4a) ‘Though the play contains fairies and is unrealistic, some aspects of A Midsummer Night’s Dream are very true to life’. How far do you agree with this statement? Support your answer by close reference to the play.
I agree to a certain extent that the play does reflect the foolishness and unpredictability associated with infatuation in our real lives, though the play’s role as a comedy and the way it includes magical, fantasy elements does make it hard for us to label the play ‘realistic’ in any way. Yet, if we remove these distracting factors, the play invites us to explore how painful and comical love can be, as well as to ponder the dream-like quality of our lives, and the role of imagination in stagecraft and the way we perceive the world.
Helena’s obsession with Demetrius borders on lunacy. She degrades herself, offering to be used as Demetrius’ spaniel, to be treated like a dog. She betrays her friend’s confidence, telling Demetrius of Hermia’s plans to elope, for the mere reward of being near Demetrius again. As absurd as her behaviour seems, such tales of infatuation are not uncommon in real life.
Helena’s heartbreak is made worse because she was once wooed by Demetrius, who spurned her once he fell for Hermia. His many oaths and promises melted like snow, and Helena was left dejected, not knowing what about her so repulsed Demetrius. Is her despair as much over losing the man she loves as it is over being made to feel as if she was inadequate? After all, she does say, ‘throughout Athens, I am thought as fair as her’ (Hermia), and she cannot fathom why Demetrius would choose Hermia over her. Siginificantly, Lysander uses the same argument, saying that he is ‘as well-derived’ as Demetrius, so why should Egeus prefer one over the other, considering that he is ‘beloved of beauteous Hermia’ herself.
The idea at the core of these examples is that when it comes to young love or infatuation, reason or logic does not always matter. So what if the two men are equal, for some intangible, magical and unexplained reason, Hermia feels love when she beholds Lysander, and feels nothing when she beholds Demetrius. Beauty, and Love, truly is in the eyes of the beholder. This is an idea in the play that is very true to real life.
Helena’s low self-esteem and self-deprecation are also representative of a young girl’s emotions when it comes to the issues of relationships and physical appearance. She says she is as ugly as a bear, and wishes to be like Hermia, whose smile has captured Demetrius’ heart. Have not many young girls (and boys) felt as insecure, and wished they could be someone else who they perceived to be more beautiful or attractive?
Furthermore, Helena does not blame Demetrius for his ‘inconstant’ nature, rather, she looks upon herself and other external factors. Perhaps Shakespeare’s exaggeration of Helena’s behaviour and infatuation is meant to open our own eyes to our own behaviour in our relationships. We may uncomfortably recognise our own behaviour, or the actions of our friends or acquaintances, or even those of celebrities. Though our situations may be less dramatic (or entertaining) they are no less poignant, and the love-hate, pleasure-pain paradox of love no less true for the characters as it is for us.
The love juice, as magical as it seems, is merely a plot device, and represents the unpredictability of love in life. Lysander, who proclaims grandly his undying love for Hermia, with the ‘mere’ application of a love potion, now is head over heels in love with Helena. Though we may attribute this to the love juice, what of Demetrius’ similar situation, when he rained down oaths on Helena only to abandon her for Hermia? And this happened supposedly without any provocation, much less magical interference in the form of the love-in-idleness. Shakespeare seems here to be pointing out a universal truth, or pattern of behaviour, common especially to the stereotypical notion of young men. Hermia unwittingly foreshadows earlier, ‘by all the vows that ever men have broke, in number more than women ever spoke’. So although the two men’s actions seem rather extreme, their act of betrayal is a reflection of what many women would attest to be common for men.
And what of the gender struggles within the play? These very real scenarios, of father forcing daughter to marry someone she doesn’t love, or husband fuming from his wife’s obstinate refusal to give him what he wants…though they are written in a setting of comedy and fantasy, the situations are authentic enough to be representative of the tension between male and female in society, with regards to our perceived roles and responsibilities.
The fairies’ presence and their magical meddling give the play much of its ethereal quality, and we may be forgiven for assuming it is simply a fantasy comedy. But the fairy world has its own parallels with ours. Oberon and Titania, despite their lofty status, display very human qualities, and their quarrel has devastating effects on our mortal world. Perhaps Shakespeare means to suggest that the affairs of rulers can have very undesirable spillover effects on their subjects, but it may not have been wise or safe to make the point too obviously. The Fairy King and Queen seem unrelated enough to Shakespeare’s ruling figures for them not to take offense.
The fairies may also represent the forces in our lives that are beyond our control, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Why do we fall in love? Cupid’s work, perhaps…Why do we fall out of love? Has Puck been at it again with the love juice? Not likely, yet these sometimes inexplicable events do happen.
One may argue that the speed and pace at which the events transpire is not realistic. While this is true, this is after all a play, and therefore needs to be dramatic and entertaining to engage the audience. The play may be dressed up with fairies and magical elements and the regal presence of the Duke and his Amazon bride-to-be, but it’s critique of the irrationality of infatuation, the inexplicable phenomenon of love, the rashness of young love, as well as it’s exploration of gender roles and conflicts is very true to life indeed.