UTTARAKHAND OPEN UNIVERSITY

NAME : ASHUTOSH LOHANI

PROGRAMME CODE : M.A. 17

COURSE TITLE : Shakespearean Drama

COURSE CODE : MAEL 202

ENROLLMENT NO : 14056651

ROLL NO : 8504160012

STUDY CENTER CODE : 16042

 SECTION A

Q.1 Why does Hamlet keep on postponing the revenge?

Ans: Hamlet is the most notable and the most discussed play in the canon of literature
not only from the literary point of view but also from the point of referring to some of the
most complex issues and problems concerning life. Hamlet was probably performed in
July 1602 and was first published in printed form in 1603. As was the practice with
Shakespeare, he could have taken the story of Hamlet from sacred possible sources in-
cluding works from Denmark and France.

There have been many reasons put forth for Hamlet's apparent delay in seeking revenge.
Many believe that Hamlet does not take immediate action because Hamlet's character is
one of contemplation and melancholy; not action. Because of these traits, Hamlet needs
evidence and assurance that Claudius really has killed Old Hamlet. Another argument is
that subconsciously Hamlet may not want to kill Claudius because of the Oedipus com-
plex. Others however have proposed a more practical explanation: Hamlet would like to
make Claudius' death more painful and ruthless than Old Hamlet's. Shakespeare could
have delayed Hamlet's revenge on purpose because by delaying the revenge, he is satisfy-
ing his Elizabethan audience and categorizing 'Hamlet' as a 'tragedy'. Similarly, Hamlet's
delay could be seen as a flaw and like all tragic heroes Hamlet must have a fault in order
to classify him as a 'tragic hero'. Hamlet's philosophical nature allows him to question the
Ghost's existence and collect evidence before acting which delays Claudius' death. One
reason Hamlet takes so long may be that the opportunity has not yet arisen for him to kill
Claudius before the scene in Act III.iii when Claudius seems to be praying. At that point,
Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius because Claudius's prayer will win him forgiveness, and
Hamlet wants him to have a worthy punishment for his father's murder. It is the difficulty
of producing this evidence, this proof, the apparent impossibility of convincing the guilty
person that constitutes the cardinal point in Hamlet. And therefore killing the king before
the proof is adduced would be, not killing the guilty, but killing the proof; it would be not
the murder of the criminal, but the murder of justice!’ Apparently, even Hamlet admits
that he has the cause and will and strength and means to do it’. The textual references
suggest clearly that Hamlet is the beloved of the people and he needs not answer regard-
ing the justification of his action. Is it a metaphysical and conscientious scruple which
grows at his bowl? Supporting the above contention, Masefield makes a valid point,
‘What Hamlet hesitates to do, may be necessary or even just, but it is a defilement of per-
sonal ideals, difficult for a wise mind to justify. It is so great a defilement that death
seems preferable to action and existence alike. It is very much apparent that there is
something in Hamlet’s nature that forbade him to take revenge. In contrast to the general
impression that Hamlet is sentimental, given to melancholy and is an introspective
dreamer, a close study of Hamlet’s mind reveals a brighter side to his nature. In Goethe’s
 words, Hamlet is “a true child of the Renaissance. He is imbued with the cheerful culture
of the age.

Q.2 Write a short note on Shakespearean Comedy.

Ans: Shakespeare wrote many plays during his lifetime. Some of his plays have similar
comedic characteristics and then other plays are the exact opposite of comedy. Shake-
speare wrote tragedies, romance, history, comedy and problem plays all with great suc-
cess. During the performance of these plays there was no scenery so great time was taken
when developing the characters and the plot so the plays would be entertaining. A Mid-
summers Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing are just two of the comedies
Shakespeare wrote. These two plays have many things in common where as Measure for
Measure is a problem play with a totally different tone. Comparing and contrasting these
three plays will help us to understand what Shakespeare thought comedy was in the
1600’s and to see if our views on comedy are the same today.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a festive comedy. The play takes place in June and this
is a bewitched time. In the spring the custom is to celebrate the return of fertility to the
earth. During this time the young people spend the night in the woods to celebrate.
Shakespeare uses the greenworld pattern in this play. The play begins in the city, moves
out to the country and then back to the city. Being in the country makes things better be-
cause there is tranquility, freedom and people can become uncivilized versus when they
are in the city and have to follow customs and laws and behave rationally.Comedies con-
tain blocking figures and in this play it is Egeus. If he was not in the way, Hermia could
marry Lysander. Since he is causing problems in his daughters life by trying to make her
marry Demetrius, this begins the journey into the woods. Egeus threatened Hermia with
death if she were to marry Lysander so she thinks the only way they can be together is to
run away.

