Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Hamlet and a Midsummer Night’s Dream
In one of AMNDââ¬â¢s most enduring passages, Lysander states (Act one scene one, line 134) ââ¬ËThe course of true love never did run smooth. ââ¬â¢ The conflict that is inevitably born out of love is a central theme at the heart of Midsummerââ¬â¢s Nightââ¬â¢s Dream and Hamlet, but is extended by Shakespeare not only to romantic relationships, but to familial bonds as well. The conflict is ultimately resolved in diametrically opposing ways in each play, according to the conventions of their respective genres.Hamlet is a tragedy, and therefore can result only in death, but AMND, as a comedy, uses the traditional method of marriage to resolve its conflict. Shakespeare opens AMND with the relationship between Athenian Duke Theseus and Amazonian warrior Hippolyta, thereby framing the enfolding drama with the portrayal of a union in which romance and military conflict are inextricably bound: ââ¬ËHippolyta, I wooââ¬â¢d thee with my sword/and won thy love doing thee injur ies. (1:1:16) Shakespeare incongruously conflates military imagery withthe language of romance, establishing the theme of love, initially at least, as being fraught with conflict. This is highlighted further as the discussion of Theseus and Hippolytaââ¬â¢s forthcoming nuptials is juxtaposed with the dramatic introduction of Hermia and Lysander, young lovers forbidden to marry by Egeus, Hermiaââ¬â¢s domineering father. Lysander and Hermia decide to ââ¬Ëfrom Athens turn away our eyesââ¬â¢ (1. 1. 218) and elope to the forest.Shakespeareââ¬â¢s use of the forest as a backdrop to the young loversââ¬â¢ elopement is significant. It would have reminded members of the Jacobean audience of ââ¬ËSaturnaliaââ¬â¢, an ancient Roman festival in honour of the deity Saturn, which took place in the forest and was famous for subverting Roman social norms. A carnival atmosphere pervaded the festival, which included features ââ¬â such as masters waiting on their servantââ¬â¢ s tables ââ¬â which defied the etiquette of the time. The allusion to Saturnalia emphasises Lysander and Hermiaââ¬â¢s defiance of social restraints in eloping against her fatherââ¬â¢s wishes.Egeusââ¬â¢ attempted control of Hermia parallels Poloniusââ¬â¢s manipulation of Ophelia in Hamlet, as in both plays Shakespeare depicts romantic relationships as complicatedbyfamilial pressures. The forest acts as a symbol for freedom from such conflict. Away from urban civilization and its social traditions, the forest exists as a primeval space where Hermia and Lysander feel their love can truly be celebrated, unhindered by the familial politics they have left behind: ââ¬Ëto that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us. ââ¬â¢ (1. 1. 62)However, social norms are not the only things overturned in the forest. By pouring a magical potion in the loversââ¬â¢ eyes, Puck, a mischievous fairy, swaps the object of Demetrius and Lysander affection to Helena. This comic turn sets the enfolding drama in motion, but also demonstrates the cruelty of fickle love, that is so easily swayed to devastating effect, as Hermia laments: ââ¬ËO spite! O Hell! I see you are all bent, to set against me. ââ¬â¢ (3. 2. 145) Shakespeare expounds upon this theme of love in Hamlet too but with far more serious consequences; as befits a tragedy.Whereas Hermia is part of the tradition of Shakespearean women who defy their controlling fathers to marry their lovers, Ophelia proves far more susceptible to Polonius and Laertesââ¬â¢ bullying as they are successful in thwarting her relationship with Hamlet. Just as Shakespeare portrays affection as transient through Puckââ¬â¢s meddling with Demetrius and Lysander, Laertes lectures Ophelia on loveââ¬â¢s temporary and untrustworthy nature: ââ¬Ëforward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting. ââ¬â¢ (1. 