Themes in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Bottom’s constant interruptions and self-aggrandizing claims along with the other “wanna-be” actors’ problems and issues with the story reveal them all to be ridiculous, comic, and silly characters. Bottom in particular is portrayed as boastful and foolish, claiming that his acting can make an audience cry and also change the physical environment. His example monologue here further reinforces this portrayal, due to its childish style and rhyme scheme robbing it of any grandiloquence. So, through Bottom and the others, Shakespeare establishes his foundation for parodying the conventions of romance stories as well as the theater.

Quince tells everyone that this play is about lovers who die for love, which is almost the exact same situation that Lysander and Hermia are facing. This not only reinforces the play-within-a-play theme by parodying the main stories events, but it also extends to a more common romance trope that true love is worth dying for.

By incorporating these laborers and their desire to put on a performance, Shakespeare introduces the theme of a play within a play, which has several important functions in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: the laborers’ mistakes and attempts to put on a show introduce more humorous strains into the tale, Shakespeare is able to comment more broadly on the nature of art and the theater, and the laborers’ play will parody many of the main events in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, keeping the tone light and comical.

Notice the vivid imagery of the wild plants and flowers, and that the speech is in rhyming couplets. The effect of these clever details is that Oberon’s eloquent speech sounds almost hypnotizing and entrancing, similar to the way the flower’s enchantment may affect the lovers. However, notice the contrast between this dreamy language and the somewhat dark and sinister tone that the imagery of the snake carries, especially since the next line features a kind of entrapment. Oberon’s speech illustrates the deceptiveness of the forest and of love in general; both may seem wonderful on the surface, but their enchantment can make one blind to their darker aspects.

Titania’s reasons for wanting to raise the changeling are fair, noble, and rational, but Oberon refuses to see reason. Despite his objections, Oberon’s motives for keeping the changeling are somewhat unclear. He seems to feel the boy is his by right and feels that his wife should obey him without question, due in part to the subservient role of women during Shakespeare’s time. However, recall that at the beginning of the scene, Puck refers to Oberon as “jealous Oberon,” suggesting that Oberon may be jealous that Titania devotes so much time and attention to the child. Regardless, Shakespeare here emphasizes Oberon’s somewhat stubborn and jealous nature.

While this introduction to the two characters may not seem particularly special, the way the fairy and Robin Goodfellow reveal themselves to one another introduces a theme revolving around deception and the forest as a place where identities can change. For example, the fairy identifies Robin Goodfellow in an odd way by saying “Either I mistake your shape” and then following that with descriptions that connote deception. The interaction between these two therefore illustrate that deception and confusion are normal in this magical area, which stands in stark contrast to the environment from the first scene.

Helena expresses frustration that she must defy her gender role and pursue Demetrius because he will not pursue her. While this can be read as a comedic line, it can also be read as a serious critique of courtship traditions during Shakespeare's time. Women were generally not allowed to choose their husbands or pursue the men that they desired; their fathers would make contractual arrangements with men who were monetarily and socially suited for their daughters, and then the man was allowed to court the woman before wedding her. If we read Helena's "should be" as an indication of obligation or duty rather than a belief, then Helena can be seen as frustrated that she is subject to this unfair gendered system in which she has no control over her fate.

Hermia says that she and Lysander should lay further apart to be “virtuous,” and behave according to societal expectations. However, recall that women during Shakespeare’s time were expected to adhere to a different set of social rules regarding chastity and marriage than men were. While it was considered respectful for men to remain chaste until marriage, it certainly was not expected in the same way that it was for women, and men did not face the same consequences of social ridicule or ruin for premarital sex that women did.

Oberon’s magical scheme in a sense places him in the role of playwright, thus further emphasizing the theme of the play within a play. As the flower’s potion ensures that the being that is most “near” to Titania will become her “dear,” her love is determined by proximity rather than romance. The rhyming of “near” and “dear” is also important as it produces a playful tone rather than one of malice, illustrating that Oberon’s plot against Titania is not evil in nature, but more of an impish prank or game.

Titania, under the influence of Oberon’s love juice, has declared her love for the ass-headed Bottom. Her declaration here also introduces a negative aspect of love: jealousy. Since Titania is the more powerful and a jealous lover, she attempts to use her power to completely overpower Bottom’s own wishes so that she can have complete control over her love object.

Having seen the clowns working on their play, Puck decides to have his own fun by orchestrating a play of his own. This not only reveals his desire to create mischief, but it also provides another example of a character trying to act as a playwright within the play by forcing others to act out roles.

