sees another beauty, he would choose to forsake his current lady to be with the other, as in Demetrius’ case.
For the love between the rulers of Athens, theirs is a more stable, more obstacle- standing one. Even though it was said in the play by Oberon and Titania that both Theseus and Hippolyta had quite a number of affairs with other partners, including both the fairies’ leaders themselves, this might not be true for both Oberon and Titania might be churning them out in spite, in anger of one another, making this source of information unreliable. Besides, we can also see that both Theseus and Hippolyta have a deep understanding among themselves, where we see Theseus trying to appease Hippolyta when he spoke about bloodshed that will take place during their wedding day.
3. Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
The ladies in the play are made more distinguishable as only through this are we able to see the many problems that women during the Shakespearean period face in order to get married.
For Hermia, she is darker, shorter in comparison to Helena but is believed to be equally attractive. However since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it is not surprising to see both men pursuing the same women. For women, they would require their parents’ approval to get married to a man, sometimes even being arranged to be married to a man by their parents. Thus, it is very difficult for Shakespearean ladies to be with their true love, even if they managed to be together, it is only through obstacles and more obstacles that they are able to be with each other. Examples would be the two couples in the play.
Hermia, in the play is shown to be very stubborn, refusing to heed her father’s advice to marry Demetrius, while Helena, is shown to be tenacious in attaining Demetrius’ love back. The purpose for their resilience to be with their true love would be male chauvinism, where men have the freedom of choice to choose whoever they want to be with, or the power to control women. Women have no rights or any say in their marriage and only through Shakespeare’s play, we see these women’s struggle to be with their true love, to be with the man they want to spend the rest of their lives with.
Men, women, among them, the most vulnerable of the two would be the women, for they have their chastity to protect and make things worse, their loss of rights seem to side with the men, allowing them to get what they want. Through Hermia’s and Helena’s distinguishable characteristics, the women’s tenacious struggle during that era is being brought up and with much emphasis on it, with Shakespeare wanting the audience to reflect on this pressing issue, to think about the fairness or equality that women should receive.
1. These characters are less important and have lesser scenes as compared to the four lovers, who are the main lead.
2. Hippolyta was obliged to marry Theseus because she lost to him in a battle, not really because they love each other. Their relationship is bounded by pride whereas for the four lovers, they are bounded by love, although Demetrius was under the spell of the love juice when he proclaimed his love for Helena.
3. It is probably to show that love is blind and irrational. The most distinguishable aspect of Hermia and Helena is that Hermia is dark skinned and short, whereas Helena is fair and tall. Although both Demetrius and Lysander are in love with only Hermia, Helena’s beauty is in no way, inferior to that of Hermia, “Through Athens I am thought as fair as she”. Since Helena is as beautiful, there is no reason why both men will choose Hermia over Helena. This brings us back to “love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind” and “reason and love keep little company together nowadays” which explores some of the major themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
1) In the play, Theseus and Hippolyta are rulers of the human world while Oberon and Titania are rulers of the fairy realm.Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania as it shows the corelation of the human and fairy realm. For example, quarrels between Oberon and Titania in the fairy realm have caused natural disasters to plaque the human world. 'These are the forgeries of jealousy...every pelting river..overborne their continents..we are thier parents and original..'. Oberon helping to resolve the human's affairs, Titania falling in love with a mortal (bottom) , Oberon and Titania attending Theseu's marriage show the interaction between fairy and human and how both realms are interelated.
Apart from this, their roles have many similarities and are interchangeable. Oberon and Theseus are contradictory characters. Oberon helps to resolve the lover's conflict, ensuring that he makes ammends for his past mistakes. On the other hand, his malicious character contradicts himself as he uses underhanded means to make Titania submit to him. As Theseus is the ruler of Athens, he is a boice of authority in the mortal realm and upholds justice. Hermia supposedly has to be sentenced to death for not marrying Demetrius. However, Theseus lets Hermia off and allows the 4 lovers to be together instead of punishing Hermia, thus contradicting himself.\
The roles of Titania and Hippolyta are also similar. Both are subject to a man's wrath. For Hippolyta, 'wooed thee with my sword' which suggests that Hippolyta was probably coerced into marriage. Titania refuses to submit to Oberon's request but she has no power to object when Oberon controls her with under handed means. Thus, in a world where male dominance rules, both women hold little power over the men.
