Discussion Topic
Climactic and Dramatic Elements in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Summary:
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the climax occurs in Act 3, Scene 2, when the love potion causes confusion among the lovers, leading to intense confrontations. This pivotal moment highlights the theme of reality versus illusion, especially with Bottom's transformation into a donkey and Titania's enchantment. The play resolves on May Day, a time traditionally associated with spirits and fertility, bringing the lovers back to their rightful pairs and celebrating the unions. The play ends with a comic performance and a fairy blessing, emphasizing harmony and joy.
What is the most important line in act 1, scene 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
To some extent, the answer to this question depends on your personal opinion. However, you must keep in mind the purpose of this scene as you try to think about which line is the most important. This scene is really about establishing the personalities of the craftsmen who will be performing in the play within a play. Since the most important of these characters is Bottom, the most important line should be one that reveals something about his character.
Bottom has many lines that show what a buffoon he is. You could pick almost any one of them. My pick is this line:
I will aggravate my voice so, that I
will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar(75)
you an't were any nightingale.
This line shows perfectly who Bottom is because it is a silly concept to begin with (he'll roar gently while playing a...
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lion so he doesn't scare the women) and because he makes mistakes ("sucking dove") while doing so. This really shows us what his character is like.
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, what is the climax of Act 3?
The climax provided in Act 3 occurs when Bottom’s head is replaced with that of an ass, and the anointed lovers gather together, argue, and fall asleep.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is broken up into two subplots that have a scene in Act 3. In most Shakespeare plays, Act 3 serves up the climax, in its place in the traditional plot diagram, with Act 1 providing the exposition, Act 2 the rising action, Act 4 the falling action, and Act 5 the resolution. Remember that the climax is the turning point in a play, where the characters cannot return to where they were before. It is also the most exciting or interesting part.
Act 3, Scene 1
In the first subplot, we have the craftsmen. They are rehearsing their play within a play in the woods. Bottom wanders off, and when he returns his head has been replaced with that of an ass!
BOTTOM:
Why do they run away? This is a knavery of them(105)
to make me afeard.
[Re-]enter Snout
SNOUT:
O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see on
thee? (Act 3, Scene 1)
Puck is having some fun with him, because the “rude mechanicals” are getting too close to Titania, Queen of the Fairies. The other craftsmen are frightened and run off screaming. Bottom is sad, and has no idea why. He remains in the woods. This is important, because now he is in the world of the fairies, and will remain with Titania.
The significance of this scene as a climax is that Bottom is not among the actors anymore, and they think their play is lost. It’s a turning point for him personally, because he is about to go on a wild ride.
Act 3, Scene 2
One of the keys to this play is that the wrong people seem to have fallen in love. Puck, the mischievous magical being, is in the forest in Act 3 with Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius. He is trying to anoint the lovers’ eyes to make them fall in love.
Hermia is supposed to marry Demetrius, but it is actually Helena who likes Demetrius. Helena likes Lysander. Puck was supposed to anoint Demetrius’s eye, and instead he put the love potion on Lysander, thus causing Lysander to fall in love with Helena, instead of Demetrius. This confuses Helena to no end, and she assumes that he is making fun of her, since he is supposed to be deeply in love with Hermia.
You do advance your cunning more and more.
When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!(130)
These vows are Hermia's. Will you give her o'er? (Act 3, Scene 2)
When Demetrius wakes up and also tries to profess his love for Helena, she thinks he is teasing her too and gets really distraught. When Hermia comes in and also tries to talk to her, it does no good. She’s convinced they are all out to get her and it’s a vast conspiracy. You can kind of see her point. The two guys are professing that they are madly in love with her, acting very strangely, and Hermia keeps asking what’s wrong, unable to figure out why Lysander is interested in Helena now.
Naturally, Helena and Hermia begin to argue.
HERMIA:
O me! you juggler! you cankerb lossom!
You thief of love! What! Have you come by night,
And stolen my love's heart from him? (Act 3, Scene 2)
In the end, everyone gets tired! Demetrius and Lysander decide the only way to settle this is the manly way, with a duel. They run off to fight and eventually fall asleep (that was Puck’s plan). Hermia chases Helena until they fall asleep. Once they are all asleep, Puck breathes a sigh of relief, glad that he can anoint again so that they fall in love with the right people this time. If at first you don’t succeed, anoint, anoint, again!
