THEMES

Presented to: Ma’am Khola

Presented by: Maria, Hafsa, Wajiha and Asif

Theme of Magic

•The use and misuse of magic has

an important role in A Midsummer

Night’s Dream.

•As a reoccurring theme.

•Puck’s use of magic creates –

humor, conflict, balance in the

play.

Magic 1:

• Puck is introduced, epitomizing the very nature of magic

in the play.

• Puck –fairy with special powers

• transform his voice and appearance

• so that he may "lurk in gossip bowls" and cause mischief.

• His conversation with the fairy is very magical and fantastical and

sets the scene for the rest of the play.

•Titania's story of the origin of the Indian boy

is very fantastical in nature.

• She talks about magical events in nature

and immortality.

• Immortality is a magical characteristic that

only the fairies possess.

• Oberon tells Puck of the magic flower juice

•that when placed on sleeping eyelids,

makes that person fall in love with the first

creature it sees upon awakening.

• The flower is magical because it was hit by

one of Cupid's arrows

•Contains this fantastical love-transforming

juice.

• Oberon places the magic juice on Titania's eyes to play a

trick on her.

• Here, magic is used as a tool for him to get what he

wants: the Indian boy.

• When Lysander awakens, he falls in love magically with

Helena, fantastically forgetting Hermia.

• This transformation is only due to the magic flower juice

mistakenly placed on his eyelids by Puck.

• Magic 6: to cause mischief

• Puck sees the silly production of Pyramus and Thisbe

and plans to cause mischief.

•

•He follows Puck

and transforms

Bottom's head into

that of a donkey.

•This

transformation

scares away the

other players;

however, Bottom is

unaware of his

change.

•Puck is ordered to correct the wrong done

because of the magical mistakes.

• He uses his magical powers of voice

transformation and invisibility to trick the

Athenian men into a slumber.

•He then places more magic juice in the

eyes of Lysander in order to correct the

wrongs.

•Magic 8:

• Oberon rids Titania of the magic spell and

she awakens thinking she was dreaming.

•Puck removes the donkey head from

Bottom by magic, as well.

•Everything goes back to normal, after

everything has been mended because of

the fairies and magic.

• Magic 9:

• The play concludes with the fairies

singing and Puck addressing the

audience.

•The ending is magical and leaves the

audience with a fantastical sentiment.

•Their mystical presence is magical as

they bless the newlyweds.

•Shakespeare uses magic both to embody the

almost supernatural power of love

(symbolized by the love potion) and to create a

surreal world.

•Although the misuses of magic causes chaos,

,magic ultimately resolves the play’s tensions by

restoring love to balance among the quarter of

Athenian youths.

• Disorder in the beginning of play

• Night symbolize disorder and irrationality

• Day symbolizes order and rationality

• The migration of characters in the woods leads to

disorder and their return to city leads to order.

• In the start hermia’s revolt against her father creates

disorder in the play

• Accepted canons of social behavior are disrupted when

the two lovers(lysander and Hermia) flee to the forest.

• “Senseless things begin to do them wrong”

• The confusion caused by the effects of the misapplied

love juice.

• Magic juice causes illusions and distracted them

• Full of sharp contradictions

• The comic and contradictory placing of Demetrius when

he said “o Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine,”

• Lysander’s exaggerated praise for Helena

• The confusion, the contradictions increase in intensity

• Supernatural intervention

• Oberon gave commands to restore order and indicating

that Tiania also will be released from delusion

• With the dawn of day, order is again established

• Lovers return to the city happily married

• Events of night seem to be a mere midsummer night’s

dream.

• Contrasts of character, mood and language

• Colors chasing as well as blending

• Light standing out against the shade

• Full of visual contrasts

• Night and day

• City and woods

• Human and superhuman

• Not necessarily what they seem to be

• Explained through title

• Created by Shakespeare consciously

- Set at night in woods

- Moonlight; changes appearances

- Characters frequently fall asleep

- Under a spell – dreamlike state

- Fairies

• Different perceptions of reality

• Extend to the characters

• Perceives reality according to his circumstances

- Puck – world full of fools

- Theseus – fairies are not real

- Lysander – love without fight isn’t true

• Interest in working of dreams

- events without explanation

- loss of sense of time

- occurrence of impossible

• Wants to recreate – imaginations, reflections, dreams.

• Take readers away from reality

• Start of the play

“I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what

dream it was.”

- Bottom

• Characters talk about it as ‘dreams’

• End of the play

“If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended:

That you have but slumbered here,

While these visions did appear”

- Robin

• If offended – should consider it as a dream

• Dreams and imaginations – useful as reason

• Everyone’s sense of reality – different

• Gender tensions- familial and romantic.

• Young woman fights father.(Hermia-Egeus)

• King and the queen of fairies.(Oberan –Titania)

• Stereotypes about the gender roles.

• Man-aggressive, woman-passive.

• Gendered argument.

• Lysander and Demetrius- valid madness.

• Women – different view of reality.

• Tale of triumphant and enduring love.

• Powerful male characters.

• Male reign supreme.

• Woman subhuman status.

• Theseus and Hippolyta- act of violance, superior strength and warrior minded tactics.• “wooed thy my sword”.

• Property-less like people- want dutiful daughter.(Egeus’s)• “turned her obedience which is due to me..”

• Interchangeable names- similar sounding names – women all same and substitutable.• (Titania, Hermia, Helena)

• Emphasis on physical attributes by women-no more

value.

• “Call you me fair? That fair again unsay. Demetrius loves you fair.”

• Women pettily insulting each other- Hermia had small

stature.

• Hypolyta- female pwer, independence.

• Conqured by Theseus-female subdued.

• Stronger female character.

• Female complaints to each other.

• End- marry happily – gendered stereotype is secure.

• Women’s role negotiated.

• Castle – masculine world, forest- female gossip.

• Bottom’s head in to of ass.

• Physical and emotional changes.

• Fall in and out of love

• Love can transform anyone into a blind fool.

• Transformation- human beings are foolish.

• Bottom behaving like a donkey.

• Transformation effects our perception of reality.

• Transformation in love due to gender differences.

• Transformation from the real worked to the world of

fairies.

• Only men change, women just get angry.