Fools in Midsummer Night Dream
The literary tool known as mirroring helps to emphasize a particular point or idea by repeating it throughout the text. In William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare mirrors the element of foolishness to bring together three very different worlds; the romantic world of the aristocratic lovers, the workday world of the tradesmen, and the fairy world of Titania and Oberon. As result, Shakespeare creates a world of silly people acting in nonsensical fashion and it is this dream like behavior, which serves as the driving force for the play. In the Aristocratic world, it is the young teenage lovers, Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena are who are made to look foolish. Demetrius is a fool because he is unaware that his love changes throughout the course of the play. At the start of the play, Demetrius does not love Helena and states, "I love thee not, therefore pursue me not." (A2, S2, L194) Instead of acting like the courtly lover he should be, he is cruel and mean to Helena. However after Demetrius is "juiced" he begins to love Helena and declares, "Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none. If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone. My heart to her but as guest- wise sojourned, And now to Helen is
Despite their supernatural nature, both Titania and Oberon, the king and queen of the ferries, can not avoid acting foolishly. Oberon is shown to be a fool because he of his jealous nature. When Both he and Titania first appear in the play they are involved in a lovers' quarrel. Oberon has become quite jealous and incensed over a child which Titania has "crown with flowers, and makes him all her joy." (A1, S2, L96) The argument continues and Oberon allows himself to become so full of "fell and wrath" (A2, S1, L20) that his wife can longer stand his presence or risk some "chide if longer [she] stay."(A2, S1, L145) Oberon then childishly remarks and will, "not from this grove. Till [he] torment thee for this injury." (A2, S1, L 146) Oberon is thus proven foolish by his intense jealousy and his childish need for attention. "What fools these mortals be" (A3, S1 L115) is a statement made by Puck and it is echoed in Shakespeare's mirroring of foolishness in each of the three different worlds. He creates a commonality between them and draws the characters into a greater world, a world of "lovers and madmen (who) have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends." (A5, S1 L4-6) It is such foolishness that A Midsummer Night's Dream is all about, as it is a play so absurd and full of discord that it could have very well be just a dream.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Titania Oberon, L137-141 Titania, Helena Demetrius, S1 L115, Bottom Puck, AI S1L, Helena Helena, L164-165 Lysander, Demetrius Helena, A2 S1L220-222, a1 s1, a3 s1, love helena, demetrius love, a2 s1, hermia risk death, a5 s1, love a2, proven foolish, mine estate, unto demetrius, mine estate unto, steal forth thy, midsummer night's dream, estate unto demetrius,
Approximate Word count = 1344
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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