by Hope McCabe (Blogging Circle 1)
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is an especially interesting read because of this back-and-forth narrative of the Athenian world of nobility and the world of fairies. I had asked myself what the purpose was to all this. Why did Shakespeare connect these two worlds into one story? They are both equally present and important for the plot. Was it necessary for their worlds to intermingle, or rather fate? This idea made me think back to reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass and thinking of the two versions of reality. (As Lewis Carroll wrote, “I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours.”) Many things happen in the human world because of the fairy world. It is interesting to think of Shakespeare’s motives in creating these opposing worlds, and so I wonder.
While reading, I envisioned the play as a mix between a comedy and a fantasy story. I saw Hermia, Helena, Lysander, Theseus, etc. as real people and Oberon, Robin, Titania, etc. as make-believe little creatures simply because I am human and have been told fictional tales of fairies. The worlds coexist, supporting a theme of not one, but potentially multiple forms of reality. The fairies show a normal view on magic and potions, whereas it is supernatural and abnormal to humanity. In Act II Scene I, a fairy accuses Robin of being a “shrewd and knavish sprite” (2.1 33) and exploits how he frightens village girls, stealing cream from milk, messing up and frustrating the housewives, causing beer to not foam, and laughing at people when he causes them to become lost in the night (2.1 34-39). Robin even titles himself “the merry wanderer of the night” (2.1 44). He causes mayhem in the human world, yet they remain ignorant because a human would never think to accuse a fairy for such things. Oberon and Titania’s argument has caused natural disasters to happen in the natural world. Titania blames Oberon for interrupting her dances, which causes these disasters to act up (2.1 81-117). In the grand scheme of things, it seems the fairies play a more significant role in the world than humans do. They hold more power over nature, and therefore humanity as well, viewing us as fickle, foolish, and entertaining beings.
Later in Act III, we see Robin imitate both Lysander and Demetrius, fooling each man into thinking they are talking to the other. By doing this, he prevents the two men from dueling. We even witness the toll Oberon’s love potion takes on the four youths. Due to the mistake of making both Lysander and Demetrius in love with Helena, tension is insured between life-long best friends, Helena and Hermia. Oberon thought that by getting involved, he would be of help. However, his control over the situation brought the issue to light. It is even interesting that Helena refers to Hermia as a “puppet” and Hermia takes it to offense (3.2 288-291). Ironically enough, they are all puppets of the fairies.
The human world and the fairy world seem to be brought together for the sake of the plot of the play itself. So perhaps Shakespeare just did it to do it. However, I can also see how by bending perception of reality, we as readers can also see different perceptions and interpretations of reality with each individual character, which is why there are so many problems to begin with. For example, Theseus and Hippolyta, though engaged to be wed, exist in two wholly different perspectives. Where Theseus lives in a triumphant mindset that he “wooed thee with my sword / And won thy love doing thee injuries” (1.1 16-17), Hippolyta is a warrior queen of the Amazons: an exclusive female race that views men as expendable beings. Their views on power and gender seem to be quite opposite. Another argument includes the complicated love square occurring with Hermia, Demetrius, Lysander, and Helena. Demetrius and Lysander are entranced by the potion, causing their obsession, yet what is the reason for Hermia and Helena’s behavior? Is Shakespeare suggesting men and women live in different realities when it comes to love? Would Demetrius and Lysander act the way the women do if the roles were reversed?
These questions occurred to me after reading the first three to four acts of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” I am not fully confident I have figured out my own curiosities, but it is a fascinating thing– to have two worlds melded into one whole storyline.
I really enjoy how you question the purpose between the two worlds in the play, and I think the two worlds could be a symbol for reality and fantasy. The Athenian world is structured, and it seems to symbolize “reality,” since people in that world thrive off the law and many struggle to get what they what or need. But the enchanted forest is symbolizes “fantasy,” where anything in one’s imagination can occur. For example, Bottom is able to experience the life of an upper class individual, and Helena is able to experience attention from two men after not being sought after at all. After all the discussion of dreams not technically being real it may be difficult to believe that the enchanted forest exists at all. But we as people all experience fantasy, and that is a very real part of our psyche. Shakespeare is able to actualize something that every person experiences, and both the worlds existing in one play allows for a better representation of how people really experience love and life.
Great post! I also find myself fascinated by the world of the fairies in the play as well. However, it wasn’t until you brought up their purpose that I actually thought of Shakespeare’s intent in including them, so thank you for prompting that!
