Sarah, Entry # 3:
I think that the magic throughout the play was a necessity. When Shakespeare wrote this play he wanted the audience to be entertained. Besides, without the magic I would have found the play rather boring. The people who watched the play then would have most likely wanted to see a play which entertained them and had some mystery to it rather than one which was overly predictable. Also, people like happy endings. If I was to see a play or movie where there is not a happy ending, most likely I would not like the movie a all and would probably not want to ever watch it again. If this play were to take place from our modern day point of view, I think it might not be as popular. For example, Lysander and Hermia would have not had to deal with Hermia being in an arranged marriage. They would have just fallen in love and even if her parents disagreed, they would have just not cared. Also, when it comes to magic in plays or movies that we watch today unless it’s about medieval times it’s rather strange. To us it just seams strange if a man with a donkey head were to fall in love with a fairy. It only makes sense to us if it takes place in a medieval setting. One character who was mixed into the love relationships throughout the play was Helena
As for Bottom having his head changed into a donkey’s head; I am not so sure if it really affected him that much. Before he was transformed he thought that he knew everything about what to do with the play. Also, once his head was changed and Titania felt in love with him he did not really seem to change at all. He seemed to rather enjoy the fact that the Queen loved him even though he had a donkey head. Even with the donkeys head on he seems rather bossy. For example, when he tells the other fairies “get your weapons/in your hand, and kill me a red-hipped humble-bee on the top of/a thistle; and, good Mousieur, bring me the honey-bag” (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 10-13). Even with the head of a donkey Bottom still seems to be bossy. One element of the play which Shakespeare continuously brought up was that everyone kept going to sleep. Do you think that there was any real significance of everyone falling asleep throughout the play? Why do you think Shakespeare decided to go about it this way?
Tiffany, Entry #4
ReplyDeleteI think that Helena said Demetrius and Lysander were joking when they said they loved her because she was surprised that they would change their minds so suddenly at the same time. No one has ever said this to her before, so having two men say they love her at the same time seems like they might be playing a trick on her. She could have been happy, but that happiness was masked by her disbelief and suspicion. It is like when someone enters to win a prize, but does not really think they will win. If they do win, they may be so surprised that they would think it is a scam, even though they are happy at the same time. I think that Demetrius changed his mind as a result of falling in love with her in his “dream.” He may have realized that Hermia did not really want to marry him, and he would rather have a wife that wanted to be with him. Could he have fallen in love with Helena just to resolve the situation and keep the peace between him and Lysander? Does he exhibit a rather passive personality throughout the play? Do you notice any change in his actions as the play progresses?
The motif of sleep in the play could symbolize the fact that the events that take place are not super realistic. Also, the thought of dreaming adds an element of fantasy and fairy tale to the play as well. Sleep allows magic to be done without the victim knowing what is going on. I think Shakespeare decided to go about it this way in order to add another dimension to the play. If the whole play had taken place while the characters were awake, it quite possibly would not have been as entertaining for play-goers. However, it is interesting to note that the fairies in the story were not mere fantasies found in the dreams of the sleeping people, rather they were seen while the characters were awake. For instance, in Act 2, Scene 2, Titania directs the fairies, “Sing me now asleep” (Line 7). She is a human, and she is able to talk to the fairies as if they were other humans. She is not merely imagining them; they are actually there talking with her. Do you think that the fairies play a significant role in the events of the story? Do you think Shakespeare chose to include them only for entertainment and fantasy in the play, or do you think he may have included them for a different reason?