One strange element is why Egeus was so set on Hermia marrying Demetrius. Lysander
came from as good a family as Demetrius. Both were well possessed with property and
money so Egeus’s power is made to seem senseless.The play moves into the woods
which is haunted by fairies who are there to bless the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta.
The quarreling between Oberon and Titania over the changeling boy leads to the king
wanting to embarrass Titania with the love juice by making her fall in love with a mon-
ster. The first person she sees is Bottom and she falls violently in love with him.Oberon is
making a spectacle of Titania and Bottom. It is ridiculous that she is in love with him be-
cause he is from such a lower class than her, he is human and she is a fairy, and he has
the head of an ass. She is also a queen and he is an uneducated working man and a match
like this would never happen. Bottom has such a problem with language. He speaks in
malapropisms. He tries to say one word but always comes up with the wrong one. He is a
working man who tries to act more educated that he really is . Through Bottom and Tita-
nia we see that love is blind. Also, while Titania is under the influence of the love juice
she releases the changeling boy to Oberon so he did accomplish his goal.

The confusion between Lysander, Hermia, Helena, and Demetrius because of the love
juice is full of funny occurrences. When Lysander wakes up and thinks he is in love with
Helena, Hermia is ignored and treated badly by Lysander. Then not only was Lysander
saying he loved Helena, Demetrius was also treating Hermia badly. This left poor Hermia
so upset but we as the audience know this is a prank and soon the spell will be lifted.

The main characters in the play are all developed to a point where the audience can iden-
tify with them. We learn things about them individually so we can feel happy or sad
when things happen in their life. I felt sad for Hermia when she was jolted by Lysander
because their love for each other had seemed so strong and she was so confused by his
behavior. Even though the audience knows the truth it is easy to feel sad for her. As the
play nears the end, Oberon lifts the spell and everyone seems to believe they have had a
rare vision and then their lives go on just as if none of this had happened.The play brings
closure to the reader by having the traditional ending of a comedy. They usually end in
weddings and a feast which is exactly what happens in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Lysander and Hermia, Helena and Demetrius, and Theseus and Hippolyta all get married
which signifies a new beginning. The working men end the play with a Bergomask dance
and the fairies join in the dance and bless the marriages.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains many elements of a comedy. The most important
ones to me are that the play ends happily, it is funny and it made me laugh. Shakespeare
wrote Much Ado About Nothing which is also a comedy, but it is a different type of
comedy than A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Although these two plays share some com-
mon elements, they also have differences.Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy of in-
trigue. It involves suspense, question and has a detective story element. Within the come-
dy of intrigue, there is social comedy involving Beatrice and Benedick. Through this
couple and Claudio and Hero, the play explores the was people interact with each other.
Shakespeare shows that love can be very logical but also very passionate. Claudio and
Hero have a love that is soft, delicate and logical. Beatrice and Benedick on the other
hand, are very passionately in love with each other and show this by quarreling constant-
ly.Claudio’s obsession with Hero is from a distance. He worships her and is astonished
with her beauty. His love for her is very shallow because he does not know her as a per-
son. Claudio is being logical about marriage by inquiring about Hero’s financial state and
social standing. After finding out she is an only child, he agrees to let Don Pedro woo
Hero in his favor so she would be his wife.

When Claudio and Don Pedro put their plan into action at the masked ball, Don John ap-
pears. He acts as a blocking figure in this play and causes many problems. He tells Clau-
dio that Don Pedro wants Hero for himself, which is a lie, but Claudio acts like “easy
come easy go”. He is not very upset that he just lost his soon to be bride. When the truth
comes out, the wedding day is set and the planning begins. Don John is once again plan-
 ning to ruin things. He is a jealous, sour and unhappy person. The greenworld is also used
in this play but not for festive activities. It is used for plotting bad things that will hurt
people.After Claudio is led to believe Hero was cheating on him, he becomes malicious
and wants revenge. Claudio disgraces Hero at the wedding. He refuses to marry her in
front of all the guests and accuses her of already having sex with someone else.This seri-
ous act of revenge causes the audience to feel sorry for not only Hero, but her family as
well because we know that was not her kissing Borachio. The audience may have felt
worse for Hero if her character had been more fully developed but she hardly ever spoke
even when agreeing to marry Claudio. We can feel sorry for her but not really identify
with her because we do not know her very well. Hero is made a spectacle of for no truth-
ful reason and disgraces her family.

