What is the central concept of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, and how does Shakespeare convey this idea?
Overview
Theme from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shakespeare wrote the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The concept of dreams itself is arguably the most important theme of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Multiple instances of this topic may be found in the text. Some characters view their dreams as exciting adventures, while other others see them more as nightmares.
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream even makes audiences question what they are seeing, implying that the play itself is a kind of dream. Through themes of illusion and reality, mystical and enigmatic components, love, and theatricality, the drama investigates dreams. The conversation between the protagonists frequently refers back to the subject of dreams in order to contextualize their personal experiences.
The Theme of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Set by Hippolyta
Hippolyta, an Amazonian queen, is the first character in the play to bring up the idea of dreaming from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At the start of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hippolyta is scheduled to wed Theseus in four days.
A few more days before the wedding, Theseus laments, but Hippolyta counters, “Four days will rapidly submerge themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time.” (Scene I of Act I). Dreams are a way that Hippolyta uses to accelerate time. This is the play’s first indication that dreams may affect and distort reality, a theme that will be crucial for the rest of the play.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is mostly about love and infatuation between numerous characters, much like many of Shakespeare’s plays. The characters’ genuine sentiments for one another are the source of some of the love depicted in the play. Examples of this true love are as follows:
Lysander and Hermia’s shared love, which drives them to leave Athens and be together,
Despite the fact that Demetrius does not reciprocate Helena’s love
Theseus and Hippolyta appear to be in love, although there has been friction in their relationship in certain plays.
Titania and Oberon appear to really care for one another despite their arguments.
