A Midsummer Night's Dream Essay Questions

Describe the structure of the play. How does this structure reflect the play's major themes?

The play is demarcated by a shift in setting: in Act One, the characters are all living in Athens, and Hermia expresses her desire to marry Lysander instead of Demetrius. Theseus, a symbol of order and control, tells her that this is impossible, as she must obey her father. This declaration causes Hermia, Lysander, and other characters to venture into the surrounding woods around Athens, therein dismantling the order established in the first act of the play. By the end of the play, however, order returns in the form of two marriages, but not before having been challenged in the mysterious landscape of the woods.

What makes A Midsummer Night's Dream a comedy?

In early modern theater, a comedy was considered any play that concluded with a relatively "happy" ending. The genre traditionally featured at least one marriage at the end, and certainly no deaths as was common in tragedy. A Midsummer Night's Dream is classified as a comedy because it ends with two marriages, and is in general a fairly lighthearted play. In conventional comedy fashion, the play also features a chaotic cast of characters and events that are meant to entertain the audience with slapstick humor, silly antics, and harmless trickery.

What role does the supernatural have in the events of the play?

Once the human characters enter the woods surrounding Athens they encounter (without their knowledge) a host of woodland fairies who have magic powers. These fairies ultimately wield control over the mortals with their ability to manipulate the senses and the emotions. The fairies are able to make people fall in love, a skill that ultimately showcases the play's perspective on the chaotic nature of love and desire.

How does the play craft a dream-like atmosphere throughout?

True to its title, the play attempts to portray its entire plot as a type of dream. The setting is pivotal to this dreamy atmosphere, as the majority of the play takes place under the cover of darkness in the mysterious woods surrounding Athens. The presence of fairies and supernatural creatures also contributes to the dream-like climate, as the characters (and the audience) must encounter a landscape that is simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar, real and surreal, while navigating their mortal relationships and human concerns.

Why is Puck the most-quoted character in the play?

Puck is a member of the fairy clan, and he serves as the liaison between the fairies (Titania and Oberon) and the mortals. As such, Puck often offers commentary on the nature of humanity and mortal life, the most famous of which is the exclamation, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" (3.2). Puck has become the most-quoted character from the play because he serves as a pseudo-narrator to the events of the performance while offering ironic and humorous takes on the petty or foolish concerns of human life.