I am very nervous writing a blog regarding this book that is my teenage days' favorite and written by one of the greatest authors of all time. It is absolutely not a book review as I am not qualified enough to give a professional opinion on this greatest work done by a genius visionary. Rather, I am here to pluck up the courage and pen down my thoughts about this classic play written centuries ago.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of the most widely popular plays still performed all throughout the world largely due to its humorous context and simple story with complicated characters and a happy ending.
The crudest synopsis of the plot goes like this..
Hermia and Lysander are in love, however, Hermia's father opposes their union and wants her to marry Demetrius. Her father invokes an ancient Athenian law before Duke Theseus, whereby a daughter needs to marry a suitor chosen by her father, or else face death. Theseus offers her another choice: lifelong chastity as a nun worshipping the goddess Diana.
In a parallel plot, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of Fairies), decide to attend the Duke's wedding, have come to the same forest. They both are estranged from each other, as Oberon is desperate to own Titania's changeling, although she refuses to budge. The enraged Oberon calls upon Robin "Puck" to help him concoct a magical juice derived from a flower called "love-in-idleness", which turns from white to purple when struck by Cupid's arrow. When the concoction is applied to the eyelids of a sleeping person, that person, upon waking, falls in love with the first living thing they perceive. He instructs Puck to retrieve the flower with the hope that he might make Titania fall in love with an animal of the forest and thereby shame her into giving up the little Indian boy.
Oberon, however, eavesdrops on the conversation between Helena and Demetrius and instructs Puck to spread some of the magical juice from the flower on the eyelids of Demetrius, so that he falls in love with Helena. Instead, Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and administers the juice to Lysander. While Oberon charms Demetrius and both men immediately fall in love with Helena.
Helena and Hermia are confused and enraged to see both the men determined to win Helena, choose to duel and kill for her love. Oberon orders Puck to keep Lysander and Demetrius from catching up with one another and to remove the charm from Lysander so Lysander can return to love Hermia, while Demetrius continues to love Helena with none of them having any memory of what happened, as if it were a dream.
Meanwhile, Peter Quince and his fellow players, including the obnoxious Nick Bottom, have arranged to perform their play about Pyramus and Thisbe for Theseus' wedding, venture into the forest, near Titania's bower, for their rehearsal. Bottom is spotted by Puck, who transforms his head into that of a donkey. When Bottom returns for his next lines, the other workmen run screaming in terror. Determined to await his friends, he begins to sing to himself.
"I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me, to fright me if they could. But I will not stir from this place, do what they can. I will walk up and down here and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid."
Titania, having received the love potion, is awakened by Bottom's singing and immediately falls in love with him. She lavishes him with the attention of her and her fairies, and while she is in this state of devotion, Oberon takes the changeling boy. Having achieved his goals, Oberon releases Titania, orders Puck to remove the donkey's head from Bottom, and arranges everything so Helena, Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander will all believe they have been dreaming when they awaken. Eventually, all four find themselves separately falling asleep in the glade. Once they fall asleep, Puck administers the love potion to Lysander again, returning his love to Hermia, and claiming all will be well in the morning.
The fairy fantasy is sandwiched between a love story combined with jealousy and betrayals was the perfect greek twist and took the story to the ideal Shakesperean level. The best part of the story is the romantic plot, turning into a humorous context. And the writing is beautiful; poetic and lyrical. This is the second time in my reading of Shakespeare that I came across this type of writing, the first time being in Romeo and Juliet. It is a real treat to read the verses as they tell this light hilarious story.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of the most creative and imaginative plays by Shakespeare. The fantasy element is brilliantly combined with reality and the play is cast by an interesting set of characters ranging from humans to fairies to human-animal forms! All these elements have contributed to making the play a very interesting read. I enjoyed it very much and had a good laugh all along. Shakespeare had done a great job with this play.
Happy Reading!!!