This is the turning point because the lovers were at an impasse. Fortunately, Puck’s interference is at an end. Their strange behavior, and their own personalities, both contributed to the conflict. When the wrong lovers were paired (or en-triangled), chaos ensued. It might also have been a lesson to Puck to get his facts straight before he went around anointing people with his love juice. Still, he enjoyed the chaos that ensued while it lasted, and at the high point at the end of Act 3 things were about as wild and crazy as they could get before, in grand Shakespearean fashion, everyone fell asleep!
What is the most important part of act 3, scene 1 in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
The pivotal moment in Act 3, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's Dream
is the moment in which Puck transforms Bottom's head into the head of a donkey.
This is an important moment because it serves to characterize
Bottom and to illustrate the central theme of reality
vs. illusion.
Turning Bottom into a donkey serves to characterize Bottom
through the use of an extended pun. Bottom is a weaver, and like the other
mechanicals, his name symbolizes the work he does. In this instance, his name
refers to the "bottom, or skein" that yarn is wound around ("Bottom (Character
Analysis)"). However, while most scholars deny it, Cedric Watts of Sussex
University argues that his name was also recognized in the Elizabethan era to
refer to backside or posterior. In addition, a slang term for
a donkey is an ass, which is also a slang term used to refer to, not
only to the backside, but also to a particularly stubborn, ridiculous,
and foolish person. Hence, turning Bottom into the proverbial ass is an
extended pun on his name, making his name refer to three things at once: a
skein of yarn, the posterior, and a stubborn and ridiculous person. Bottom can
be characterized as a stubborn and ridiculous person because he is conceited
and has visions of being able to give a grand performance, as we see in his
lines, "If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move storms"
(I.ii.22-23). However, despite his vision, the reality is that he is too poorly
educated and too unskilled to be able to give the performance he envisions, as
we see in his rehearsal, which is why Puck feels inspired to characterize him
as the proverbial ass.
Puck's characterization of Bottom as the proverbial ass also serves to
illustrate the central theme of reality vs.
illusion. As it has already been mentioned, Puck is pointing out
Bottom's conceit and the reality that Bottom is actually an uneducated,
unskilled, ridiculous performer. In addition, since Titania falls in love with
Bottom as a donkey, this also serves to illustrate the theme of reality vs.
illusion. In reality, Titania would never fall in love with something as
grotesque as a man with a donkey's head nor would she fall in love with someone
as ridiculous as Bottom. But Titania has been enchanted by Oberon; therefore,
her worst fantasies or worst illusions have become a reality for her, which was
Oberon's aim, as we see in his lines, "And with the juice of this [flower] I'll
streak her eyes, / And make her full of hateful fantasies"
(II.i.262-263).
Therefore, Puck turning Bottom into a donkey is the pivotal moment in Act 3,
Scene 1 because it serves to characterize Bottom and to illustrate a central
theme.
What is the climax of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
The climax of A Midsummer Night's Dream is act 3, scene 2. The climax is the point at which all of the tension in a story culminates—when the drama gets most intense.
In act 3, scene 2 of this play, the four human lovers, Demetrius, Helena, Lysander, and Hermia, all confront one another. Oberon’s servant Puck was supposed to put a love potion into Demetrius’ eyes so he falls in love with Helena, but he accidentally put it in Lysander’s eyes. When Oberon realizes this, he puts the potion in Demetrius’s eyes. Because of this mix-up, both Demetrius and Lysander fall in love with Helena when they wake up.
The climax comes in this scene because now, both Demetrius and Lysander are chasing Helena around and she cannot understand why. She thinks they are making fun of her and it is all a big joke. Fed up with them all, she exclaims,
O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment.
Meanwhile, Hermia is very upset, because she cannot believe that Lysander is being mean to her. She and Lysander are in love with one another, so his sudden change in behavior shocks her. Hermia begins to fight with Helena, and Demetrius and Lysander are on the brink of physical confrontation.