2) Theseus and Hippolyta's love is more steady and mature as compared to the irrational love of the 4 lovers. For Theseus, his accquistion of Hippolyta's love is not merely by romantic wooing. He has won her love 'by doing thee (her) injuries'. However, it isn't the first time theseus is in a relationship. He supposedly enjoyed the company of other ladies such as Titania and Antiope before setling done to marry Hippolyta. He has matured through this course and is able to dedicate himself to Hippolyta. Theseus and Hippolyta maintain a constant relationship throughout the play. ( without any breakups etc.)
However, throughout the course of the play, the 4 lovers go through many conflicts and changes. The love juice portrays the fickle mindedness of the lovers as they change who they love easily.Their love can easily be disrupted due to the lack of experience. They are rather inexperienced in love as compared to Theseus and Hippolyta, whose relationship can withstand the test of love throughout the play.
3) In the play, we see that the women face more obstacles in love than men. One example is Helena where she pursues Demetrius into the woods and continues to do so, even when Demetrius threatens to do Helena mischief in the woods. Helena faces many obstacles as she said ' We cannot fight for love, as man may do. We should be wooed and were not made to woo.' Hermia also faces obstacles when Egeus objects to her marrying her true love, Lysander. Thus Shakespeare makes Helena and Hermia more distinguishable to highlight the dificulties women at that time faced in pursuing love
1) Both parties represent nobility in their respective settings, and have similar functions as rulers. Their governing affects those ruled over them, such as disasters happening due to Oberon and Titania's quarrel and Theseus able to put Hermia to death for defying her father, under the Athenian rule.
2)It is mature, and not fickle. They do not simply stop loving each other just because of superificial reasons, such as physical appearance. They respect each other, willing to wait till marriage before holding each other, unlike Lysander who wants to sleep with Hermia before they are married. THey take time to know each other, discussing their sentiments about art, unlike the lovers who mainly give lavish compliments based on their significant other's physical appearance.
3) Knowing of the women's plight of being unable to truly be together with their true love, they can gain the audience's symphathy. In the olden times, women are mainly regarded as objects under a man's power. Shakespeare probably wants to show that women have genuine emotions and desires, seeing from how they are willing to fight for their love.
-Joseline
4GR
Wilson
Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play?
By casting the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon and also of Hippolyta and Titania, this suggests that these characters have much in common. Firstly, Theseus is an authoritative and severe figure in the play. When he makes up his mind, no one is to question him. For example, in act 1, when he makes up his mind to give Hermia the choice of death or marry Demetrius, the man she does not love, he does not even falter when Hermia chose to die as her rightful choice. Also, in act 4, when he finally decides to allow the love birds to marry the person they love, he does not even think twice since he is violating the rule in Athens and ruling out Egeus’s wishes. Similarly, Oberon is domineering and authoritative too, maybe stubborn to an extent. When he decides to make the changeling boy as one of his followers, he does not stop in his conquest and even resort to magic to obtain his wishes. For example, he was even willing to put his wife, Titania, under the spell, without even thinking twice to realize that he is rather foolish since he is placing his follower above his own wife. But still, nothing can change his decision. Moreover, both Oberon and Theseus symbolize power and order. In the mortal world, Theseus is the duke of Athens which makes him high and mighty. He has the power to ensure peace and order in his country with just one command. In the fairies’ world, Oberon who is the king of fairies is able to control the nature elements in the mortal world and the law and order in his realm. Besides both Theseus and Oberon have flirtatious personalities in the play when Oberon had many other girlfriends and Theseus was known to have flirted with Titania.
Furthermore, the common characteristic of Titania and Hippolyta is that they are shrewd in judgement and shares concerns for the nature (although the context is different in both situations). In act 2, when Titania was complaining that there were natural disasters in the mortal world just because she did not perform her ritual dance for the nature. Similarly, Hippolyta was feeling rather sad for the craftsmen and do not want them to do more than what they were capable of doing.
Since the personalities of Oberon and Theseus, and Titania and Hippolyta are roughly the same, one actor acting well in one role should be able to portray the respective role (Titania/Hippolyta or Theseus/Oberon) efficiently too.
