One of the enduring themes in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the abuse of power. This is most evident in the relationship between Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies. Throughout the play, Oberon repeatedly tries to usurp Titania’s authority, often through trickery and deception. In the end, however, it is Titania who holds the power and Oberon who is forced to submit.
This theme of power also extends to the human characters in the play. For example, Hermia’s father Egeus tries to control her by demanding that she marry Demetrius, even though she is in love with Lysander. Similarly, Duke Theseus attempts to control Hermia’s hand in marriage, telling her that she must either marry Demetrius or face death.
The theme of power is also evident in the relationship between the lovers. Lysander and Hermia are constantly trying to outwit each other, while Demetrius is always trying to control Hermia. This results in a lot of confusion and misunderstanding, but eventually everything is resolved and the lovers come to understand the true nature of love.
In Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, love was a major theme. However, in order for emotions of love to take their place, there is a need for power to create it. Only through power is love fully expressed. The ability of command, the capacity to alter opinions, and the capacity to be infatuated and romantic are all powers that contribute to the subject of love. Almost every character had his or her own special power that drove them towards great desire.
One of the ways power is used in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is the power of authority. This could be seen when Oberon used his royal title to control Titania and make her do his bidding. By having this higher authority, Oberon was able to control not just Titania, but also the other characters in the play. He had the ability to make them all fall under his spell and serve him.
Another example, would be Theseus being Duke of Athens. As duke, he had complete control over Hippolyta and she was expected to obey him. He was also able to make decisions for others, such as who should marry whom. The power of authority is a very important part in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as it is what allows the characters to have control over others and get what they want.
Another way power is used in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is the power to transform perceptions. This could be seen when Oberon transforms Bottom’s head into that of an ass. By doing this, he completely changes how everyone perceives Bottom. They no longer see him as a man, but as a donkey. This transformation of perception can also be seen when Titania falls in love with Bottom, even though he now has the head of an ass.
She still sees him as a handsome man, despite his new appearance. The power to change perceptions is a very important part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as it allows the characters to see things in a different light and to fall in love with those they would not have otherwise.
The last way power is used in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is the power of infatuation and romantic desire. This can be seen when Helena is infatuated with Demetrius and is willing to do anything to win his love. She even goes so far as to follow him into the woods, despite the danger that may be lurking there.
This power of infatuation and romantic desire is what drives the characters to do things they wouldn’t normally do and to feel things they wouldn’t normally feel. It is a very important part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is what allows the characters to fall in love with each other.
Power is a very important theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Without power, the emotions of love would not be possible. It is only through the power of authority, the power to transform perceptions and the power of infatuation and romantic desire that love is really made evident.
Every character in the play possesses a unique power that leads way for much desire. These powers are what allow the characters to fall in love with each other and to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Power is an essential part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is what makes the play so special.
Power was not only demonstrated through authority, but it was also shown in a variety of ways. We’ll look at the authoritative elements as well as perception and desire’s abilities in this section. The notion of supreme power was introduced very early in the drama.
From here, we learn about Thesius’ connection to Hippolyta. Hippolyta is the queen of the Amazons, and Thesius marries her during the play. However, throughout the play, Hippolyta does not fully express her thoughts on her recent marriage with Thesius.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we see the struggle for power between Oberon and Titania. This conflict is one that is not physical but psychological. Two different people can have completely different ideas about who should have control over a situation. While one may think that they are in the right, the other may feel just as strongly about why they should be the ones in charge. A major theme throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the battle between order and disorder. This idea is brought up time and time again in the play, especially by Theseus.
Lysander also speaks of this idea when he tells Hermia that “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Order is also something that Oberon is constantly trying to impose on Titania and the other characters in the play. As we can see, power struggles are a big theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In addition to the authority, there is also the power of perception.
This was shown many times throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but was most prevalent during the play-within-a-play. We see this when Bottom is turned into an ass and his friends can no longer see him as a human being. Instead, all they see is the donkey and they are terrified of him.