Q.3 Write a brief note on the character of Enobarbus.

Ans: In Shakespeare's play, Antony and Cleopatra, we are told the story of two passion-
ate and power-hungry lovers. In the first two Acts of the play we are educated to the fact
that they are entwined in an adulterous relationship, and that both of them are forced to
show their devotion to Caesar. Along with being introduced
to Antony and Cleopatra's strange love affair, we are introduced to some interesting sec-
ondary characters. The secondary character most important to the theme of the play is
Enobarbus. Enobarbus is a high-ranking soldier in Antony's army who it seems is very
close to his commander. We know this by the way Enobarbus is permitted to speak freely
(at least in private) with Antony, and often is used as a person to whom Antony confides
in. We see Antony confiding in Enobarbus in Act I, Scene ii, as Antony explains how
Cleopatra is "cunning past man's thought". In reply to this Enobarbus speaks very freely
of his view of Cleopatra, even if what he says is very positive: her passions are made of
nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters sighs and
tears; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can report. This cannot be cun-
ning in her; if it be she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove. After Antony reveals that
he has just heard news of his wife's death, we are once again offered an example of Eno-
barbus' freedom to speak his mind, in that he tells Antony to "give the gods a thankful
sacrifice", essentially saying that Fulvia's death is a good thing. Obviously, someone
would never say something like this unless they were in very close company.

Enobarbus is Antony's most devoted friend; he is so loyal and so trusted, in fact, that he is
able to comment freely, even when he feels critical of Antony. And he has much to be
critical of, for he can reason in situations when Antony's sense of reason deserts him.
When Antony is torn by indecision, Enobarbus speaks up; he says what he feels should
be done and, most important, he is not blinded, as Antony is, by an all-consuming infatu-
ation with Cleopatra. Enobarbus often serves the function of the commentator. He can
move about freely, he sees much that occurs among the heads of state, and thus he forms
his own conclusions, which he shares with his comrades and the audience. He is a cynic
of sorts, whom neither power nor love impresses. His only mistake, seemingly, is in de-
serting Antony when it becomes clear Antony will lose the war. Not surprisingly, An-
tony's generosity to his former friend so shames him that he takes his own life.

Enobarbus is a chorus figure because he provides the audience with enough background
information to keep the play going . Enobarbus tells us of how Cleopatra “pursed up his
heart upon the river of Cydnus”, or in other words how Cleopatra sailed up the Cydnus to
meet Antony in Turkey for the first time, and during the feast, he paid with his heart “For
what his eyes eat only”. He also tells us that Caesar will not fight one on one. Similarly,
he even predicts what will happen next, making the audience rely on him like an oracle.
For instance, just few lines before Thidias the messenger gets whipped for flirting and
kissing the hands of Cleopatra, Enobarbus says, “you will be whipped”, and truly he does
get whipped by the order of Antony. Another oracular moment of Enobarbus is when
Maecenas tells him that Antony must leave Cleopatra “utterly”, but he predicts that An-
tony will never leave Cleopatra for Octavia, because “Age cannot wither her, nor custom
stale Her infinite variety”. Antony will never get bored off Cleopatra because of her
charming and flavorful personality. On the other hand, Enobarbus even warns Cleopatra
that her presence at Actium will be disastrous, saying “Your presence needs must puzzle
Antony, Take from his heart, take from his brain, from ‘s time, What should not then be
spared. He is already Traduced for levity, and ‘tis said in Rome that Photinus,an eunuch,
and your maids Manage this war”. Cleopatra will distract Antony; even contribute to the
challenges and rumors brought by the war and Enobarbus can clearly see the destructive
results of the relationship to the triumvirate, however Cleopatra does not really care and
is also stubborn by telling Enobarbus that Rome can go to hell and “Speak not against it;
I will not stay behind”. Five scenes later, the prediction of Enobarbus is true. Cleopatra
asks Enobarbus whose fault was it that they lost the battle and Enobarbus replies that it
was “Anotny only, that would make his will Lord of his reason. What though you fled
From that great face of war, whose several ranges Frighted each other?”. Enobarbus al-
lows us to see through the characters of the play, showing us their real intent and per-
sonas just like for instance the absurdity and stubbornness of Mark Antony, or the wit of
Caesar’s tactics. Caesar asked Thidias to separate Antony and Cleopatra when he delivers
his message to her, and in return, Thidias should “Observe how Antony becomes his
flaw, And what thou think’st his very action speaks In every power that moves” . Anto-
ny’s actions themselves reveal in every move he makes. Caesar is smart because he
knows that Cleopatra’s personality is cunning and can be malicious if needed, however,
he underestimates the love she has for Antony and how she will never betray him while
he is alive. Although Enobarbus does not take action in all of the scenes, he allows us to
compare the tactics of Antony and Caesar.
Q.4 Who is Miranda in The Tempest?

