Blog 9

Shakespeare appears to be cynical about the human race in his portrayals of the characters in some of his most noted plays. To name a few, Richard III, Aaron, and Bolingbroke all act in ways that would send them to the most internal circles Dante’s hell; some believe that even his comedies, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, have cynical qualities that make people question whether or not Shakespeare believes “true love” exists. I don’t think he knows [Loooong SENTENCE FOLLOWED BY A SHORT SENTENCE].

Shakespeare spends most of A Midsummer Night’s Dream convincing the audience that love is fleeting. Shakespeare pokes fun at the idea of true love with Oberon’s use of “love juice” on the lovers and Titania. However, in the last act he gives the sliver of hope that is “Pyramus and Thisbe;” this leads me to believe he does not have a concrete idea of what love is [SENTENCE USING HOWEVER]. Because he only gives dialogue and no stage direction or acute audience reaction, the play-within-a-play is left up to the audience’s interpretation. Shakespeare recognizes the fact that there are many different types of love in the world. Who are we to decide what love is true? [RHETORICAL QUESTION] It is not up to one person. It is up to the lovers alone. The portrayal of “Pyramus and Thisbe” in performance is pivotal to giving meaning to the play

If a director sees “Pyramus and Thisbe” as merely a funny antidote rather than Shakespeare’s notion that love a mystery, the whole point of A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be missed [USE OF “THAN”]; Michael Hoffman’s 1999 version captures the essence of Shakespeare’s underlying message in act five, whereas the British Broadcasting Corporation version released in 1981 misses the mark [ONE SENTENCE PARAGRAPH].

BBC’s version of “Pyramus and Thisbe” has no departure from the themes in the rest of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It does not grip the audience and give them anything to think about and provoke a deeper meaning from the play [SIMPLE SENTENCE WITH COMPOUNDED VERBS CONNECTED BY “AND”]. Similar to the previous acts, the clowns are dopey yet good-natured. During Quince’s prologue, he is nervous and enthusiastic about showing his play. He fidgets frequently and his voice shakes, yet when his comrades enter the stage he becomes more confident. During Quince’s character introductions, the actors accentuate their poor acting skills by using pantomime to indicate emotions. When the play begins, Pyramus and Thisbe are mediocre. They use voice infliction, but with little body language to show the passionate love they feel for one another – they spend most of the play facing downstage. Pyramus has a direct departure from his character when he corrects Theseus – he says, “No, in truth, sir, he should not [curse again]. ‘Deceiving me’ is Thisbe’s cue” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 5.1.182-183). The director accentuates this departure by having Bottom take a bit of food from Theseus’ table before resuming his character. This small act follows suit with Bottom’s passion for the play and constant desire to be in the spotlight.

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The over-dramatization of “Pyramus and Thisbe” is countered beautifully with Thisbe’s final monologue after she finds Pyramus dead. Flute begins his lines, “Asleep, my love? What, dead, my dove” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 5.1.320-321) in his high-pitched girl-voice. Provoked by the audience’s cruel laughter at his performance, Flute shifts his whole character persona to become tender and sensitive and hurt. He then takes off his wig and assumes a softer voice, filled with emotion when he says “Come, trusty sword, Come, blade, my breast imbrue” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 5.1.338-339) [USE OF “THEN”]. This character shift is glaring after 200 lines of farce – and gives the entire play a different meaning [DASH TO EMPHASIZE LAST ELEMENT OF SENTENCE]. Shakespeare uses Thisbe to provoke that vital question from the audience, “does true love exist?” [REAL QUESTION] In ten lines, Flute causes the audience to question the idea that Shakespeare had been driving home throughout the whole play – that love is cursory.