How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
The relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differs from that of the relationship between four lovers because their relationship is strong and firm. Conversely, the relationship between the four young lovers is unstable, immature and to an extent, fruitless. This is because in their lives, both Theseus and Hippolyta are clear about their aims in life and questions such as ‘’when do I want to get married?” and ‘’will it be a smooth marriage life?’’ do not plagued them. The sweet relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta also did not come easily since he had to be engaged in a war with her to try his best to win her over. As a result, they would treasure this hard-earned relationship and do their best to salvage it if there are any errors happening along the way.
On the other hand, the relationship between the four lovers came as easily as opening your eyes to find the girl of your dream. They practically did not have to go through any trouble along the course of love apart from the disagreement of their parents or future in-laws. Besides, love and relationships to these four lovers can be considered as touch-and-go since the young lovers are flirtatious by nature and would not respect a true relationship. To a certain extent, marriage was a form of a rope, binding them and restricting their every movement.
Although Theseus and Hippolyta love each other very much, they are not infatuated with each other to the point when they use other words to complement each of their beauty. However, the four lovers are practically infatuated with the person of desire when they start to like each other. For example, when Lysander was in love with Hermia, she was described as a lovely rose but when Lysander had a change of heart, she was described as a raven. From this, we can see that the four lovers generally do not really understand the true meaning of love since to them, love is something which one party likes the other.
Another reason why Theseus and Hippolyta’s relationship is a success could be because both of them compromise on terms. But to the four lovers such as Demetrius and Helena, Helena is the one that has been giving in just to try to win his heart in vain, and Demetrius is the one that is constantly trying to take only. A relationship without compromises would usually have many arguments and conflicts between both parties.
Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
I think the reason why Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius could be that he wanted the readers to know that women at that time were brave and rebellious just like men. Usually a typical story would consist of actions and wonderful scenes that are only revolving around the male character, which is rather similar to the real version of Pyramus and Thisbe. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe portray the main scene in which Pyramus mistakenly thought that Thisbe was dead and hence, his only will to survive is gone. When he dies, Thisbe reappears and kills herself too when she sees her lover killing himself over her existence. But in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the female protagonist, Hermia, is brave and would fight till the end for the renewal of her lover’s love, Lysander who had a change of heart due to the magic juice from the magic flower.
That could be the reason why Shakespeare allowed the brawl between Demetrius and Lysander to end early with only a short while of detailed description. However, he allowed the conflict between Hermia and Helena over Lysander and their own physical features. The text stated ‘’O me! You juggler, you canker blossom, you thief of love’’ and ‘’you counterfeit, you puppet you!’’. Thus, the emphasis is placed on the women to show that they are not the feeble at all.
Another reason could be due to the fact that the main theme of the play is love thus Shakespeare decided to use women as the agent for love and the protagonists. As a result, Shakespeare might be trying to affect the heartstrings of the readers since women can be more emotional than men. Lysander and Demetrius are just typical man who would fight for true love, against odds or each other. However, Hermia and Helena are not just ordinary characters who fight for true love too since it is a battle for freedom and the battle of the man that they love.
Question 1
This probably suggests that they have about the same role and function in the play. For example , Theseus the Duke is a high post in the human world and it is comparable to Oberon’s king in the play. Both men expresses power and authority in the play and thus they are cast by the same actor in many contemporary plays. However , another reason may also be that they both represents the initiation of problems in the play. Theseus started with using his authority and power to make Hermia marrying Lysander or dying problem which led to the final solution of the lovers eloping. Oberon too poses a problem with using his power and authority to make Titania fall in love with Bottom-an ass. Hence both men can be seen as playing the same function by using their power and authority to result in creating a problem for people. Both Theseus and Oberon can also be seen as knowledgeable figures as Theseus knows his plays well (A5S1) and Oberon knows his plants well (A2S1). Both men can also be seen as playing a similar function of resolving whatever they started by using again their power and authority. Theseus , seeing the 4 lovers so in love with each other , uses his power in the end to allow them to marry the partner they wish. Oberon too uses his powers in the end to awaken Titania from his spell. Thus both Theseus and Oberon’s function in the play is probably to show the authority of men and how they can strat and resolve problems and thus they are often cast by the same actors in contemporary plays.
Hippolyta and Titania on the other hand is probably used in the play to show how inferior women are to men in the play even though they might be the man’s spouse. Titania , being Oberon’s wife is portrayed as a fool when Oberon set the love potion on her. This shows how women can be easily played around by men. Hippolyta , being Theseus’ wife , is seen to be rather ignorant about plays in A5S1 when she kept making funny comments. Thus this too portrays how inferior woman are compared to men even though they are seen as royalties---queens.