Ans: Miranda is one of the principal characters of William Shakespeare's The Tempest.
She is the only female character to appear on stage during the course of the play and is
one of only four women mentioned (Claribel, Sycorax, Miranda's mother, and Miran-
da).Miranda is the daughter of Prospero, one of the main characters of William Shake-
speare's The Tempest. Miranda is the fourteen-year-old daughter of Prospero. (We know
her age because her dad says she wasn't yet three years old when they landed on the is-
land and twelve years have passed since then. After spending a dozen years on a remote
island with her old man and the hideous slave Caliban, Miranda falls in love at first sight
the moment she lays her eyes on the oh-so-dreamy Prince of Naples.
Miranda is the mouthpiece through which Shakespeare expresses the idea that human be-
ings (and life in general) are pretty marvelous, despite the fact that we are all flawed crea-
tures. Aldous Huxley liked this passage so much that he made the phrase "brave new
world" the title of his famous book. we admit that Miranda is pretty naïve, but that's part
of what makes such an endearing figure. In the play, she represents the guileless inno-
cence of youth and, when she falls in love Ferdinand, her romantic union is the thing that
will bring together Prospero and his former enemy, the King of Naples. When she has the
chance, Miranda takes her fate into her own hands. She declares her love to Ferdinand,
thinking her father still hates him. She doesn't know that Prospero secretly helped the sit-
uation along, but she's willing to do what she wants, even though it could get her into
trouble with Daddy. When Prospero pretends to be mad that Miranda has fallen for Fer-
dinand, she totally stands up for herself: "My affections/ Are then most humble. I have no
ambition to / To see a see a goodlier man". The girl isn't wise in the ways of the world,
but she has a brave heart and a spirit to follow it.
Miranda's most important personal qualities might be her ability to feel empathy and
amazement. When we first meet her, she's frantically begging her father to have pity on
the passengers of the storm-tossed ship, which is more than we can say for Prospero. In
fact, she's so worked up that Prospero assures her "Be collected. / No more amazement.
Tell your piteous heart / There's no harm done"Miranda's name literally means "that
which must be admired" (from mirari – to admire). She looks on the world with a child-
like wonder, which is more than naïveté and might actually just be the eyes of an artist,
able to see the beauty in everything. Admiration is an important word for Miranda from
the other side too, as she isn't the only one doing all the looking: she is much admired by
those who look upon her.
 SECTION B

Q.1 What are the main conflicts in the play The Tempest? How are they
resolved?

Ans: In order to attract an audience towards themes, a playwright must use conflict."
Show how Shakespeare has used conflict in The Tempest to explore ideas that are of in-
terest. In doing so, refer in detail to the literary and dramatic elements employed. Shake-
speare in this play sets out to represent Prospero as a strong, powerful leader as they
would be at this period of time in England, however although an English monarch must
be powerful they must also show a sense of compassion and approachability about them.
The play is based on betrayal and revenge, which become the main ingredients to a high-
ly entertaining play. Prospero (who was once the duke of Milan) and his daughter, Mi-
randa was sent to an island by his brother Antonio and his enemy Alonso, King of Naples
and Sebastian, Alonso's brother. Prospero was starting to discover magic and became less
involved with his responsibilities of being a Duke and concentrated more on the realm of
magical powers. Antonio saw this as a perfect opportunity to get rid of Prospero and take
over as Duke of Milan with the help on Alonso and Sebastian.