3. ) The emphatic rhythm of Laerteââ¬â¢s dialogue is created by the many caesuras that break up this line; each wor d drumming itself into Opheliaââ¬â¢s psyche. Ironically, it isnââ¬â¢t the ââ¬Ëtrifling of [Hamletââ¬â¢s] favourââ¬â¢ (1. 3. 6) that breaks Opheliaââ¬â¢s heart, and ultimately her sanity, but rather her familyââ¬â¢s interference, in particular her fatherââ¬â¢s political scheming. A. C Bradley in his book ââ¬ËShakespearian Tragedyââ¬â¢ notes that ââ¬Ëgood conflict must be drawn outââ¬â¢; accordingly, both Hamlet and AMND are over five acts long and only get resolved in the final scenes, each according to their genre.The conflict inherent in Shakespeareââ¬â¢s portrayal of romantic relationships is given tangible form as Lysander and Demetrius prepare to fight over the woman they profess to love: ââ¬Ëif thou say so withdraw and prove it to. ââ¬â¢ (3. 2. 255) Despite the threat of violence about to unfold on stage, Shakespeareââ¬â¢s audience would have been aware that as a comedy, A Midsummerââ¬â¢s Nightââ¬â¢s Dream would culminate in marriage rather then bloodshed.In the opening scene of the play, Lysander alludes to the May Day rituals that he had participated in: ââ¬ËAnd in the wood a league without the town, where I did meetâ⬠¦to do observance to a morn of Mayââ¬â¢ (1. 1. 165) The May Day rites were an ancient celebration of fertility and renewal, and the setting of the lustrous forest reinforces this atmosphere, even throughout Lysander and Demetriusââ¬â¢s altercation, emphasising that the conflict would, in the end, be resolved happily. In stark contrast, Hamlet and Laertes fight over Opheliaââ¬â¢s grave.Shakespeare uses the graveyard setting to foreshadow the men's death as a result of their growing hostility ââ¬â unlike in AMND, the conflict within a tragedy cannot end in marriage; it must end in death: ââ¬ËI thought thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid, and not have strewed thy graveââ¬â¢. (5. 1. 241) Throughout the play Ophelia is referred to by language such as ââ¬Ëmai dââ¬â¢, emphasising her youth and her innocence. This heightens the tragic impact of her decline and eventual death, but also reinforces how she is infantilised by her father, and therefore controlled.When Polonius finds out that Ophelia has been conducting a romance with Hamlet, he insists that she no longer have contact with the prince: ââ¬ËI will teach you. Think yourself a baby. ââ¬â¢ (1. 3. 105) Polonius convinces Ophelia that she has been naive and stupid to believe Hamletââ¬â¢s professions of love: ââ¬ËAffection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl. ââ¬â¢ (1. 3. 101) In Poloniusââ¬â¢s dialogue, Shakespeare repeatedly employs images of Ophelia as a child to portray how her father psychologically controls her, by making her dependent on his commands, as a young child would: ââ¬ËI shall obey, my lord. (1. 3. 136) In AMND Shakespeare constructs a similar conflict around a father-daughter relationship, as Egeus wants his daughter Hermia, to marry Demetrius an d not her lover, Lysander. Shakespeare draws upon ancient Greek mythology to portray his characters and their respective philosophies. Egeus displays Apollonian attributes as he paternalistically favours a strict adherence to the law above all else, even to the point of death: ââ¬ËAs she is mine, I may dispose of herâ⬠¦or to her death according to our law. ââ¬â¢ (1. 1. 3) Egeus commoditises his relationship with his daughter, as he considers her a possession to be controlled and exploited. Like Polonius who commands Ophelia to ââ¬Ëset your entreatments at a higher rateââ¬â¢ (1. 3. 122), Egeusââ¬â¢s diction is replete with the language of commerce as he tries to trade his daughter: ââ¬Ëand she is mine, and all my rights of her I do estate unto Demetrius. ââ¬â¢ (1. 1. 97) Hermia, however, embodies the Dionysian life philosophy, as she embraces passion and resists her fatherââ¬â¢s moralistic control: ââ¬ËMy soul consents not to give sovereigntyââ¬â¢ (1 . . 