A Midsummer Night's Dream Essay

The Stationers Company published the romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare. The play opens with Theseus, the Duke of Athens planning festivities for his upcoming wedding with Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. The main plot involves two sets of couples (Hermia and Lysander, and Helena and Demetrius) whose love for each other is unbalanced. Their troubles become complicated after entering the fairyland forest where the king and queen of the fairies (Oberon and Titania) inhabit. Robin Goodfellow, a puck in Oberon’s service, performs the majority of his mischief on Nick Bottom and his gang of workmen, and between the four lovers. Shakespeare uses Oberon and Robin to develop the theme of magic which symbolizes the mystical powers of love and a fantasy world.

Robin causes a small uproar among the workmen after magically bestowing a donkey’s head upon Nick Bottom. In Act 3, Bottom and the other men meet in the forest to rehearse a play they are preparing for Theseus on his wedding day. While strolling through the forest, Robin overhears the group rehearsing, and thought that Bottom was “a stranger Pyramus than e’er played here” (III.i.87). Moments later he transformes Bottom’s head into a donkey’s, causing the group of workmen to believe they “are haunted” (III.i.105). For entertainment, Bottom chases the men around the forest, chanting “I’ll follow you…[t]hrough bog, through bush, through break, through brier” (III.i.107-9). In this scene, Shakespeare demonstrates Bottom using magic to ridicule the unintelligent workmen, an event only plausible in a fantasy world.

Robin also uses magic to create a romance conflict between the four lovers. In Act 2, Oberon informs his servant about a “sweet Athenian lady (Helena) in love with a disdainful youth (Demetrius),” who does not reciprocate her feelings (II.i.268-9). In an attempt to solve their predicament, he requests for Robin to “[a]noint [Demetrius’] eyes” with the nectar of a magical flower, so that he may love Helena in return (II.i.269). However, when Robin identifies Demetrius by the “[w]eeds of Athens he doth wear,” he doesn’t realize that it is the wrong man, and unwittingly uses the magic on Lysander. To make matters worse, Oberon treats Demetrius with the nectar of the same flower. This mistake creates a major misunderstanding between Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius. Due to the mystical powers of the nectar, Lysander and Demetrius awake, see Helena and immediately fall in love with her. Both Helena and Hermia are left dumbfounded as both men plea their love to Helena. Shakespeare uses the flower’s nectar as a symbol of the supernatural power of love.

Robin’s use of magic keeps peace between Demetrius and Lysander. As a result of Robin’s error, Demetrius and Lysander prepare themselves to sword fight to the death for Helena’s love. The two men venture into the forest to find a proper location for a battle. Robin foils their attempt to slay the other when he uses his magic to mimic the voices of Demetrius and Lysander. When one of the men calls out for the other, Robin would respond, “Here, villain, drawn and ready. Where art thou?” Robin continues this routine until both men become exhausted and fall to the ground to rest. In this scene, Shakespeare creates an audience-pleasing moment when he uses the magic of Robin to create a humorous yet life saving deed.

Oberon and his servant use magic efficiently to resolve the tension they create. In Act 3, Oberon and Robin discover they had “laid the love juice on some true-love’s sight,” and decide to correct their mistakes (III.ii.91). At nightfall, Robin found Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius sleeping peacefully on the forest floor. There, he sang, “On the ground sleep sound. I’ll apply to your eye gentle lover remedy,” and applies nectar from a remedial flower to Lysander’s eyes (III.ii.477-81). Robin declares “all shall be well” after his application of the remedy (III.ii.492-3). When the four lovers awake the next morning, Theseus and Hippolyta are there to greet them. The men claim their true love (Demetrius for Helena and Lysander for Hermia), and Theseus announces “these couples shall be eternally knit,” alongside he and his wife later that evening. Shakespeare ends the conflict with the healing magic of Robin to put his audience at ease.

Oberon and Robin develop Shakespeare’s theme of magic that symbolizes the supernatural powers of love and a fantasy world. There is a fantasy world aspect in the theme of magic, and is exemplified by Robin’s actions in the forest. His mischief among the workmen, and his trickery to recreate the voices of Lysander and Demetrius provided humor for the audience. The supernatural power of love is represented by the flower and its magical love nectar. Oberon and Robin’s misuse of magic causes chaos when Robin mistakenly applies the love nectar to Lysander’s eyes, but is ultimately used in a productive manner to resolve the tension among the four lovers. A Midsummer Night’s Dream combines true love and comedy to form a very enjoyable play to read and view.