In The Tempest, power and control are two consistent themes. Throughout the play, most
of the characters are fighting to gain power of their freedom or of the island, ultimately
resulting with the characters abusing their power. I found myself continually questions
who and when someone had power or more importantly who was entitled to it? What I
found was the common struggle for power in The Tempest also was a common cultural
conflict back when the play was actually written. During the time Shakespeare wrote The
Tempest in 1667, British colonies were starting to settle in America under the rule of
King James I. During the 1600's, power determined whether you were upper or low-
er/middle class. Some poeple chose to respect the King, either because they truly be-
lieved him or wanted to keep control of their spot on the social ladder. Others were not so
reluctant to obey the King. In regards to the characters in The Tempest, we also see a re-
lationship between power and social status. To further support the relationship among so-
cial status and power, I examined characters in The Tempest. By doing so, we can better
understand the major conflict within the culture. During the play, we become aware of
Prospero's situation and his anger towards his brother for exiling him on a remote island
for the past twelve years. Throughout the whole play, Prospero is seeking out revenge
against his brother Antonio. The whole purpose is to regain the power Prospero felt is en-
titled to himself. A little ways through the play, we become aware of the situtation and
how Prospero was stripped away from his power. The cycle starts with Antonio and
Alonso overthrowing Prospero. Prospero allowed Antonio to step in his place at first, but
Antonio abuses his power. Instead, Antonio desired more power and felt that he deserved
to be in charge. With that being said, Antonio abuses his power in order to overthrow
Prospero, which he ultimately did in the end. In defense, Prospero is just as power hun-
gry, and finds himself plotting to regain his power that was stolen from him.

Throughout the play, we see many conflicts evolving among the characters that are in re-
sult to their desire for power. Prospero most importantly exemplifies how far he is willing
to go in order to get revenge and claim his title back. There are many turn of events that
spiral out of control from this surge for power. More importantly, I found that the com-
plexity of the relationships in the play resulted with someone finding themselves better
than the other. "Ariel, they charge Exactly is performed; but there's more work".
Throughout the play, Prospero commands the spirt, Ariel, to continuously do tasks for
him in order for his plan to work. We find Prospero making himself seem better than Ari-
el. More importantly, Ariel is performing the tasks for Prospero, obeying everything he
says. If he does not do what he is told, then Prospero will punish him by sending back to
where he came from. Prospero views Caliban as someone who is very beneath himself
and of no importance. He is very important when it comes to Prospero's power. In a way,
Prospero steals rulership of the island from Caliban. Caliban is definetely portrayed as
someone who is second-class to Prospero, showing a master/servent relationship. In order
for Caliban to further his education, he must give up the island. What this relationship
shows how manipulation is a facor when it comes to gaining power for Prospero.

One other conflict is with Antonio and Sebastian over Alonso, "And look how well my
garments sit upon me, Much feater than before. My brother's servants Were then my fel-
lows. Now they are my men" They are plotting to kill him to gain a higher nobility status
and they will get away with killing him as no one would be around to see because they
are on another island therefore they could say he drowned with the ship. This quote also
indicates that the two nobles feel no remorse for the wrongs they did to Prospero. If they
could get rid of Prospero and have no guilty conscience then what's to say they will feel
any emotion to killing Alonso. Suspense is created also through the scenes of Sebastian
and Antonio, the audience are kept guessing to the happenings of their evil plot being car-
ried out to whether or not they will kill the King. A parallel conflict is between Caliban,
Trinculo, Stephano and Prospero, Caliban wants to be freed from Prospero and meets
Trinculo and Stephano who have been strayed upon the island after the sinking of the
kings ship. Caliban talks Trinculo and Stephano into helping him kill Prospero in order
for him to be free; he will reward them by being Stephanos slave.

