A Midsummer’s Night Analysis

Summary

Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream" uses the character Puck to argue that a balance between creativity and order is essential for a thriving society.

Abstract

In "A Midsummer's Night Analysis," the playwright William Shakespeare is examined for his use of the play "A Midsummer's Night Dream" as a vehicle to explore the tension between societal order and creative freedom. The play juxtaposes the rigid laws of Athens with the chaotic magic of the woods, inhabited by fairies like Puck and Oberon, to illustrate the necessity of both elements for happiness. Shakespeare's clever use of metaphor and Puck's final monologue serve to emphasize the importance of art and imagination, suggesting that they complement law and order to achieve societal harmony. The analysis highlights how Shakespeare, through Puck, challenges the notion that society can function on order alone, arguing that creativity is equally vital and not inherently destructive.

Opinions

The author believes that Shakespeare's play is a deliberate argument for the necessity of both creativity and order in society.
It is suggested that Shakespeare was aware of the delicate balance between the two and used his work to convey this message subtly to his audience.
The article posits that Puck's character, as a representative of the artistic community, is crucial in delivering the play's central theme effectively.
The final speech by Puck is seen as a powerful and concise summary of the play's overarching message, encapsulating Shakespeare's view on the symbiotic relationship between order and creativity.
The analysis implies that Shakespeare's work is not only entertainment but also a commentary on the importance of art in society, which can sometimes be overlooked or undervalued by authority figures.
The article conveys the opinion that Shakespeare's message is as relevant today as it was in his time, emphasizing the enduring nature of the debate over the role of the arts in society.

Shakespeare Used a Play to Make his Point

Imagination is one of those topics that make people nervous. Debates rage about how much money should be poured into the arts and if there should be restrictions put on what is created. During the lifetime of William Shakespeare, the debate was alive and well, the twist to it was that there was a monarch. It is widely believed that while the Queen enjoyed plays, she did not necessarily want to fund them because they could be offensive. Shakespeare in his clever and witty way used his play A Midsummer’s Night Dream, specifically Puck’s final monologue in Act V to drive home the point that while society needs order it also needs creativity.

A Midsummer’s Night Dream tackles the theme of balancing creativity and order. Using extreme metaphors on both ends of the scale, Shakespeare makes his point very clear. With just the rule of law in Athens; Helena, Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander are very unhappy. That emotion follows them as they go into the woods, confusion is also added to the mix as fairies are added to the mix. These fairies, namely Puck and Oberon, are the perfect metaphor for artists. By using a magic mixture, elicited from a flower, opened the eyes of the humans to different potential romantic pairings. Or as the human characters would have called it, chaos. Bringing his point home the way a baseball player does with a grand slam, Shakespeare shifts the action back to the city of Athens. It is there with both the law and creativity working together that true happiness is allowed to flourish.

Metaphorically Yours

With that metaphor in place, Shakespeare could have left the audience with those thoughts and the play would have sung the high notes. However, this is one of the greatest writers of all time and there is no point that is too fine to put on something as important as the argument he was making. To that end, Shakespeare uses his impish, mischievous character Puck to get one last speech that exuberates his point. If any of the other characters had made the claims he did, it would have felt forced and would have ruined the play. Yet by using not only a fairy but the one that the audience was bound to bond with because of his machinations and the way he makes them chuckle, and not to mention the fact that he represents the artistic community within the play, the message is easier to digest for people.

Puck’s last speech is the final piece of dialogue that is presented within the play. It is when the fairies are in the castle and blessing all of the happy couples with long lives of happiness and beautiful children. Puck addresses the audience head-on, in a rare instance of a character ‘breaking the fourth wall.’ He says “If we shadows have offended, Think but this and all is mended, That you have but slumber’d here, While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream…” (Greenblatt). Essentially, he is saying that this is a play and is meant to entertain and maybe do a little bit of educating but if one does not find it enjoyable then to remember it’s just a piece of art that will soon be forgotten with the everyday struggles.

Importance Of Society

Shakespeare is emphasizing the point that art is just as important to society as order is and that for those that are offended there are many more things to get up in arms about. All the while avoiding and even going as far as to apologize to those who may not have appreciated the spot shots taken at the monarch/authority figures.

The authority figures would have been the ones most disturbed by the argument that society needs both creativity/imagination and order/law. By using that speech, Shakespeare had to know that people would leave the performance (especially during his lifetime) and talk about what they just saw. That last speech by Puck not only supports the theme of A Midsummers Night Dream but it lays it on the line for those who are still uncertain. “Else the Puck a liar call: So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, And Robin shall restore amends” (Greenblatt). This is a challenge to those who say that society only needs order and that the chaos of creativity would bring about the destruction of civilization to prove their point. If they are not able to, then they should join him and accept that the two concepts are not mutually exclusive.

What’s In A Speech

With a speech that insightful it is almost hard to believe that it is only 16 lines long, a short monologue by Shakespeare's standards. Yet it holds up amongst the best of his career because this was a cause that must have been dear to his heart. He created two different worlds, Athens and the Woods, and then merged those worlds together to show perfect harmony in just one play. The symbolism used is not only powerful but Puck’s speech seems to be what the entire play was leading to for all five acts.

Imagination and order. The two concepts do seem to be mutually exclusive to one another. Order brings about thoughts of law and tidiness, people doing what is expected of them. On the other hand, creativity brings to mind thoughts about lust and people acting out of the ordinary, doing things that are considered risqué by societal standards. With those definitions in place it would seem that these concepts would go together as well as oil and water. Yet as Shakespeare posited with the group of humans, and then narrowed in on with the last speech of the play given by Puck, order and imagination need one another to thrive. There has to be a yin and yang relationship for things to be harmonious and happiness to be on the precipice for everyone in society. Having one without the other is like having peanut butter without jelly. It’s perfectly reasonable and works, but there is something missing from the sandwich that would take from merely passable to a sandwich that can be praised. Shakespeare knew that both were needed and used an adorable, mischievous fairy to make sure that his audience was made aware of it too.