82) Unlike Ophelia who submits to her fatherââ¬â¢s demands and therefore breaks off her relationship with Hamlet, Hermia prioritises romance over filial duty as she spiritedly defies Athenian law: ââ¬ËOh hell to choose love by anotherââ¬â¢s eyesââ¬â¢ (1. 1. 140) The conflicts that are engendered by love are complicated even further by the disparity between reality and illusion, which is a central theme in both plays. In both Hamlet and A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream, eyes are used as a symbol of the merging of reality and that which seems to be reality ie.Illusion: ââ¬Ëseems madam? Nay it is. I know not seemsâ⬠¦no, nor the fruitful river in the eye, nor the dejected ââ¬Ëhaviour of the visage. ââ¬â¢ (1. 2. 75) The juxtaposition by Hamlet of his father, Old Hamlet, and Claudius invokes similar language with reference to the eye: ââ¬Ëwhat devil wasââ¬â¢t that thus has cozened you at hoodman-blind? / Eyes without feeling, feeling without eyes, /ears without hands or eyesââ¬â¢ (3. 4. 78). Shakespeare elects to convey the inherent tragic conflict in love by using the language of eyes: ââ¬ËHa! Have you eyes?You cannot call it love. ââ¬â¢ (3. 4. 68)Here the Gertrudeââ¬â¢s love for Claudius is presented through the eyes of Hamlet as being ââ¬Ëstewed in corruptionââ¬â¢ (3. 4. 95) and the maternal bonds between her and Hamlet cause her to regret her actions and fear for her spiritual health: ââ¬ËO Hamlet speak no more. Thou turnest mine eyes into my very soul / and there I see such black and grained spots. ââ¬â¢(3. 4. 89) In the final scene of the play, all characters must face their spiritual destiny in their death, showing how conflict in Hamlet results only in death.Conflict of reality and illusion is also symbolised through reference to the eye in AMND, as Puck pours the poison into Lysander and Demetriusââ¬â¢s eyes it is then that comic drama enters the scene as loveââ¬â¢s object is subverted: ââ¬Ë Methinks I see things with parted eyeââ¬â¢ (4. 1. 188) The illusion of the lovers exchanged allegiances is representative of the conflict that can result from reality being destabilized especially where love is concerned: ââ¬ËHave you not set Lysander, as in scorn/ to follow me, praise my eyes and face? ââ¬â¢ (3. 2. 23) Eventually, love is restored to the couples and Theseus bids that ââ¬Ëthese couples shall be eternally knitââ¬â¢ (4. 1. 180) and here illusion is replaced with reality which results in the marriage of the couples, in accordance with the comic convention. The significance of Puckââ¬â¢s last speech, which is spoken to the audience, is essential. Puck tells the audience that they should ââ¬Ëthink this and all is mended: that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear; and this weak and idle theme no more yielding than a dream. Puck tells them to imagine that the entire play wasnââ¬â¢t real, so where in Hamlet reality wins out in the end, in AMND the art of illusion leaves the play on a cliff hanger and the audience must decide whether or not reality exists. This is all part of the comic convention. In conclusion, Shakespeare presents parallel conflicts in both plays, each resulting from conflicted relationships, but they are resolved in accordance with the two playsââ¬â¢ genres. He concludes all conflict in Hamlet with death and tragedy and all conflict in AMND with laughter and comedy.Elizabethan and modern day audiences would identify the conflict within Hamlet as the play's catalyst towards the catastrophic ending, whilst viewing the conflict within AMND with less seriousness, knowing hostility between characters will ultimately dissolve. Shakespeare appears to be using the themes within Hamlet, such as death and madness, to present conflict between people as an inevitable part of people's lives, whilst the farcical nature of the battles within AMND suggest conflict is fleeting and avoidable. ââ¬ËS o, good night unto you all. / Give me your hand if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends. ââ¬â¢ (AMND 5. 1. 419)
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