Fairies went from being accommodating spirits that were welcomed in the homes of humanity to evil demons. They fell into the category of “witchery” and if anyone was thought to be associated with them, they faced the same consequences as “witches” and “sorceress.” (The Fairy Bible by Tersa Morrey and Online Source) Topic 2: - Most the Earth is covered in water, its a little wonder that centuries ago the oceans were believed to hide mysterious creatures beneath the ocean. Mermaids were thought of as a marine version of half-human, half-fish. Having the upper-half of a woman with long hair and the tail of a fish. These woman were stunningly beautiful.
Moreover any deformity in the child was also blamed on fairies. Along pinching, this abduction was a part of fairy punishment, which was given to careless parents as Keith Thomas mentions that fairies were “predatory and might swoop down to snatch an unguarded infant child, leaving a changeling in his place. They might also nip, pinch or otherwise torment a careless housewife or untidy servant maid” (610). Shakespeare has also altered the perception of this abduction. Titania has stolen a boy from the Indian king as Puck mentions “she as her attendant hath / A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king / She never had so sweet a changeling” (Act 2, Scene 1).
The fairytale is of German origin and was written for the middle-class readers of the 19th century. Brothers Grimm 's stories often reflected some of the cultures that existed in those times. Throughout the fairytale, the themes of poverty, fear and helplessness are very prominent. The father constantly fears what is going to happen to his family because they do not have enough to eat. Hansel and Gretel are afraid and they feel helpless when they are lost in the woods and when they are trapped in the witch’s house.
Names identify, labeling someone in a way that is one’s own yet at the same time shared by thousands. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the names of his leading female characters are uniquely their own while also connecting them to higher entities that inspired them. Allusions to the Greek gods and heroes run ramped through Shakespeare’s play; especially obvious in his character names, as some are slightly modified or directly from mythology. These deliberate namesakes are often reflected in the actions or traits of the characters but tend to vary between a connection and a separation. The differences between the play and the film, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, serve at different time to strengthen and weaken the allusion of Helena and Hermia to the mythological Greek characters their names were inspired by.
Throughout the play, dramatic irony is used to build tension and humor in the play. During the play, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, there were also other examples of dramatic irony besides Bottom. Lysander and Hermia are in love, but when Lysander 's new love separates them, everything changed. Also, a fairy queen, Titania, falls in love with Bottom, a worker who looks different. Dramatic Irony is throughout the play to make A Midsummer’s Night Dream interesting and exciting.
I believe that the use of rude mechanicals in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a crucial factor in Shakespeare’s play. Shakespeare is trying to get a point across to the viewers and readers of the play, and by utilizing rude mechanicals as his main characters it allows the viewer to see and understand things without Shakespeare having to write about it or include it in a scene of the play. This is one of the benefits of performing a story instead of writing it, it allows the author to use different ways of getting points across to the viewer or reader. Now, in “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the rude mechanicals are portrayed as just “normal” people that work and do manual labor jobs instead of being a part of royalty. Shakespeare really emphasizes
Wondrous adventures, mythical lands, a beautiful princess and a charming prince. These are the usual things that come to mind when we think of a fairy tale. Blue facial hair, stereotypically “weak” women, a room full of dead bodies! Yeah. These don’t exactly fit the stereotypical fairytale agenda.
Of the only fourteen times she speaks in this play, none of them indicate unhappiness or angst regarding the impending marriage. She hints at some vague sadness in the very beginning of the play: “And then the moon, like to a silver bow / Now bent in heaven, shall behold the night / Of our solemnities” (1.1.10). Shakespeare’s choice to not give her any lines indicating discomfort reinforce the idea that women are rewarded for accepting the decisions of others and repressing their own desires. He deliberately suppresses aspects of her character that have been implied with her character’s mythological roots, and replaces them with a character supportive of his message regarding female choice in A Midsummer Night’s
In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, and Othello, the Moor of Venice there are several similarities, at least among any two of them simultaneously. A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Othello share conquered, forbidden and/or lost love. Othello and Richard II share envy of power and tragedies. A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard II share a defiance of family and tragedies. The various story similarities range from one extreme to the other, however similar they are.
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play which emphasises and explores love, free will and liminal dream-like spaces within both a fantasy realm and the real world. Within Act 2 Scene 2 lines 115-160, the Athenian lovers are experiencing a tense shift in dynamics. Lysander has been subjected to a love potion, and is leaving his relationship with Hermia in order to pursue a romance with their friend, Helena. During this passage, Shakespeare explores these key themes, and establishes a tense, uncertain reality, by providing an introduction to the conflict experienced by these characters within the entire text. One of the major themes that Shakespeare chooses to explore within A Midsummer Night’s Dream is reality versus fantasy.