Bottom, still full of self-importance, tells Titania that it doesn’t really make any logical sense for her to love him. His observation that reason and love often have little to do with one another actually has some wisdom to it: the irrational nature of love is a pervasive theme throughout the play.

Puck adheres to Oberon’s wishes and uses his magic to make sure that love between the four humans is in balance. Puck’s supernatural trickery further reveals itself here as he is able to speak as any character and make them fall asleep. Notice though, that rather than removing the effects of the love potion on Lysander himself, Oberon has Puck use the love potion again. This ensures that the love will happen rather than leaving anything up to chance, which further underscores Oberon’s role as playwright because of his preference for using plot devices like the love potion.

Helena’s soliloquy demonstrates how she is very aware of the complexity of gender roles. By saying that the men are only men “in show” rather than in reality. Furthermore, she sarcastically calls their behavior “A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,” meaning that their behavior is manipulative and therefore not masculine. Also in this speech, Helena takes on the typical female-gender roles of “gentle lady” and “poor maid,” which is very different from her earlier desire to do away with gender roles so she can be the pursuer or wooer in a romantic relationship. By pointing out these divisions in masculine and feminine behavior, Helena reveals another part of how the supernatural forest influences the identities of the characters.

Oberon’s hope that Titania would awaken to a “vile” being that she would fall in love with has been fulfilled. Titania’s object of affection is not only a “vile” human being but someone who is now actually part animal. Note that Puck presents this development in his usual singsong rhyme, reminding the viewer again that this is not meant to be a malicious plot, but a playful and light-hearted prank. Note too, that Puck’s perspective on the matter is distanced, much like a playwright or storyteller might be. Puck and Oberon are thus established as the creators of the plot that the audience is watching unfold, and Shakespeare further emphasizes the ways in which one can act as playwright in one’s own life and the lives of others.

Now that Puck has attempted to correct his mistake, Helena is pursued by Lysander and Demetrius, throwing the situation into disarray. Her soliloquy here drastically points out distinctions between expected forms of behavior: She says that the men’s actions do her “injury” and “mock” her because, she claims, they are acting “in show” and “merriment.” While she does point out the falsehood of their actions, she cannot see that they are acting out the roles given them by the love potion. Her language furthermore supports the way that Oberon and Puck have played playwright in the tale by staging this romance.

Oberon is upset at Puck because he discovers that Puck has applied the love potion to the wrong Athenian. Instead of giving it to Demetrius to bring forth true love and restore balance among the Athenians, he has created a false love in Lysander, which only wreaks more havoc. Oberon’s desire to restore balance by bringing forth true love demonstrates how love, while at times irrational and chaotic, can help to equalize imbalance.

The rivalry between Lysander and Demetrius over Helena has escalated quickly, prompting the men to depart for a duel in the woods. Throughout the play characters have emphasized the many ways in which love can cause emotional distress, but here we see that love has the ability to cause physical pain and suffering as well. Shakespeare again highlights the potentially destructive side of love.

Puck's line is ironic because Puck's love potion, which made Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena, is the reason these mortals are acting so foolish. Puck's obvious delight and sense of pride in the mischief he has created creates an interesting presentation of love within this romance. Puck seems to to hold these mortals in contempt because they becomes foolish and weak when they are in love. While most Shakespearian dramas and comedies trumpet the importance of love and relationships, Puck, one of the most memorable and beloved characters in this play, openly mocks love and denies its importance.

Bottom’s lines here are also ironic in that Shakespeare has actually succeeded in describing the events of the “dream” by writing the play itself. Bottom’s hopes that the contents of the dream can help inspire Quince’s ballad, reminds the audience of this very irony. Thus, Shakespeare highlights the way in which art can help people to comprehend an event that might be otherwise difficult to fathom. Bottom’s dream can be translated into art that is accessible for others to better understand.

When Bottom awakens, he assumes that the entire night has been a dream, but he explains that he finds it difficult to articulate it. He says that describing the dream is “past the wit of man,” meaning that the human mind does not have the capacity to do so. He says that to successfully communicate the dream, a human would have to be “but an ass” or “a patched fool” (both of which Bottom has been.) Further, Bottom repeats the term “methought,” again underscoring that he is uncertain of his experiences and his descriptions of them. This further associates the forest with dreams and unreality that the human mind is incapable of fully comprehending and describing.

