02: Instructor-Graded Assignment A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1. Interpret A Midsummer Night’s Dream in terms of its title. Make your answer an analysis of the concept of dream in the play. You should choose for discussion passages in which characters either dream or think that they are dreaming. What does dreaming mean in the play?
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream suggests the dreams are a significant theme of the play. The dreams are attached to strange, magical happenings which in the forest. Shakespeare expressed an interest in the workings of dreams, how time loses it flow, the impossible occurs, and events occur without explanation. The dreams in A Midsummer Night’s Dream emphasize the meaning of the play. The play is meant to be something of a fantasy; because of this the characters are not sure if they are awake or dreaming at times due to the mystical forest. The dreaminess of the plot line seems to insight for unreal life can feel at times and how out of control and strange they may be. Shakespeare portrays the dream that some call love to be more natural and sensual like animal nature. Some of the dreams symbolize desire; love, and dreams are used to predict the future.
Hippolyta is a player that was engaged to Theseus. In act 1, Theseus claims that he would wed Hippolyta with if he won his battles. Hippolyta is portrayed as a confident women with a mind of her own which was unusual for women in the Elizabethan age who were often dependent on men and quite. Hippolyta says “four days will quickly steep themselves in night” “ Four nights will quickly dream away the time”. Hippolyta eludes to dreaming at night makes time pass quickly, and the new moon will look upon their wedding ceremony. This scene can relate to our theme of dreaming by showing us how dreaming means timelessness and unreal happenings.
The dreams in A Midsummer Night’s Dream don’t necessarily affect the outcome of the play. For example, Hermia dreams of a snake in act 2, scene 2. Hermia awakens and she calls for Lysander. Lysander is gone because he already woke up. Puck contaminated his eyes with nectar that makes you fall in love with the first person you see. In Hermia’s dream she claimed that there was a snake on her chest, eating out her heart while Lysander just sat there and watched and smiled. Lysander will tell Hermia that he does not love her anymore and that he loves Helena and this will “eat” out Hermia’s heart. The theme of dreaming relates to this scene by showing how dreams can realate to love and things to come in the future.
The character Nick Bottom is the manager of the