You mention at one point that the faries view us as “fickle, foolish, and entertaining beings” and it made me think about a possible purpose of the fairies in the play. The fairies are maybe acting as stand-ins for human nobility in a way. Higher ranking individuals always look at the concerns of those below them as inconsequential and beneath them. But here we see the fairies acting just as ridiculously as the average human. Shakespeare could be pointing out their hypocrisy in believing that they (the fairies/nobility) are naturally more refined and level headed than those with less power than them. But at the same time, the king and queen of the fairies are wrapped up in a petty fight over the changeling boy. This fight isn’t just silly, but also causes natural disasters and throws the world off balance. The faries view us as petty, but they are motivated by fights that are just as nonsensical. Maybe Shakespeare is trying to poke fun at the fairies for believing that they are so above humanity when they act very similarly to us. Maybe the same way that faries view themselves as “better” than us, he is trying to draw out attention to the way that supposedly “better” human beings,like human royalty, in the social hierarchy can still engage in inconsequential squabbles.
To be clear, I’m not saying that this is absolutely what he did. Just that it might have been. I acknowledge that this could be projection, but it’s a fun thought!
Hope,
I like that you point out in your post that the worlds of the humans and the supernaturals, though separate, coexist and influence one another. Though I agree with you that the supernatural world has more of an impact on the human world (i.e. natural disasters, mind meddling, etc.) it’s interesting that within either sphere, there is still class order. For example, when the fairy calls Puck a “shrewd and knavish sprite” (2.1 33) she’s establishing that his actions are beneath her. Similarly, there is a class system in the human realm as Theseus is the “renowned Duke” (1.1 20) in the play. Egeus may not like the options Theseus gives Hermia, yet he does not disobey because he is the Duke. Puck distributes the love potion under orders from Oberon. The class system is at work in both realms and in this way, both realms face conflicts that make them more similar than different.
Hope, I enjoyed your thoughts on Shakespeare’s use of the coexisting worlds. I was also reminded of Alice In Wonderland. The supernatural world is fantasy and foreign to us. In a world of fairies and magic potions—a world completely different than our own, we immediately see it in comparison our world. That’s what we all do when we see or experience something new. We immediately compare it to our reality, what we know. So, in this sense, Shakespeare uses it to mirror our world. Moreover, it wouldn’t mirror our world much if the supernatural beings weren’t as careless and clumsy as we are. Shakespeare’s use of the fairies is not unlike that of Homer’s use of the gods in The Iliad. Although the fairies exist in a realm beyond the humans and are more powerful, they act as ridiculous as the humans. I think upon further observation the supernatural world’s role is hardly ever just convenient for the plot. Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural world is a device, not just a handy way to move the plot.
I think you raise a great question in your post: Is Shakespeare suggesting men and women live in different realities when it comes to love? When the two worlds (fairy and mortal) operate on separate planes, Shakespeare highlights fundamentally different ways of knowing and being between characters, which could support a theme of disconnect between the sexes. Shakespeare also lets the worlds intersect, allowing the fairy world to dictate events in the mortal world. But much of this interaction goes over mortals’ heads. The exception to this is the human woman that Titania loves. Here a genuine connection is seen between two worlds that generally do not operate in unity during the play. I think out of all the relationships in the story this one appears to be the most genuine. It proves to be stronger than death, though it is still foiled by the pansy potion. Like discussed in class, a bridging of different perspectives is presented as an alternate, but does Titania’s loss of the changeling signify a hopelessness to hold on to that genuine love? I think Shakespeare is showing that characters have the ability to resonate with others’ realities until selfish desires interfere with this sensing ability and take over like the potions did.
I loved your take on this play! The notion of division between worlds in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is really interesting and worth talking about. I liked the perspective you mentioned: the “real” world of people living in Athens versus the “fantastical” world of fairies living elsewhere. One is completely realistic and relatable and the other seems like part of a fairytale for children. Still, the two are interconnected. The fairies’ issues largely affect the natural world of humans and cause disaster. There is a lot of crossover, whether it be “unfoamy beer” or extreme flooding. Although, as you mentioned, the fantastical world is in control. They do what they want and the Athenian people bear the consequences. In relation to love, how are men and women in two separate worlds? Disregarding the magic and potions, I would say the two worlds (of how men in love act versus how women in love act) are intertwined and even interchangeable as opposed to the fantasy world/real world. Traditionally, the man pursues and woos a woman for her heart and affection; we presume Lysander and Hermia took this route because we do not know otherwise. Contrastingly, Helena switches the roles in her pursuit of Demetrius. Personally, I could also see Hermia chasing what she wants because of her boldness in sticking up to her father. As far as Lysander and Demetrius go, I would assume otherwise because of Demetrius’ genuine reactions to Helena in the woods. So, while the worlds of women and men are not exactly the same, there is a lot of overlap and the opportunity to reverse roles.
I really like all of the differences pointed out here, and I think it is certainly intentional that Shakespeare is pointing out a distinction between reality and fantasy. Not only literally, but also in the figurative sense that many of the characters are disillusioned and refuse to accept certain realities. The play opens with one of these disillusions, as despite the reality being that Hermia and Lysander are in love, the rest of the authority figures in the play are insistent that this fact bears no meaning. Later in the play, the potion obviously causes a fair amount of delusion among the characters, but even those that are not yet affected, like Helena, are quick to assume secret plots against her.