The fairy mythology in William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book The fairy mythology in William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Melitta Töller, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Melitta Töller ISBN: 9783638023474
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: March 10, 2008
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Melitta Töller
ISBN: 9783638023474
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: March 10, 2008
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, University of Paderborn (Fakultät für Kulturwissenschaften), course: Shakespeare: The Comedies, 14 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is Shakespeare's most enchanting comedy and one of his most popular plays. It is very lyrical and poetic, filled with magical beings from mythological worlds and the power of true love. Shakespeare's age was the great time of fairy poetry in English literature, but no other work has influenced our visions of fairies as much as 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Till today the idea of fairies, as we have them in our mind, is shaped by Shakespeare's delighting comedy. The play can be interpreted as 'a fantasia on love' , because love, it's follies, absurdities, conflicts and even dangers draw a red line through the play: from the quarrel between the fairy king and queen, to the heroic love of Theseus for his war-conquered Amazon queen, to the love-chase of Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius, and to the enchanted experiences of Bot-tom. In nearly all of these love affairs the fairies have their (sometimes helping) hand engaged and they are thus very important agents in the main- and in the sub-plots. In this paper I will first take a survey of the historic belief in fairies in Shakespearian England, and then look at Shakespeare's literary sources for the most important and most famous fairies who appear in this play, namely Oberon, Titania and Puck. Then I will show some parallels between the fairy queen Titania and Queen Elizabeth I, and afterwards I will analyze the quarrel between Oberon, king of fairies, and his wife. Finally I will give a comprehensive overview of the various ways of performing the play, both in theatre and in film.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, University of Paderborn (Fakultät für Kulturwissenschaften), course: Shakespeare: The Comedies, 14 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is Shakespeare's most enchanting comedy and one of his most popular plays. It is very lyrical and poetic, filled with magical beings from mythological worlds and the power of true love. Shakespeare's age was the great time of fairy poetry in English literature, but no other work has influenced our visions of fairies as much as 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Till today the idea of fairies, as we have them in our mind, is shaped by Shakespeare's delighting comedy. The play can be interpreted as 'a fantasia on love' , because love, it's follies, absurdities, conflicts and even dangers draw a red line through the play: from the quarrel between the fairy king and queen, to the heroic love of Theseus for his war-conquered Amazon queen, to the love-chase of Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius, and to the enchanted experiences of Bot-tom. In nearly all of these love affairs the fairies have their (sometimes helping) hand engaged and they are thus very important agents in the main- and in the sub-plots. In this paper I will first take a survey of the historic belief in fairies in Shakespearian England, and then look at Shakespeare's literary sources for the most important and most famous fairies who appear in this play, namely Oberon, Titania and Puck. Then I will show some parallels between the fairy queen Titania and Queen Elizabeth I, and afterwards I will analyze the quarrel between Oberon, king of fairies, and his wife. Finally I will give a comprehensive overview of the various ways of performing the play, both in theatre and in film.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book The pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Compliment Responses in Different Languages and the Problem of Sociocultural Transfer in SLA by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Portrait of a mother in Tennessee Williams' memory play 'The Glass Menagerie' by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Mitterrand's first term, 1981-88: France embarks on socialism by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Possible directions that South Africa needs to follow regarding urban development, in view of the experiences in Chile and the Urban Development Strategy of the South African Government by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book The Function of Tradition in 'Everyday Use' by Alice Walker and 'Yellow Woman' by Leslie Marmon Silko by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Comparison education systems Germany and USA by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Shooting (a) Woman - Comparative Study of Gender Roles in American and Italian Western Movies by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Rock music in the German Democratic Republic during the 1970s by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Paradox and the human psyche in William Faulkner's 'As I Lay Dying' by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Dictatorships and central bank transparency. How do autocrats benefit from central bank transparency? by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book The Kurdish Issue in Turkey by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book The Functional Actor in the Securitization Process by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book Words and phrases that are to do with sex in literary and spoken English - Responses to offending language from the eighteenth and nineteenth century by Melitta Töller
Cover of the book German Reparation Issue by Melitta Töller
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy