1. What specific changes occur in the evolution of the Pyramus and Thisbe play? Look at the scenes with the workers in 1.2, 3.1, 4.2, and the performance in 5.1. Note (in list form if you like) as many changes as you can find. Do you see connections between these alterations to the Pyramus and Thisby play and the larger action of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Among the more significant subplots in the early parts of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Nick Bottom and the workers’ attempts to stage a production of a play based on the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. The buffoonery the workmen go through in their myriad changes to this play provides comedic counterpoint to the seriousness of the play’s subject matter; Shakespeare intends for us to laugh (just as the audience does in V.I) at the fact these clownish figures are attempting such heavy material.
This has a lot to do with the changes that the workers make to the play. Once the craftsmen all meet up in the woods in order to rehearsal, Nick Bottom simply states that they have to change some parts of the play. Softening the play, in his mind, to cut out the lions' roars and the swordplay would make sure that no ladies would be frightened, which would cause them all to get executed. As a result, they make sure that there is a prologue to state that the lions and swords are fake, and that everything will be all right in the end. Bottom even suggests that, in order to convey that the play takes place at night, that " Some man or other must present Wall: and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisbe whisper" (III.i.24). The workmen also suggest that a man must actually play the wall that Pyramus and Thisbe talk through, and another must play the moonlight. When Bottom finally returns, he tells everyone to avoid eating garlic or onions before they perform, so they can “utter sweet breath” for their audience (IV.ii.36).
The treatment of the Pyramus and Thisbe play by the workers is absolutely a parallel to Shakespeare’s attitude toward the main romantic plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. By making jokes about the serious Pyramus and Thisbe play, this by extension mocks the earnest love that Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius feel for each other, taking an irreverent approach to the genre of romantic theater in general.
2. How do you interpret the fact that Puck does not take the charm off Demetrius's eyes? Maybe Shakespeare doesn't expect us to notice? or do you think he does? Does it make sense in terms of the play? and in terms of the Demetrius-Helena relationship (as opposed to the Lysander-Hermia relationship)? Does it mean Demetrius's love for Helena isn't going to be "real"? If you think it is real, what specifically in Demetrius’s / Helena’s language and character makes you think so?
Puck’s failure to not take the charm off Demetrius’ eyes could be interpreted in any number of ways. Perhaps the simplest explanation is that, since Oberon was the one to charm Demetrius and not Puck, Puck does not necessarily know to lift the charm off him. Earlier in the play, Puck accidentally charms Lysander instead of Demetrius, so it is possible he still has the two confused. The fact that he does not un-charm Demetrius is definitely glossed over in the play, but I do still think the move is intentional; it is the cap on the fairies’ plan to settle the romantic dispute, even if it is through unscrupulous means (like the love potion).
Regardless of Puck’s ignorance, however, it is very important to notice the fact that Demetrius’ love for Helena is false. Helena is unwanted by either man at the start of the play; Demetrius pursues Hermia, who is in love with Lysander, who loves her back. However, Helena holds unrequited love for Demetrius, thus inserting her into the romantic tension of the play. Oberon’s desire to charm Demetrius to settle the score leads him to consider Helena through means other than his own free will; the charm is doing the talking for him.
Given the fact that Hermia is persistently the two men’s chief pursuit throughout the course of the play, before their emotions were altered by the fairies’ intervention, it is safe to say that Demetrius’ sudden change of heart toward Helena is false. While it may give Helena what she wants, and provides the ‘happy ending’ so necessary for plays of this type, the love is untrue since it came under false pretenses. This provides a somewhat dark or cynical undercurrent to the romantic outcomes of the play, which may have been Shakespeare’s intention – as mentioned earlier, he uses this play to take a tongue-in-cheek look at the romantic comedy, and so having the way everything turns out be somewhat unearned is possibly his point.
3. What makes Hippolyta able to see what Theseus cannot, in "the story of the night"? (5.1.23). This is a speculative question, but you should answer by considering all the evidence available to you in the play. Look at all of Hippolyta's other speeches and behavior. What helps to build up the sense of her special capacity revealed in this speech (5.1.23-27), a capacity perhaps unequalled by that of any other character?
Hippolyta is most certainly one of the more interesting characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, despite not having as much to do as, say, the fairies, the workmen and the Athenian lovers. She represents a kind of strict order and sensibility that is unmatched by other characters; while they strut and fret themselves about the sage, Hippolyta is full of wisdom as Queen of the Amazons. She exhibits a great deal of control over her king; as Theseus says in Act I, scene I:
“Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,And won thy love, doing thee injuries;But I will wed thee in another key,With pomp, with triumph and with reveling” (I.i.15-19)
The fact that she can convince him to do things her way is dramatically different from the way things were in Shakespeare’s day; typically, women were meant to be more submissive. To that end, Hippolyta’s strength and ability to run the show is something to be respected and admired.
In Act V, scene I, she imparts a great deal of wisdom to Theseus as well, when he doubts the incredible nature of the lovers’ story. Hippolyta wisely points out that the stories each person told were remarkably similar:
“But all the story of the night told over,And all their minds transfigured so together,More witnesseth than fancy's imagesAnd grows to something of great constancy;But, howsoever, strange and admirable” (V.I. 23-27)
Her stature and power makes it seem as though she has a greater grasp of what is going on around her than Theseus, and her tales of foreign adventure (like the tale she retells of her journey with Hercules and Cadmus) allow her a different perspective that perhaps her Athenian king lacks. It is for these reasons that she can see through to the truth of the lover’s situation.
4. Puck’s last speech inside the play (not counting his epilogue) begins “Now the hungry lion roars . . .” (p. 76, 5.1.363). Who hears this speech? How would you describe its images, its mood, its effects? Why do you think Shakespeare gave Puck these particular lines at this point in the play? In what ways does this speech resonate with other elements of the play?
Puck’s “hungry lion” speech, heard right before Oberon and Titania reenter the stage in Act V, scene II, is only heard by the audience. Unlike the rest of the play, which provides a somewhat happy ending, Puck’s pontificating here seems ominous and portentous; he evokes images of wolves and moons, mentioning shrouds and graves. The atmosphere of his speech lends one to believe it refers to the horrors of the night; he also speaks of spirits (“every one lets forth his sprite”) and contemplation of death (“remembrance of a shroud”) (V.ii.370, 373). At the same time, he also notes the role of fairies like him – they adore and look forward to the coming night – and his job is to make sure that this “hallowed house” is clean before Oberon and Titania arrive (V.I.379). Overall, Puck’s speech seems somewhat a spooky note to introduce into the play this late in the game.
There are several reasons why Shakespeare would include this speech in the play. For one, as previously mentioned, there is a subversive undercurrent to the happy ending provided by the main plot – everyone is together, has a mate, and is happy. However, Demetrius’ love for Helena is false due to the tears, and Bottom and the workmen are deluded as to the reason they delighted people so during their performance. Many of these people are living lies in some form or another, and Puck’s dark speech makes this seedy subtext manifest. Puck reminds us that, at the end of the day, these characters will die just as we all do, so we should not forget that just because we have had so much fun watching or reading this play. It also provides a bit of metatextual establishment for the audience – the play is about over, night is about to fall, and he and the fairies are ‘cleaning up’ the stage of actors, plot and staging before the play itself ends. Given Puck’s later speech to the audience about the content of the play itself, this kind of breaking of the fourth wall is not unwelcome or unexpected.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
