Free Essays on Midsummer Nights Dream

The role of women and the supernatural are obvious themes present in the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These themes are used currently as well; however during the Elizabethan Era they had very different understandings. The role of women was used in a more negative context and the supernatural was more commonly believed than it is today. Compared to men, women were treated as a lower society of persons during the Elizabethan time. They were expected to cook, clean, care for the children, while look beautiful if in a upper class family and be hard working if in a lower class family. Women were not ranked how men were. They were characterized based on their sexual background or their marital status. The father was the head of the household; so whatever he said was the law of the house. The wives could not disagreed or question a decision her husband made unless she did it with humility and meekness. If the father sticks with what he has already said, his wife must accept this and forget about it. The wife is the rock of the family. She must make sure her family is always stabile, emotionally and morally. In the family daughters must be well mannered, good-looking, and pure. Also, she must marry a man that will benefit the social position of her entire family. The daughters cannot even think about marriage unless her parents, mostly her father has approved. Man is considered to be the top ruler in the family, as well as outside the family. The Elizabethans had many reasons why the man, particularly the husband was the top authority. One reason was that God appointed him to this position when man and woman were created. Women were expected to do and say what their husbands wished of them, whether it went against their beliefs and feelings or not. As long as she doesn’t go against God’s will, she can go against herself as often as needed to. Another theme is the supernatural, particularl... Free Essays on Midsummer Night's Dream Free Essays on Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is a humorous and imaginative comedy. One main theme Shakespeare includes in his play is transformation. In order to understand the many transformations, one must have a close following and understanding of the play. One transformation, which happens to three people, is due to Oberon and Puck’s flower juice. The juice is a love potion, which is applied to a person’s eyelids when he or she is sleeping. When the person awakens, he or she will fall in love with the first person they see. The first love transformation occurs when Lysander awakens to Helena, his soon-to-be wife’s good friend (Act II, scene ii, lines 103-107). The second transformation occurs when Titania awakens to see Bottom, who has undergone a transformation of his own (Act III, scene i, lines 129-224). The third transformation occurs when Demetrius also awakens to see Helena, whom he had earlier claimed to be sickened by (Act III, scene ii, lines 137-144). Another type of transformation occurs between Hermia and Helena. At the beginning of the play, both Demetrius and Lysander were in love with Hermia, although she was only in love with Lysander (Act I, scene i, lines 22-45). Helena, was in love with Demetrius, but he did not like heart all (Act II, scene i, lines 188-194). By the middle of Act II, because of the love potion, Lysander had fallen in love with Helena. By Act III, Demetrius had also fallen in love with her, for the same reason. Neither Demetrius nor Lysander loved Hermia anymore, but both loved Helena. This is the opposite scenario of what the play opened with. A physical transformation occurs when the mischievous Puck oversees the craftsmen rehearsing their play. He decides to play a joke and transforms Bottom’s head into that of an ass’s (Act III, scene I, lines 102-105). When the other craftsmen see Bottom’s head, they are scared and run away, leaving puck v... Free Essays on Midsummer Night's Dream The role of women and the supernatural are obvious themes present in the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These themes are used currently as well; however during the Elizabethan Era they had very different understandings. The role of women was used in a more negative context and the supernatural was more commonly believed than it is today. Compared to men, women were treated as a lower society of persons during the Elizabethan time. They were expected to cook, clean, care for the children, while look beautiful if in a upper class family and be hard working if in a lower class family. Women were not ranked how men were. They were characterized based on their sexual background or their marital status. The father was the head of the household; so whatever he said was the law of the house. The wives could not disagreed or question a decision her husband made unless she did it with humility and meekness. If the father sticks with what he has already said, his wife must accept this and forget about it. The wife is the rock of the family. She must make sure her family is always stabile, emotionally and morally. In the family daughters must be well mannered, good-looking, and pure. Also, she must marry a man that will benefit the social position of her entire family. The daughters cannot even think about marriage unless her parents, mostly her father has approved. Man is considered to be the top ruler in the family, as well as outside the family. The Elizabethans had many reasons why the man, particularly the husband was the top authority. One reason was that God appointed him to this position when man and woman were created. Women were expected to do and say what their husbands wished of them, whether it went against their beliefs and feelings or not. As long as she doesn’t go against God’s will, she can go against herself as often as needed to. Another theme is the supernatural, particularl... Free Essays on Midsummer Night's Dream Midsummer night's Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Theme of Love In Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the main reoccurring themes is love. Shakespeare writes of love that is passionate and impulsive, or sensible and reasonable. In Act three, Bottom, a crude commoner states on opinion of love. "And Yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days; the more pity, that some honest neighbors will not make them friends." (Act III, Scene i, line 136) However, in many ways, reason and love are already much more closely linked in their society than the modern day reader is used to. Shakespeare has one example of real love in this play: Hermia and Lysander^s. Their love is pure and simple. They have no reason to be in love with each other, but yet have hopelessly fallen so. This is Shakespeare^s symbol of ultimate innocence. However, often with innocence comes abuse of that quality, as in A Midsummer Night^s Dream. Egeus, Hermia^s father, feels th at Hermia is too innocent to choose her own husband, and that it is his place to choose one for her. Although perhaps he is only doing this to ^protect^ her, it shows his opinion of Hermia^s incompetence. He illustrates this value system when explains to Theseus "And, my gracious duke, This man hath bewitch^d the bosom of my child. Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes, And interchanged love-tokens with my child^ With cunning hast thou filch^d my daughter^s heart, Turn^d her obedience, which is due to me, To stubborn harshness." (Act I, Scene I, line 27) In many ways the opposite of real love, Hermia and Demetrius^ relationship is symbolic for practicality and sensibility. Hermia does not love Demetrius and refuses to marry him. It is not even clear what Demetrius^ motives are. One can speculate, however, that he desires to marry Hermia for her money or respectable family. Whatever the reasons, it is apparent that this relationship is...