Question 2
The relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta is seen as being different to that of the 4 lovers as , Theseus literally won Hippolyta’s heart through a fight. No loving is involved and only the winner takes all. However , in the case of the 4 lovers , they had to go through hardships to get each other and it was not as easy as winning a fight. Hippolyta has to accept Theseus as she had lost and she had to honour her words but neither of the 4 lovers has any obligation to the other. Hence , the love of the 4 lovers must be 2 sided for them to come together but the love of Theseus and Hippolyta is just that of a lost in a gamble. Between Theseus and Hippolyta , they might or might not love one another , but the relationship of the 4 lovers is that of true love.
Question 3
Well , firstly , it can be seen that Shakespeare might be trying to present the women as being more emotional and devoted then men and that in relationship , the women are the ones who are more serious. It can be seen that Helena and Hermia are the ones who are more devoted as Hermia is willing to give up her country for her man and Helena is willing to risk herself to go into the jungle to get Demetrius. However , Lysander and Demetrius are seen as more passive characters who only react to situations and they do not take the first step in initiating unlike women. the women are also made more distinguishable as Shakespeare probably wants to portray their devoted side. It can be seen that throughout the play other then A4S2 , the woman has never change their love partners , even till the end of the play. They are never affected by the love potion and remains devoted to their spouse. This is probably why Shakespeare makes them more distinguishable as because of their devotion . they can be seen as a nuisance , especially Helena , but if looked properly , it is actually admirable to see such devotion in love. Shakespeare also made them more distinguishable as he probably wants to show that women are the ones who are more serious in love. They are the ones who are active and if needed will fight for their love. A good example is in Act 4 when Helena and Hermia squabble. Thus , Shakespeare probably made them more distinguishable to show this fact.
1. Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play?
This suggests that the characters may have similar purposes as leaders of their respective realms. Theseus is the Duke of Athens, a leader and an upholder of the law. People look unto him to resolve conflicts as he is impartial and rational. “Full of vexation come I, with complaint against my child, my daughter Hermia.” One example in the play is when Egeus approaches him for help in using the law to get Hermia to succumb to marrying Demetrius.
Similarly, Oberon, who is the fairy king of the woods, is responsible for anything that occurs in his realm. He takes it upon himself to help Helena pursue Demetrius probably due to his inborn nature as a leader to help others. “A sweet Athenian lady is in love with a disdainful youth – anoint his eyes;” Both are also well-versed in their areas of specialty – Theseus being the Athenian law and Oberon, Herb logy – which enables them to carry out their respective duties efficiently.
As for Hippolyta and Titania, they are both ruled by patriarchy. It is observed that Theseus speaks most throughout the play, and little is heard of Hippolyta’s comments. For instance, she does not give her opinions while Egeus was complaining about Hermia’s defiance towards him despite being present the whole time. Hippolyta submits readily to Theseus as well and does not defy him. “Come, my Hippolyta. What cheer, my love?” In addition, the manner in which she was won over by Theseus allows him to have total control over her. “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword And won thy love doing thee injuries; But I will wed in another key; With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling.” Hippolyta had been an Amazon warrior, one who is excellent at battle. Thus Theseus defeating her proves that he is worthy of her love and that he is victorious over her, giving her no choice but to obey him as she had admitted defeat.
Titania, too had been manipulated due to patriarchy. Unwilling to hand over the changeling child to Oberon, her act triggered anger in him as he felt it was his inherent right for her to obey him. “Tarry, rash wanton! Am not I thy lord?” Thus, Oberon decided upon using the ‘love-in-idleness’ juice to anoint Titania’s eyes, to get her to submit and hand over the changeling. Titania falls in love with Bottom, and in her infatuation hands over the changeling, getting humiliated at the same time for her foolish behaviour she exhibits during her period of infatuation. Therefore, Hippolyta and Titania are similar as they have succumbed to patriarchy.
2. How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
In the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta, patriarchy is more prevalent with the men doing the pursuing and the women taking a backseat in the relationship. “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword.” On the other hand, the women are more proactive than the men in the relationship between the four young lovers. For instance, Helena pursues Demetrius into the woods for her affection towards him. “I’ll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell” Similarly, Hermia does not stand idle when Lysander, under the spell of the ‘love-in-idleness’ chases after Helena. She immediately sounds Demetrius out to find out the whereabouts of Lysander. “What’s this to my Lysander? Where is he?”
3. Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
They are braver pursuers of love and are certain with regards to their affection. Hermia is a brave pursuer of love. When she is faced with the ultimatum of marrying Demetrius or being subjected to punishment according to the law she elopes with Lysander despite the severe consequences she may face. “Either to die the death, or to abjure For ever the society of men.” Also, when Lysander had run away from her to pursue Helena, she had also approached Demetrius for information on his location. “Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?” Eventually, when all four meet and Lysander openly displays his affection for Helena, Hermia does not leave without a fight, attacking Helena whom she thought had stolen Lysander’s heart. “You juggler, you canker blossom, You thief of love!” Thus, she fights hard for Lysander’s love and does not give up readily.
Helena daringly chases Demetrius into the woods as he chases Hermia. This is especially risky for her as it is unsafe to wander around the woods unaccompanied. In addition, her reputation may be ruined since she would be spending the night alone with a man, possibly jeopardizing her chances at marriage in the future. “To trust the opportunity of night; And the ill counsel of a desert place with the rich worth of your virginity.” Helena also defies convention by wooing Demetrius – something that is usually left to the men. “We cannot fight for love as men may do; We should be wooed, and were not made to woo.” She displays great feats of courage as she steps out of her comfort zone, despite the fact that the odds are against her.
Lastly, Hermia and Helena are more distinguishable than the men as they are very certain of their stand on who they love. Hermia was sure that Lysander was faithful to her and would not betray her. “The sun was not so true unto the day As he to me. Would he have stol’n away From sleeping Hermia?” Helena had also felt very strongly for Demetrius. “I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me I will fawn on you.” Helena believes that Demetrius is the only one she would love, hence she commits wholeheartedly to him and does not have a change of heart. However, the two men Lysander and Demetrius were portrayed to be fickle as their object of affection had changed under the ‘love-in-idleness’ juice. Lysander had pursued Helena when he had previously been in love with Hermia while Demetrius had at first been involved with Helena, then fallen in love with Hermia before getting infatuated with Helena once again under the ‘love-in-idleness’ juice.
1. Many contemporary productions of the play cast the same actor in the role of Theseus and Oberon, and also of Hippolyta and Titania. What does this suggest about the functions of these characters in the play?
Both couples serve to be catalysts for the events to take place and as transition into another world.
In Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta were discussing their marriage. Then, Egeus came with a complaint. After listening to Egeus’ complaint, he decided that Hermia should listen to her father. He decreed that he would give Hermia “time to pause” before she chose to “either be wed to Demetrius or live a life of single blessedness”. Due to the harsh dilemma imposed, Lysander suggested to Hermia that they elope to his aunt house “seven leagues away, where the Athenian law can’t touch”. The next day, they went through the woods in an attempt to find their aunt. Thus, we can conclude that Theseus and Hippolyta indirectly led Lysander and Hermia into the woods, transiting the setting to the fairy world.
In the woods, the fairy world, Oberon and Titania were quarrelling. To punish Titania, Oberon wanted Puck to retrieve the love-in-idleness and use its juice on Titania. He had seen how Demetrius rejected Helena and wanted to use it on Demetrius as well. After Puck came back with the flower, Oberon sent him to apply the love-potion on Demetrius’ eyes and make him love Helena. But Puck mistook Lysander as “the Athenian man” and anointed the potion on him, which led to confusion between the lovers. Thus, we can conclude Oberon and Titania serves to be catalysts for the confusion between the lovers.
Later in the play, Oberon relieved Titania of the love spell and saw the mistake done on the lovers. He then ordered Puck to bring everything back to how it should be. After Oberon and Puck’s intervention, they successful brought the love back to balance, Lysander loving Hermia and Demetrius loving Helena. After that, the fairies left, leaving the lovers to be found next day by Theseus. Thus, we can see that Oberon and Titania catalyses the restoration of balance to love and transisting the setting from the fairy world to the Athenian society.
Both couples symbolize power and authority, Theseus and Hippolyata symbolize power and authority in the Athenian society while Oberon and Titania symbolize power and authority in the fairy world. Theseus and Hippolyta were the Duke and Duchess of Athens respectively while Oberon and Titania were the King and Queen of the fairies respectively.