 Resolution of Conflict in “The Tempest”

The Tempest, like any text, is a product of its context. It is constructed in relation to moral
or ethical concerns of 17th century European Jacobean society. The resolution of conflict
appears 'natural' or an inevitable consequence if regarded in relation to the concerns of its
context. The resolution of conflict in this play incorporates Prospero being returned to his
'rightful' or natural position as Duke of Milan, his daughter Miranda getting married to
Ferdinand, and the party returning to Milan leaving the island to the 'monster', Caliban. The
resolution is a consequence of the concerns of the time, including the idea of the divine
right of kings, courtly love, and colonisation.
 The audience is influenced to believe that it is Prospero who is divinely willed to be Duke,
not Antonio. Thus, the resolution for the confiscation of the throne is justified through the
moral concern of the 'divine right of kings'. The resolution of conflict involves all charac-
ters being returned to their 'natural' position in the structure of society, according to the dis-
courses of the 'great chain of being' and colonisation. At the end of the play Prospero, his
daughter Miranda and Ferdinand return to Milan with the other European characters leav-
ing the island to the monster, Caliban.

Caliban is constructed as the inferior 'other', a different race to the Europeans. He is con-
structed as 'lower' and 'inferior' to the other characters because of his physical difference
and appearance. He is not entirely human and according to the structural and organising
discourse of the 'great chain of being' is at the bottom of the structure. He is described
throughout using animal imagery such as 'tortoise'. His positioning is always low to the
ground, mimicking his position in the class.

Q.2 Discuss in detail the significance of the title of Shakespeare’s Ro-

mantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ans: A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare in

1595/96. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens,
to Hippolyta (the former queen of the Amazons). These include the adventures of four
young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals) who are con-
trolled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is
set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely per-
formed across the world.

The title 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' makes us think that this play by William Shake-
speare will embody an ethereal or fantasy-like quality. The title also tells us that the story
is likely to take place on a summer night that may or may not be the product of a charac-
ter's dream. Let's dive a little deeper into the title's meaning and significance. “A Mid-
summer Night’s Dream” is the most important romantic comedy of Shakespeare’s youth-
ful period. It has plenty of songs, dances and beautiful scenes. It has also the qualities of a
masque or opera. The first and the last acts deal with the realities of the waking day, and
the remanding three acts depict the fanciful life of a dream. It is the moonlight that plays
a very important part in this play. Shakespeare’s Age was the age of love-poetry. Promi-
nence of love was manifest in every walk of life. Naturally therefore, the Shakespearean
comedy was a story of love ending in marriage. The entire atmosphere of a Shakespeare-
an comedy is surcharged with love. The two concepts of love : ‘who ever loved that
loved not at first sight’ and ‘ The course of true love never did run smooth’ are harmoni-
ously and artistically blended together. Besides love between the hero and the heroine
there are several other kinds of love also depicted in his comedies.

Romantic love is the theme of this play. All the four stories represent love from different
points of view. Hermia and Lysander love each other but Hermia’s father wants her to
marry Demetrius. Demetrius loved Helena, but now he loves Hermia. Hermia elopes with
Lysander to the forest. Demetrius follows Hermia, while Helena follows Demetrius. The
situation becomes more complex when Puck makes a great mistake with the love-juice.
As a result, both Lysander and Demetrius love Helena. They become rivals in love. Hele-
na feels insulted and humiliated. Thus we find that the path of true love never runs
smooth. At last, the problem is solved by the magic of love juice. Shakespeare laughs at
the follies and frivolities of romantic love through the Interlude of Pyramus and Thisbe
and the fairy story of Oberon and Queen Titania. This is burlesque presentation of roman-
tic love. The story of Tehseus and Hippolyta presents sober love, which is based on the
consciousness of duties and responsibilities of life. Thus the irrational nature of romantic
love has been set in contrast to sober love which is based on reason and commonsense.
Shakespeare gives his comic view of life through three words – lover, lunatic and poet.
When a man is led away by his fancy or emotion like a lover. He sees Helen’s beauty in
an ugly gypsy, or like a lunatic, he imagines things which do not exist: or like a poet, he
mistakes the world of his imagination as a real. One only a man with sanity, collie reason
and commonsense can control his fancy and emotion. Only such a man can make his lif
happy and successful.

