Context Midsummer Flashcards
(26 cards)
Classical Mythology
Shakespeare frequently drew upon Greek and Roman mythology for inspiration. The setting of the play in Athens, and the characters of Theseus and Hippolyta, both originate from Greek mythology. Theseus, the Duke of Athens, was a legendary hero, while Hippolyta was the Queen of the Amazons. Their inclusion in the play adds a mythical and grandiose element, linking the story to classical tales of heroism and conquest.
The play’s references to gods such as Cupid and Diana also reflect the Elizabethan audience’s familiarity with classical mythology.
Fairies and Elizabethan Folklore
Fairies played a significant role in English folklore during Shakespeare’s time. They were often depicted as mischievous and magical beings who could influence human affairs. In the play, the characters of Oberon, Titania, and Puck are based on traditional fairy lore, with Puck (also known as Robin Goodfellow) being a popular figure in English folklore as a trickster.
The inclusion of the fairies brings a supernatural element to the play, and their actions drive much of the plot. Elizabethans believed in the supernatural and the influence of unseen forces, particularly in nature, which is reflected in the chaotic events in the forest.
The Globe Theatre
A Midsummer Night’s Dream would have been performed at the Globe Theatre, an open-air playhouse in London where Shakespeare’s acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, performed. Audiences would have ranged from the wealthy and educated to the working-class. The mix of high comedy, magical elements, and physical humour in the play reflects the need to appeal to a diverse audience.
Plays were performed during the daytime due to the lack of artificial lighting, and the audience would have had to use their imagination to picture the magical forest and the actions of the fairies. The simplicity of the staging encouraged creative and symbolic interpretations of the scenes.
The Role of Actors
All actors during Shakespeare’s time were male, as it was considered improper for women to appear on stage. As a result, young boys would have played the roles of female characters like Hermia, Helena, and Titania. This adds an interesting layer of gender ambiguity, particularly in a play focused on love and identity.
The Power of Magic
In the Elizabethan era, there was a strong belief in magic and the supernatural. Many people believed in the existence of fairies, witches, and other magical creatures. While some saw them as benevolent, others feared their power to disrupt daily life.
The play’s portrayal of magical forces, particularly the love potion, reflects the period’s fascination with the unknown and mystical. Puck’s magical meddling with the love lives of the characters mirrors the unpredictability of life and the belief that fate could be influenced by unseen forces.
Festivity and the ‘Green World’
The forest in A Midsummer Night’s Dream represents what scholars call the ‘Green World’ – a space outside the constraints of society where characters can escape, experience transformation, and resolve conflicts before returning to the ‘real world’. This ties into the Elizabethan tradition of celebrating festivals like May Day and Midsummer, which involved merriment, mischief, and temporary role reversals, much like the events in the play.
These festivals were also a time for romantic misadventures, making them a fitting backdrop for a play where the main action revolves around confused love and enchantment.
Dreams and the Unconscious
Dreams were often seen as a reflection of inner desires or as messages from the divine. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the confusion and emotional turmoil experienced by the characters in the forest can be interpreted as dreamlike states. Puck’s final speech, where he asks the audience to think of the play as a dream, reflects the era’s belief in the boundary between reality and dreams.
The title itself references both the midsummer period, traditionally associated with magic and revelry, and the idea of dreams, hinting at the blurred lines between fantasy and reality in the play.
Elizabethan Gender Roles
Society had strict views on gender roles, with men holding positions of power and authority over women. Women were expected to be obedient and subservient to men. This is evident in the play, where Hermia and Helena’s decisions are heavily influenced by the men around them, and Theseus has the legal authority to determine Hermia’s fate.
However, the play also hints at a more progressive view of women, particularly through the character of Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. Although she is a conquered queen, she is portrayed as a strong and independent figure, subtly challenging typical gender roles of the time.
The importance of obedience
Obedience to the father was highly valued, and Hermia’s defiance of her father’s wishes to marry Lysander would have been seen as scandalous at the time. This tension highlights the clash between individual desires and societal expectations.
The Role of Marriage
In Elizabethan society, marriage was primarily seen as a social contract and was often arranged by families to secure wealth, status, or alliances. Love was not always the driving force behind marriage, which is reflected in the play through the character Egeus, who demands Hermia marry Demetrius against her will.
Pyramus and Thisbe
The story of Pyramus and Thisbe, found in Book IV of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, is about two lovers who die tragically, their parents’ rivalry preventing their union. Shakespeare uses this story in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a play-within-a-play performed by the mechanicals. The mechanicals’ clumsy portrayal of the story adds a layer of irony, contrasting with the play’s other Ovidian elements.
Ovidian Themes:
Beyond the direct adaptation of Pyramus and Thisbe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream incorporates broader Ovidian themes:
Love and Transformation: The play explores the magical and often chaotic nature of love, mirroring the transformations and emotional shifts found in Ovid’s tales.
The Supernatural: The play’s fairies, with their magical interventions and influence, echo the divine figures and transformations in Ovid’s mythic narratives.
The Forest as a Space of Transformation: The forest setting in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the supernatural events occur, is a common motif in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, representing a space where boundaries are blurred and transformations are possible.
Neoplatonic Influences
The play also demonstrates Neoplatonic influences, with the fairies representing the divine realm and the mortal characters experiencing communion with it. However, the play’s focus on divine infatuation with mortals, as seen in Ovid, suggests a more Ovidian approach to these relationships.
The play was written around the same time as…
Romeo and Juliet; and there are significant similarities between the two texts
a departure from Shakespeare’s earlier works and from others of the English Renaissance
a departure from his earlier works and from others of the English Renaissance
Puck (Robin Goodfellow)…
was a popular figure in sixteenth-century stories
The Mechanicals’ Play
refers to and parodies many conventions of English Renaissance theatre, such as men playing the roles of women
Many of the characters are drawn from diverse texts…
Titania comes from Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ and Oberon may have been taken from the medieval romance ‘Huon of Bordeaux’, translated by Lord Berners in the mid-1530s
It is often supposed that the Mechanicals…
are a play on the ‘Queen’s Men’, Queen Elizabeth’s performing troupe
Shakespeare depicts Titania in a near-bestial love affair with the donkey headed Bottom…
this affair may allude to the Queen’s love for Lord Robert Dudley. Although the Queen’s affection for the lord was well known, Dudley lacked a suitable status and general popularity, and so could never marry the queen.
Just as Titania is blind to Bottom’s overt flaws…
so did Elizabeth seem to either not notice or not care about what an unlikely couple she and Dudley made.
the play’s most significant source is…
Roman poet Ovid’s ‘metamorphosis’, an epic poem that weaves together many Greek and Roman myths
Shakespeare alludes to many of the stories from Metamorphosis, but the story with the most obvious importance in his play is…
Pyramus and Thisbe. Originally appearing in book IV of Ovid’s poem, the story tells of 2 lovers who long to marry against their parent’s wishes and who come to a tragic end in their attempt to do so
Shakespeare adapts metamorphosis for…
Midsummer’s ‘Play within a Play’. The theatrical ineptitude of the mechanicals undermines the seriousness of their subject matter. Perhaps the most ironic aspect of the mechanicals’ retelling is just how un-Ovidian their play is, and how this un-Ovidian spirit contrasts with the very Ovidian nature of the rest of Midsummer.
