Throughout each of Shakespeare’s dramas, the thematic inclusion of mistaken identities, hidden identities, and deceptive identities permeates many of the conflicts between the characters. While many times these characters experience a transformation in identity, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual, these transformations reflect the concept of an ever-changing society. As I once heard, “nothing is constant except change itself” – a phrase that is undeniably indicative of all of Shakespeare’s dramas.
Shakespeare’s dramas are filled with points of view, ideas, and notions that cause its audiences to question their points of view, experience other points of view and possibly, to “transform” their points of view accordingly. A Midsummer Night’s Dream assimilates this concept of transformation with images of vision and appearance, dreams, and that of a fantasy world that augments and characterizes the transformation of a particular character, scene, or the entire play.
Appearance and physical vision plays one of the most important roles in defining this play and its characters. A Midsummer Night’s Dream begins with Hermia wishing that her “father look’d but with [her] eyes. ” Although this reference to eyes mainly eludes to her father looking at Lysander in the way that she looks at him, – such at with the heart and soul – this reference to eyes seem to possess materialistic implications.
With reference to Egeuses accusations against Lysander in which Lysander supposedly has “stol’n the impression of [Hermia’s] fantasy with bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits, knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats – messengers of strong prevailment in unhardened youth”; it seems Egeus has a fetish for materialism; he does not see these gifts as love tokens as does Hermia but merely as love bribes. He sees with his physical eyes what is on the outside instead of looking also on the inside with emotional eyes.
In trying to force Hermia’s submission to his ideas of love and seemingly sustain his superego, it may be that Egeus is experiencing a conflict in his identity causing his conflict to pour over into other identity conflicts, such as the confused “love square” consisting of Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and “helpless little” Helena. While I would not afford much to faith into Egeuses concepts of love, Theseus and Demetrius seem to conform to his standards of marriage, which is based not on true love, but merely manly materialism and social status.
This is shown when Lysander feels he must compete materialistically by saying, “I am, my lord, as well deriv’d as he, as well possess’d; my love is more than his. ” This statement seems to imply that Egeus prefers Demetrius because of his assumed materialistic endowments and his social status and thus, Lysander must compete with the physical, such as possessions and status, but not love. This scene furthers the implication that everyone struggles with the conflict between that they feel and what they see. In the end as nature would have it, true love dominates false pretenses.
From the very first scene and conversation in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the notion of dreams foreshadows the major underlying concept of the play, the suggestion that it is all merely a dream. Hippolyta and Theseus are conversing about their excitement over their wedding and their wedding night and how difficult it is to “pass the time. ” Hippolyta encourages them by saying, “Four nights will quickly dream away the time. ” There’s that word “dream. ” Hippolyta seems to use the word dream here as a medicine, a way of coping with their impatience.
Just as it helps the king and queen’s impatience, it is also the healing source that brings about the balance of love among the humans. Through the “healing” power of dreams, identity transformations occur, not once, but many times throughout the play, first, with Theseus and Hippolyta, then within the “love square” when all of them “dream away” their confused love for one another. Furthermore, Puck alludes to the play as a dream when he says, “If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumb’red here while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream.
Again, Puck reinforces the dream’s role as a “medicine” by asking the possibly offended audience to pretend that they had simply fallen asleep and “visions did appear” in their dreams. Here, it seems the audience’s identity is defined, not as patrons of the play, which in reality they are, but simply as dreamers. Not only do the dreams seem to relieve confusion, but Shakespeare’s use of “dreamy” language also renders a poetic and dreamy sensation that alleviates the identity confusion throughout the play. As part of the fantasy world, the fairies are the tools for which Shakespeare intertwines this dreamy, poetic language.
Shakespeare uses language to work upon the imagination of the audience and thereby, bringing about a kind of magic upon the stage: “I must go seek some dewdrops here,” one fairy says, “And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear. ” The fairies conjure many of the play’s most evocative images: Oberon, for instance, describes having “heard a mermaid on a dolphin’s back uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath that the rude sea grew civil at her song and certain stars shot madly from her their spheres to hear the sea-maid’s music.
Certainly, Shakespeare chose to incorporate this poetic distinctly through the fairies to complement the play’s dreamy atmosphere. Shakespeare introduces the concept of a fantasy world into the plot beginning with ACT II. He introduces the fairies and their realms into the plot to instigate somewhat of a romantic confusion that, in the end, restores balance in the conflicts of identities and love.
While the fairies play an influential role in manipulating within the “confused triangle,” – consisting of the court, the tradesmen, and the fairies – the fairies are designed to contrast heavily with the young lovers and the craftsmen; whereas the lovers are earnest and serious, Puck and the other fairies are merry and full of laughter; whereas the craftsmen are bumbling, earthy, and engage in methodical labor, the fairies are delicate, airy, and indulge in effortless magic and enchantment. This painted picture is simply an idea of the mixed identities present at the ignition of the play.
While the play begins with these characters fulfilling their roles as “commonly” defined, one will notice that by the conclusion of the play, many of these characters will have experienced a transformation in their characters and their identities. For instance, from the very beginning of the play, Egeus vows against the marriage of Lysander and Hermia proclaiming that Demetrius has his “consent to marry her. ” Egeus detests Lysander, and if Hermia chooses not to follow his wishes exclaiming, “As she is mine, I may dispose of her; which shall be to [Demetrius] or to her death….
Theseus concurs with Egeus by saying giving Hermia two options: either prepare to die, or wed Demetrius. Naturally, true love outweighed materialism, and Hermia did not compromise her true feelings. Though Egeus expresses a vehement desire for Hermia to consent to this wishes, he seems to have to concede his position near the end of the play when they find the four happily paired off, and Theseus says, “Fair lovers, you are fortunately met… Egeus, I will overbear your will.
While this situation seems to imply that Egeus must give rise to an identity transformation due to Thesuses commandment, Theseus also seems to give rise to an obvious identity modification by conceding to true love rather than to the starchiness and strictness of his previous notion of how to conduct “love” affairs, or any affair for that matter. Considering the relationship between Helena and Demetrius at the beginning of the play, Helena’s remark that “love looks not with the eyes but with the mind” seems to be the major transformation that takes place in all of the characters.
In addition to Theseuses transformation, another major instance is the transformation of Demetrius. How ironic it is that Demetrius, the one who absolutely despised Helena in the beginning, does exactly what Helena had said before; he finally begins (with the help of the fantasy world, of course) to look with his imagination. The fantasy world is the most crucial ingredient in forming a balance of love within the entire play.
Through Theseus’ change in manner of his ruling (i. from what the law says, or what is apparently obvious, to what nature and love demand and being able to “see” with his heart and not with his eyes), Demetrius’ identity transformation, the fact that all of the characters seem to experience “dreamy” sensations that give rise the resolution to their identity crises, and with the help of a “fantasy world,” the “love square” finds a balance in their world and in their identities.
