Shakespeare at a Glance
Shakespeare is the most popular dramatist and poet of the Western world; his works have transcended time and are still enjoyed by the world as masterpieces of the English language. One of his most famous works is A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play about love. There are some reasons that this play is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. One reason is his ability to create complex and fascinating characters. Shakespeare's grasp on human emotion, and his ability to summarize complex feelings both simply and elegantly, made his characters striking in personality. In A Midsummer Night's Dream the characters feel real, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and flaws which is one of the reasons that A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's best. Another reason that A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare finest works is his use of theme and motif. Within the play there are certain messages that the author wants us to hear, and even though Shakespeare wrote these for people in the past, many of these themes still apply to us today. He uses motifs to support the themes that he wants to get across to us. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play concerning love, his understanding of human emotion provides some important themes that can be taken to heart even today. A final reason is Shakespeare's mastery of the English language. In all of Shakespeare's works he uses words to make things come alive, and this can be seen in A Midsummer Night's Dream as well. Shakespeare is one of the greatest authors of all time, and A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of his best works; definitely worth reading.
Connections To Real Life
There are a two main ways that I see Shakespeare connecting A Midsummer Night's Dream to real life. One of those ways is his favorite literary device, a play within a play.
"Now call forth your actors by a scroll. Masters, spread yourselves."
Many of Shakespeare's plays contain this literary device of a play within a play as it is one of his favorites. But I think that Shakespeare is trying to do more than add another plot to the play, I think that Shakespeare is trying to teach us something and that, through this device, he is trying to magnify the similarities between a play and real life.
"All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely actors."
One of Shakespeare's most popular quotes, for me says the same thing as a play within a play. That the world is a stage, and its inhabitants actors. Through this I see A Midsummer Night's Dream connection to the real world. The second way I see Shakespeare connecting A Midsummer Night's Dream to real life is through his use of dreams, and more specifically Puck's parting speech.
"If we shadows have offended think but this and all is mended that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear."
Dreams used in A Midsummer Night's Dream mainly to describe something indescribable or something that is impossible. This is seen within the play when mortals are affected by magic, but in the last scene of the play, Puck addresses the readers directly. He says that if you were offended, then just think of this whole experience as a dream. Through this action, he is extending the motif of dreams beyond the play and into the real world. In these two ways, I see Shakespeare connecting his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, to the real world.
"Now call forth your actors by a scroll. Masters, spread yourselves."
Many of Shakespeare's plays contain this literary device of a play within a play as it is one of his favorites. But I think that Shakespeare is trying to do more than add another plot to the play, I think that Shakespeare is trying to teach us something and that, through this device, he is trying to magnify the similarities between a play and real life.
"All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely actors."
One of Shakespeare's most popular quotes, for me says the same thing as a play within a play. That the world is a stage, and its inhabitants actors. Through this I see A Midsummer Night's Dream connection to the real world. The second way I see Shakespeare connecting A Midsummer Night's Dream to real life is through his use of dreams, and more specifically Puck's parting speech.
"If we shadows have offended think but this and all is mended that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear."
Dreams used in A Midsummer Night's Dream mainly to describe something indescribable or something that is impossible. This is seen within the play when mortals are affected by magic, but in the last scene of the play, Puck addresses the readers directly. He says that if you were offended, then just think of this whole experience as a dream. Through this action, he is extending the motif of dreams beyond the play and into the real world. In these two ways, I see Shakespeare connecting his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, to the real world.