While the search for balance in the characters' relationships continues, one can also recognize the reoccurring idea of contrast which, in turn, also serves as a form of balancing the opposites. For example, while the four love-struck Athenians are young, beautiful, and eloquent the craftsmen are frumpy, easily confused and clumsy. The young lovers are also extremely serious and the craftsmen are comical, creating some of the play's most entertaining scenes. The craftsmen are completely out of their element in trying to put on a dramatic production and often mess up their lines, while the lovers are naturally well-spoken and graceful. It is obvious that the inexperienced craftsmen take on more than they can handle in choosing to perform the tradgic Pyramus and Thisbe story but their humorous attempt at it also emphasizes the dramatic love tangle between the lovers, while poking fun at it.
The introduction of the fairies and their enchanted realm further the concept of contrast and balance within the three main groups of characters. As mentioned earlier, the lovers are serious and perhaps take themselves a bit too seriously. But Puck and the other fairies are the exact opposite, being merry and lighthearted. The fairies also contrast with the craftsmen in that they are delicate and engage in works of magic and enchantment, while the craftsmen are clumsy and perform manual labor. However, the intertwining and clashing of these three contrasting worlds into one play only adds to the magical and dreamlike aura.
5 comments:
I agree that the bumbling "actors" create some of the best humor in the play- I was laughing out loud while reading their first scene. Although I'm no Shakespeare pro, the writer definitely seems to have a knack for creating very effective contrast and comic humor (like Juliet's nurse) in his plays.
There's also an imbalance in the distribution of love through out the whole play. Helena fawning over Demetrius while he fawns over Hermia, while she fawns over Lysander, who ends up fawning over Helena. Each one of them becomes enamored with someone else.
And inevitably as you said before with the boys both in love with Hermia that too flips to them in love with Helena. So its another imbalance between the four.
The thing that I like most about the bumbling "actors" is in fact their inability to properly perform. They're inexperience is the thing that truly makes them most enjoyable. What's wonderful is just how truly wonderful they think they are. It's an interesting idea about their bumbling attempt at Pyramus and Thisbe as a way of poking fun at the lovers; i never really had seen it that way before.
Emily,
Using the ideas of balance and contrast to explain how three worlds clash together to create such a masterpiece is a wonderful way to break down this piece and appreciate it. Through your thoughts on balance and contrast, I really started to think about the careful tensions that exist in A Midsummer Night's Dream to grasp the reader without allowing a feeling of being too annoyed with the situations or, in contrast, letting the reader completely lack interest. Shakespeare seems to be some kind of wizard when it comes to brewing tension in the most delicious manner for the mind of the reader. For instance, the tension that is created over the hope that Demetrius will love Helena is brought into fruition at the proper degree or level of intensity by making it known to the reader that Demetrius had loved Helena once before.
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