Notice here that Oberon hopes that the characters will think of their experiences in the forest merely “as the fierce vexation of a dream.” He thus associates the woods with nighttime and dreaming, and Athens with daytime and “reality.” The events that have taken place in the dark forest are to be seen as ephemeral and “unreal”—mere dreams that will not have a lasting effect on the lives of the characters. However, note that it is precisely these magical and “unreal” events that have finally untangled the actual romantic mess in the play, in a way that only something supernatural could. Shakespeare again blurs the line between reality and dreams.

Oberon tells Puck to change Bottom’s head back to normal so that the characters can all leave the forest. Consider that the forest is associated with all things supernatural and mystical, and a return to the city thus symbolizes a return to the natural order. We can see this emphasized in Oberon’s use of the term “repair” here, suggesting the restoration of normalcy after complete disarray. Oberon’s strict contrasting of the forest and the city characterizes the events that have taken place in the woods as temporary; they will be of little significance to the rest of the characters’ lives.

In order to demonstrate how drastically Lysander’s and Demetrius’s behaviors have changed, Shakespeare uses Theseus as an outsider to comment on the changes. Theseus expects them to be enemies, and he expresses surprise at seeing how Oberon’s plans have altered their behavior. Also, Theseus’s questions represent a good model for how anyone should question character development—drawing on past observations and comparing them to new behavior.

Puck’s speech also alludes to the physical space of a theater. After A Midsummer Night’s Dream has ended, all will actually be silent, and the theatre will have to be cleaned and swept with a “broom.” Here, Puck essentially verifies that he has been helping Oberon to stage this play from the beginning. Shakespeare thus illustrates the ephemeral nature of theatre; the performance must eventually come to an end, at which point the theatre will return to the “hallow’d house” it was, awaiting the next performance.

Puck acts as it the play is actually real and promises to clean up anything that remains from the play. His speech here not only shows how all that has happened will soon fade into the past, but also that the play will leave its mark on the audience. This emphasis on the real and the unreal again highlights the potential of theatre: to find common ground between reality and the imaginary, wherein the actors, the characters, and the audience can all coexist.

Consider that although this speech is comical due to Snug’s silly assumption that the audience will be unable to distinguish reality from make believe, the characters of A Midsummer Night’s Dream have actually struggled to distinguish between the two throughout the play. Characters have doubted their experiences in the forest, unsure of whether they were real or simply very vivid dreams. So while Snug’s speech can seem ridiculous, it also underscores that the line between reality and illusion may not be quite so easily defined. Furthermore, Snug’s worries also highlight the real magic of good theatre—it has the incredible potential to feel real even while the audience knows that it is not.

Snug and the other laborers assume that the “ladies” in the audience will be frightened by his character, meaning that they will think he is an actual lion rather than a fictional one. Snug’s speech illustrates the way in which the actors constantly misunderstand the viewer’s experience of theatre. The scene is comical because the actors constantly “break the fourth wall” (address the audience directly, pulling them out of the fictional world of the play). No audience member would really believe that the Snug was really a lion; they know that they are watching a performance. His speech functions as an amusing breach of theatrical conventions.

The actors in Quince’s play have often worried that Theseus would not be able to see that they are actually acting, implying that they think themselves highly skilled actors. We know this is a silly concern, because the actors are actually quite terrible. Here, Theseus says that he is always able to see the real behind the act, and he extends the notion of acting into day-to-day life. Theseus suggests that people are essentially actors in their own lives, and that life is itself a play in a sense.

The performance of the laborers parallels Shakespeare’s performance of the lovers in the woods with the fairies. Quince’s prologue provides the exposition and rhythm, and the audience (Theseus, et al) laugh at the performance much in the same way that the fairies laughed at the “performance” of the lovers in the forest. This parallel emphasizes the theme of play within a play.

Note also that Theseus contrasts “apprehend” and “comprehends,” further emphasizing the motif of perception by contending that what lunatics see is different from what the rational people with “cool reason” see. This illustrates how Theseus sees logic as more valuable and reliable than empirical knowledge. However consider that rationality was ultimately unsuccessful in resolving the lovers’ discord. Shakespeare thus highlights the limitations of Theseus’ mindset, implying that there is value in the perceptions and practices of the artist even if they seem irrational at times.

Theseus insists that rather than experiencing something supernatural, love has merely caused the lovers to experience reality in an altered way, which he seems to suggest is natural. He compares “the lunatic, the lover, and the poet,” and states that these are all people whose perception of reality is fantastical. This line echoes a theme that we have seen throughout the play that love has the power to determine one’s perception, but the comparison of the poet to the lunatic is interesting. Shakespeare is a poet himself, and many characters in the play have functioned as playwrights and poets, documenting both the “real” and the “unreal” via art.