Contemporary production of the play usually cast the same actors in the roles of the couples suggesting that both couples have relatively similar roles in the play.
2. How does the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers?
The relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta is rational, bonded by common experience. On the other hand, the relationships of lovers are irrational and swayed by blind emotions. Theseus once said, “woo thee with thy sword”. This gives us the notion that Theseus had subdued Hippolyta, Queen of Amazons, not physically, but also emotionally. The war bonded them together everlastingly, instead of shallow love built on the basis of beauty. The lovers’ loves are built on the basis of beauty. In other words, they love each other because the other is beautiful or handsome. Before Lysander and Hermia went into the woods, Hermia and Helena began to converse. Helena states that “Demetrius loves you fair”, suggesting that Demetrius loves Hermia because of her beauty. When Lysander changes his love from Hermia to Helena, he praised Helena for being a beauty. “Transparent Helena, nature shows art”. Then he reasoned that why should he not change “a raven for a dove”, similarly making reference to Helena’s beauty and why he now loved her. Thus, we can see that the relationship that exists between Theseus and Hippolyta differ from that of the relationship between the four young lovers in terms of the nature of love.
3. Why do you think Shakespeare made Hermia and Helena more distinguishable than the men, Lysander and Demetrius?
Male dominance is one theme found in A Midsummer Night's Dream. From Egeus harsh demand on his daughter and Demetrius insistence of Hermia to be weded to him, male dominance can be felt. Shakespeare's comedies often include a section in which females enjoy more power and freedom than they actually posses. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena and Hermia escape into the woods for a night where they do not fall under the laws of Theseus or Egeus. Upon their arrival in Athens, the couples are married. Marriage is seen as the ultimate social achievement for women. This interpretation introduces us to the idea of Feminism. To ehance the roles of women in the play, Shakespeare purposefully distinguish Hermia and Helena. Hermia is portrayed to be more active while Helena is portrayed to be more passive. Both of them also differs in their appearance, Hermia being dark and short while Helena is fair and tall. This challenges the the true idea of beauty of then ancient society of Elizabeth. They were also made more distinguishable than the male lovers because this puts them into the category of protagonists. If like the men, Hermia and Helena were equal, then the audience may probably think of the play as a fight between two men over a woman. But what Willian Shakespeare wanted the audience to think was that the women played an equally important roles as the males in the play. Love is a mutual thing and both parties are involved in it, be it the male or be it the female. Equality between the genders is brought out through co-dominance.
References: Article on “Other interpretations” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night's_Dream
1) In the play, theseus is somewhat the reflection of Oberon in the human world. both of them are figure of authorities and can change the fate of the people they have control over. in theseus' case, he is able to decide the fate of Hermia who objects to marriage with Demetrius. "Either to die or to abjure forever the society of men" in oberon's case, he is able to make titania fall in love with bottom, making her look so silly just to get his revenge. "fall in love with either the bear..." both can also be considered male chauvinists as they want to control the woman. theseus has wooed hippolyta with his sword and oberon wanted to get titania to obey whatever he says but she disobeys him, he wanted to get his revenge on her.
titania and hippolyta are queen of fairies and amazon women respectively. although they lived in the era that male dominance is rife, they are daring enough to stand up for themselves and not suppressed their inner feelings. hippolyta went to war against theseus and titania was bold enough to disobey oberon and defend what she wants. both were not submissive to their husbands.
another reason why contemporary plays cast the same actor could be because these 4 characters are insignificant compared to that of the 4 lovers. their characters are less distinct and they do not posess key roles in the story.
2) as both thesues and hippolyta are grown up, they are mature enough to consider their relationship. what they have can be considered mature love as their relationship is built based on trust and not on a moment of infatuation. in the case of the 4 lovers, probably because they are still young, their love is not as stable and matured compared to theseus and hippolyta. it is not so long lasting and the feelings could fade away after some time.
3) the women are more important in the play as they caused some of the turning points to happen. due to to hermia's determination, theseus and egeus forced her and lysander to elope to the woods where all the main events took place. helena's persistence caused oberon to sympathise her and helped her using the love potion, leading to all the confusion and quarrels to take place. their characters need to be more distince so that their impression will be etched in the minds of the audience.
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