This paper is about the symbol ‘sleep’ in Shakespeare’s plays “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Macbeth”.
The author will discuss the definition and the role of sleep, in the two already mentioned works, in chapter 2 and 3 by analysing the symbol in detail, by giving examples and quoting relevant passages from the text. As “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a comedy and “Macbeth” a tragedy, these terms also have to be explained. Therefore, ‘sleep’ further has to be analysed by taking the aspects of a comedy and tragedy into consideration.
The next chapter is dedicated to the comparison of the sleep-symbol between “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Macbeth”. To sum it up, the main focus of this paper is to emphasize the importance of the sleep-symbol and its consequences on the plot and outcome of the two plays (chapter 5).
At a glance
- Grade: 2.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Compares the sleep symbol in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Sleep in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
3. Sleep in Macbeth
4. Comparison
5. Conclusion
Purpose and Themes
This paper examines how the symbol of sleep shapes the plot and audience experience in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth. It asks how the meaning of sleep changes between comedy and tragedy, and considers its connection to dreams, unconsciousness, vulnerability, madness, and death.
- The role of sleep in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Sleep, vulnerability, and the sleeping potion
- Sleep and the consequences of murder in Macbeth
- Sleepwalking, guilt, and madness
- A comparison of sleep’s contrasting effects in comedy and tragedy
Excerpt from the Book
Sleep as a Source of Comedy and Fear
There is one major aspect of sleep which MSND and MB share; the un/subconscious. As it is in reality, ‘sleep’ is inseparable from the unconsciousness also in the plays. When a person is asleep, s/he is never aware what is happening around her/him. Shakespeare makes use of this and implies ‘sleep’ in his plays in a way that it seems mysterious to the audience. Every time when somebody is asleep strange things happen and he let’s the audience know that these things happen BECAUSE somebody is asleep. MSND and MB would not work without the sleep-scenes. The sleep-symbol also makes the plays more real to the audience because sleep is something everybody experiences in his daily life. Maybe Shakespeare even intended to make them think that such things could also happen to them anytime.
But as I mentioned before the interpretation of a symbol often depends on the plot and therefore there are great differences between MSND and MB. In MSND ‘sleep’ is connected with positive feelings whereas it is connected with negative feelings in MB.
In MSND ‘sleep’ is a means of entertainment. It leads to the chaos and confusion, which make up a big and dominant part of the story and therefore is very important for this play. It also supports the role of the fairies; without sleep the sleeping potion would not work and therefore the fairies would not be able to influence fate and start off the confusion. Without sleep the dreams and the unreal world could not exist and the play would lose another essential part. In the play everything concerning sleep is presented in a rather funny way and makes the audience laugh. It does not make the audience afraid of sleep, but it does quite the opposite. Sometimes it makes the audience wish that something like that would also happen to them when they are asleep. This is because actually nothing really severe happens and nobody gets hurt, everything just seems like an adventurous dream, which ends happily when you wake up. And this is the last important role of ‘sleep’ in this play; it resolves every problem and makes everybody happy in the end. Without ‘sleep’ Shakespeare would have needed a completely different solution for his confusion.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The paper defines the symbol of sleep and introduces comedy and tragedy as relevant ways to interpret the two plays. It outlines an analysis of the symbol’s influence on plot and outcome.
2. Sleep in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Sleep and the potion create confusion, leave characters vulnerable to the fairies’ influence, and help restore order. The chapter presents sleep as a source of dreams, unreality, and comic resolution.
3. Sleep in Macbeth: Sleep is associated with vulnerability, murder, guilt, and madness. Macbeth’s sleeplessness and Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking connect the symbol to fear and death.
4. Comparison: The paper contrasts sleep’s comic and restorative role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with its threatening associations in Macbeth. Both plays use sleep and unconsciousness to create dramatic effects for the audience.
5. Conclusion: The paper reflects on the importance of sleep to the plots and effects of both plays, and on how examining the symbol shaped the author’s approach to reading Shakespeare.
Keywords
sleep, symbolism, Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, comedy, tragedy, dreams, unconsciousness, vulnerability, fairies, madness, guilt, death
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this paper about?
It examines the symbol of sleep in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth.
What are the central themes?
The paper focuses on sleep, dreams, unconsciousness, vulnerability, comedy, tragedy, madness, and death.
What is the paper’s main research question?
It explores how the meaning and dramatic role of sleep differ between the two plays and how sleep affects their plots and audiences.
What method does the paper use?
It offers a comparative literary analysis, discussing the symbol in each play and quoting relevant passages from the texts.
What does the main body discuss?
It analyzes sleep in each play separately, then compares the symbol’s contrasting effects in comedy and tragedy.
Which keywords characterize the paper?
Key terms include sleep, symbolism, Shakespeare, dreams, unconsciousness, vulnerability, madness, and death.
How does sleep contribute to the comedy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
The potion’s effects create confusion and temporary romantic changes, while waking allows the characters’ difficulties to resolve happily.
Why is sleep associated with fear in Macbeth?
Sleep makes Duncan vulnerable to murder, while Macbeth’s sleeplessness and Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking express the play’s associations with guilt and madness.
What aspect of sleep do the two plays share?
Both connect sleep with unconsciousness and use it as a setting for strange events that affect the audience’s understanding of the action.
- Citation du texte
- Mag. BSc Elisabeth Kuster (Auteur), 2006, The Sleep-Symbol in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and in "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/375004