Ripe with confusion, misunderstanding, and tension, this argument between all four of the lovers is definitely the most intense scene in the play. It all gets resolved at the end of the scene when Oberon has Puck separate the men and then puts a potion in Lysander’s eyes to counteract the other one. But despite the role that magic played in this confusion, Puck still makes an insightful observation in this scene when he sees Lysander pursuing Helena and says:
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
How does A Midsummer Night's Dream end?
A Midsummer Night's Dream ends with the four human lovers, now properly sorted out, returning to Athens. Theseus finds their story improbable and thinks it must have been a dream. Hippolyta, however, finds it impossible they could have all had the same dream. Theseus allows the wedding of Hermia and Lysander to take place. The entire last act is a wedding celebration, primarily for Theseus and Hippolyta, but also for Hermia and Lysander and Helena and Demetrius.
Given several choices of entertainment, Theseus lets the mechanicals stage their version of Pyramus and Thisbe. Although the play is a tragedy, it takes on a festive and comic tone as the mechanicals overact, stop to address the audience, are spoken to by the audience, and in general show their incompetence. This performance provides lighthearted and zany entertainment.
At the very end, as night once again falls, the fairies take over the palace for their own celebration once the humans have gone. Titania and Oberon bless the marriages, promising the couples will be happy and will produce healthy children.
At the very end, Puck has the last word, addressing the audience with a choice: if they don't like or are offended by what they have just seen, they should simply treat it as a dream.
Why does May Day climax Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Actually, the dawning of May Day brings the play's resolution. The climax is
the most intense part of the story that incites the greatest emotional response
from the reader/viewer. During the climax, we begin to see the resolution take
place, but we have not yet reached the true moment of resolution. The climax
occurs on May Day eve.
The climax occurs at the height of Puck's mischievous mix up. Puck has already
confused Lysander for Demetrius and made Lysander fall in love Helena instead
of Hermia. Now, at the climax, Oberon is witnessing the affects of Puck's
mistake, such as the intense arguments between all four lovers, especially
Helena's accusations of the two men and of her best friend. Oberon expresses
the consequences of Puck's mistake well when he says that the result of his
mistake is that now a true love has been broken up rather than a true love
having been created, as we see in his lines, "Of thy misprision must perforce
ensue / Some true love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true"
(III.ii.91-92).
The reason why this climax involving the enchanment of the lovers takes place
on the eve of May Day is that, as literary critic Northrop Frye points out, May
Day eve was once recognized as one of the spooky nights of the year. People in
Shakespeare's time and before expected spirits, such as the fairies, to be
present on that night, performing either "benevolent or malignant" deeds
("Mythological Background," eNotes.com). Hence, Elizabethan viewers of A
Midsummer Night's Dream would recognize it as traditional tale about
spooks on one of the spooky nights of the year.
The resolution begins when Puck sets about fixing his mistake and it continues
with the lovers being found in the woods that morning, coupled correctly. The
reason that the resolution occurs on May Day is that May Day has always been a
day that celebrated fertility, and as literary critic Shirley Nelson Garner
points out, Shakespeare's play can definitely be seen as a fertility rite that
celebrates coupling and sexuality.
Hence, the climax takes place on the eve of May Day because the night was
traditionally recognized as a night in which spirits are mischievous, and the
resolution takes place on May Day in honor of celebrating fertility.
What events lead up to the climax in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
The rising action of A Midsummer Night's Dream is pretty straightforward, though we follow three separate groups throughout the play. At the beginning we meet the lovers—Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius. Helena is in love with Demetrius, who loves Hermia. Hermia loves Lysander and the two decide to run away together when Hermia's father tries to force her to marry Demetrius. Helena tells Demetrius that they're planning to run away, and when Demetrius chases after them in search of Hermia, Helena follows him. Then we meet the "rude mechanicals" as they prepare a play for Theseus' wedding. They plan to rehearse in the forest, where we also meet the fairies. The king and queen of the fairies are arguing over a child that the queen, Titania, has in her keeping. Oberon, the king of the fairies, wants the child for himself, but Titania refuses to give the boy up.