The Oberon – Titania episode provides another romantic element in the play. Oberon,
king of the Fairies, and his queen, Titania, come from the East to prepare for the wedding
of Theseus and Hippolyta. They have a quarrel over an Indian boy. He decides to punish
his wife. He asks puck to bring a magic flower and apply its juice to her eyes. After get-
ting up, she will fall in love with the person whom she first sees. He also asks Puck to
apply it to the eyes of Demetrius so that he will get Helena. But by mistake he applies it
to the eyes of both Demetrius and Lysander. He also transforms by putting the head of an
ass on his shoulders. Then Lysander and Demetrius love Helena and Titania loves Bot-
tom. But at the end Oberon removes the magic spell of the flower ‘love-in-idleness’ and
everything ends well. The Comic under plot of Bottom and his friends also adds to the
romantic effect of this play. Puck transforms him into an ass. Titania falls in love with
him. She kisses his large ears and lulls him to sleep in her arms. Oberon feels pity for her.
He removes the magic spell from her eyes. When she recovers her sense, she begins to
hate him. Then Bottom also restores his natural form and goes back to Athens. Then he
performs the play of “Pyramus and Thisbe” which is full of fun and humour. It is also a
parody of the central theme of this play.

The title also suggests the romantic atmosphere of this play. The title consists of two
parts – A Midsummer Night and Dream. The action of the play belongs to the end of
April and first of May. It was to be performed on 24thJune, which marks the birth of St.
John. That way the words, A Midsummer Night are quite proper and suggest pomp,
show, joy and merry making of the day. Then the magic spell of the love juice on Lysan-
der. Demetrinus, Titania and Bottom creates an atmosphere of dream. The three acts of
this play are full of vagueness, unreality, inconsistencies, extravagancies and impossible
situations, which are possible only in a dream. The elements of masque also add to the
romantic atmosphere of this play. Song, music, dance and beautiful scenes are important
features of a masque. There are six songs in this play: ‘Over hill, over dale’, ‘Weaving
spiders, come not here’, ‘Now until the break of day’ etc. They enrich and strengthen the
emotional appeal. Oberon’s plot advances. Bottom’s song reveals his character and
awakens Titania. It is a world of imagination, which is full of pleasant surprises and acci-
dents. The characters are flexible. They are themselves. They have commonsense, wit,
imagination and deep emotions. The element of universality is present in this comedy.
Shakespeare was not of an age but for all time. His men and women are true to the eternal
facts of human life, and not merely superficial studies of contemporary society. As in his
comedies he maintains a balances between truth and beauty. Neither extreme delight nor
grim sadness, neither joy nor sorrow; neither laughter nor tears could blur his vision.
With the all-pervasive sympathy and boundless love for humanity he filled his comedies
with the pictures of life in its sunniest aspects so much so that even after about four hun-
dred years of their production they are enjoyed all over the world with great enthusiasm.

The lovers in this play are beyond the control of reason and are ruled by passion. They
are rebels against the authority of parents, against friendship and against their own vows.
Thus “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a strange and beautiful web woven delicately by
a youthful poet’s fancy.

Theseus, duke of Athens, has conquered Hippolyta, the Amazon queen, and is about to
wed her. Meanwhile, two lovers, Hermia and Lysander, seek refuge in the forest near
Athens when Hermia’s father demands that she marry Demetrius. Hoping to win Deme-
trius’s favour, Helena tells him their whereabouts and follows him to the forest, where he
goes in search of Hermia. The forest is also full of fairies who have come for the duke’s
wedding. Oberon, the king of the fairies, quarrels with his queen, Titania, and bids his
mischievous servant Puck to drop magic juice into her eyes as she sleeps; his intent is to
punish her for her disobedience by causing her to fall hopelessly in love with whatever
person or creature she happens to see when she awakes. Noting that the human lovers in
the forest are also at odds, he orders Puck to drop the love juice into Demetrius’s eyes so
that Demetrius’s one-time affection for Helena will be restored. Because the two young
Athenian men look much alike, however, Puck mistakenly administers the love juice
to Lysander, who then happens to see Helena when he awakes. He falls hopelessly in
love with her. Now both young men are in love with Helena and neither with the poor de-
serted Hermia. This situation does not make Helena any happier, though. She comes to
the conclusion that they are all making fun of her. Hermia and Helena fall out over this
contretemps, while the young men have become fierce and even would-be murderous ri-
vals of one another for Helena. All is at sixes and sevens.