Language (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

This section explores the language used in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is rich with Shakespeare's characteristic use of figurative language, poetic structure, and inventive wordplay. This language helps convey the play’s themes of love, transformation, and magic while distinguishing between the different worlds of the play (the fairies, lovers, and mechanicals).

Imagery and Symbolism

Shakespeare uses vivid imagery and symbolism throughout the play, particularly to emphasise the themes of love, nature, and dreams.

Nature Imagery: The forest setting is described using lush, natural imagery, often associated with magic and transformation. Words like "moonlight," "flowers," and "fairy rings" create a sense of enchantment and otherworldliness.

Example: "I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows" (Oberon, Act 2, Scene 1).

Light and Dark Imagery: The contrast between light and dark represents love and confusion. The night and moonlight are often associated with mystery, deception, and magical events, while daytime brings clarity.

Example: The characters often refer to the "moon" in different ways, symbolising change, time, and reflection.

Dream Imagery: Dreams play a central role, symbolising both confusion and revelation. Many characters experience dreams that reflect their desires or inner turmoil, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.

Example: "The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was." (Bottom, Act 4, Scene 1).

Metaphor and Simile

Shakespeare employs metaphors and similes to deepen character emotions and relationships, particularly focusing on love and its effects.

Love as Madness: Throughout the play, love is compared to a kind of madness or blindness, emphasising its irrationality.

Example: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, / And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." (Helena, Act 1, Scene 1). This metaphor suggests that love is illogical and often leads people to make foolish choices.

Love as Transformation: Many metaphors suggest that love changes a person completely, often comparing characters to animals or other beings.

Example: When Titania falls in love with Bottom (who has been transformed into a donkey-headed figure), it symbolises how love can make people overlook reality.

Rhythm and Structure

Shakespeare’s use of verse and prose reflects the social status and emotional states of the characters.

Blank Verse: Most of the nobility in the play, such as Theseus, Hippolyta, and Oberon, speak in iambic pentameter (unrhymed, ten-syllable lines). This formal structure underscores their authority and control.

Example: "The poet’s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, / Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven." (Theseus, Act 5, Scene 1).

Prose: Characters of lower status, such as the mechanicals (e.g. Bottom, Quince, and Flute), often speak in prose. This suggests a more natural, unpolished way of speaking, contrasting the heightened language of the nobility.

Example: Bottom’s lines are often written in prose, such as when he says, “I will move storms, I will condole in some measure” (Act 1, Scene 2).

Rhymed Verse: The fairies, including Oberon and Puck, often speak in rhymed couplets, which gives their speech a sing-song, magical quality.

Example: "I’ll follow thee and make a heaven of hell, / To die upon the hand I love so well." (Helena, Act 2, Scene 1).

Wordplay and Puns

Shakespeare uses puns, malapropisms, and other forms of wordplay to add humour and wit to the play, particularly in the interactions between the mechanicals.

Puns: The play is filled with playful use of words that have multiple meanings, often used to comedic effect or to highlight the theme of confusion.

Example: When Puck says, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" (Act 3, Scene 2), it comments on the folly of the characters' actions, but also plays on the idea of mortals being mere playthings for the fairies.

Malapropisms: The mechanicals, especially Bottom, frequently use words incorrectly, adding humour and highlighting their lack of sophistication.

Example: Bottom says, "This is to make an ass of me; to fright me, if they could." (Act 3, Scene 1), unwittingly referencing his transformation into a donkey-headed figure.

Themes Expressed Through Language

Love: The language of the lovers often shifts between idealised, poetic descriptions of love and frustrated, confused speech when they are under the influence of the love potion.

Example: Lysander’s sudden rejection of Hermia, after the love potion is applied, is expressed in hyperbolic terms: "Not Hermia, but Helena I love: / Who will not change a raven for a dove?" (Act 2, Scene 2). This dramatic change highlights the unpredictable nature of love in the play.

Magic and Dreams: The fairies’ dialogue often reflects the magical and dreamlike qualities of the play. Their language is more rhythmic and musical, contributing to the overall sense of enchantment.

Example: Puck’s speech is filled with playful rhymes and repetition: "Up and down, up and down, / I will lead them up and down." (Act 3, Scene 2).

Contrasts in Language

Shakespeare creates contrasts between different groups in the play through their use of language:

Nobility vs. Commoners: The nobility’s formal, structured blank verse contrasts with the prose spoken by the mechanicals. This contrast helps distinguish the different social classes and their roles in the play’s comedy and drama.

Fairies vs. Mortals: The fairies speak in a more lyrical, rhythmic way than the mortals, reflecting their magical, otherworldly nature. This helps to create a distinction between the supernatural and human worlds.

Conclusion

Shakespeare’s masterful use of language in A Midsummer Night’s Dream creates a rich tapestry of humour, magic, and poetic beauty. Through the varied use of imagery, metaphor, rhythm, and wordplay, Shakespeare brings to life the chaotic, enchanting world of the play, while exploring timeless themes of love, transformation, and reality vs. illusion. Understanding the different ways language is used enhances appreciation for the depth and complexity of this beloved comedy.