Oberon's sprite-like servant Puck sees the lovers running through the woods, chasing after one another—Hermia with two men on her trail, and Helena neglected. Puck and Oberon decide to intervene, but Puck mistakenly casts a spell on both Lysander and Demetrius, which makes them fall in love with Helena. Hermia, appalled at this, tries to persuade Lysander to come back to her. When he refuses, Hermia turns on Helena and they fight in the woods. Meanwhile, as the rude mechanicals rehearse in the forest, Puck casts a spell on their lead actor, Bottom, turning him into a donkey. He also casts a spell on Titania as she sleeps, and when she wakes she falls in love with Bottom. They dally away together. Eventually, all the lovers fall asleep in the forest, and Oberon and Puck decide to set things right. They leave Demetrius under the spell (that way he remains in love with Helena), but they return Lysander back to his former affection for Hermia.
Which scenes in A Midsummer Night's Dream contain the most dramatic elements?
The answer to this question is not straightforward, because every staging of the play is different. Some productions are quite spare and minimalistic, using only a bare stage and a small collection of hand props, relying on the words of the play, and sometimes creative lighting and costume, to evoke atmosphere, while other productions are more lush, using set design as an integral element.
The scenes set in the forest are often staged with limited scenery; often just lighting creates the effect of sunlight through leaves and perhaps a backdrop of trees. The purple flower and potion can be mimed or used as small hand props. The scene that is often most elaborately staged is the final wedding, as it has the most inherent possibility for elaborate costumes and spectacle.
For movement, many directors imagine the fairy world as one that is choreographed and contains dance-like elements. Puck's character is often performed in an acrobatic style and the fairy characters distinguished from mere humans by their graceful or stylized movements. The rustics are also often characterized by the use of physical comedy, an exaggerated slapstick that differs as much from the ordinary movement of the young lovers in its staged clumsiness as the fairies differ from ordinary mortals in their grace and coordination.
Which scenes in A Midsummer Night's Dream use dramatic elements like voice and movement?
Acts 2 and 3 of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's
Dream are generally known to contain the most elements of
drama since these are the acts in which the climax and resolution
occur. In addition, these are the scenes that take place in the mysterious
woods with the fairies. Shakespeare uses the woods as a
complex symbol to represent an escape from moral corruption in
the city of Athens, while at the same time the woods are a wild, mysterious,
and dangerous place full of its own corruption.
In act 2, we learn a great deal about what the costuming might
look like based on the dialogue spoken by the characters. The elements
of drama include literary elements, technical elements, and
performance elements; costuming is considered a
technical dramatic element ("Elements of Drama,"
English Language Unit, Gulf University for Science and Technology). One example
of a line of dialogue that reveals information about costuming is seen in the
opening speech of the unnamed fairy Puck converses with. In the final lines of
the speech, the unnamed fairy realizes he recognizes who Puck is and asks him
to confirm his identity, ending with the following comment:
Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck,
You do their work, and they shall have good luck.
Are not you he? (2.1.40-42)
The word hobgoblin is particularly revealing
because, according to folklore, a hobgoblin is a small, hairy
man that helps out with household chores while the family of the house
is asleep and is very fond of practical jokes. Hence, the word
hobgoblin indicates to the director what the character Puck
might look like.
Also revelatory in terms of costuming and
scenery, both technical elements of drama, is the following
stage direction:
Enter Oberon at one door, with his Train, and Titania, at another with hers. (2.1)
Since Oberon and Titania are the fairy king and queen, this stage direction
informs the director that the two characters should be all dressed up in
full regalia accompanied in full
attendance.
Symbols can also be important literary elements that function
as dramatic elements as well as technical elements since props can be used as
symbols. One important symbolic prop for acts 2 and 3 is the
magic flower that is used to create the love spells that
generate the central conflict of the play. Oberon describes the flower as once
having been "milk-white, now purple with love's wound," because Cupid once
missed his aim with an arrow, which hit the flower rather than the maiden he
was aiming for (2.1.167). The flower not only represents the mystery and magic
present in the two acts but also the instability and fickleness of love, a
major theme in the play.
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