„A Midsummer Night´s Dream and The Tempest, a play it prefigures in important ways, share the distinction of illustrating better than any other plays Shakespeare´s device of juxtaposing extremes for the purpose of indicating a golden mean.“
Peter G. Philias remarks that Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play that lives of seemingly incompatible contradictions: civilization and nature are juxtaposed in the confrontation of the court of Athens and the woods; man and woman are working against each other in the unequal parts of Theseus and Hippolyta, Oberon and Titania, and arch-conservative Egeus and his daughter Hermia.
It seems consensual to state that – on the deep structure level – the contradiction between “doting”, the fixation of a lover on a partner who does not return the affections, and “cool reason” forms the common ground of these and several other antagonisms. But although I consent to this view, I would also like to deny the reduction of this play to a mere love story – a view expressed by Philias, who claims that had been Shakespeare’s intention „to comopse a play presenting sudden conflict between lovers as well as antithetical attitudes toward love.“
I am convinced that the contents of A Midsummer Night’s Dream go far beyond the topics of family conflict or interpersonal relationship. The basic conflict between reason and emotion can only become the departing point of the story because it triggers an underlying conflict between individual and society, respectively between individual and state.
„Every Shakespearean character lives within a political regime governed laws and shaped by distinctive institutions. How a character lives acts and how he perceives his deeds is affected, sometimes crucially affected, by his participation in the corporate life of a city or realm.“
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate where the conflict lies between the individual and the state, respectively its institutions and the officials who represent them, and how it is solved so that the final scenes can indeed be regarded as the establishment of an ideal state of affairs – ideal in the sense of what Philias calls the “golden means”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Argument
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the underlying conflict between the individual and the state in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, arguing that the play depicts a development toward a more humane statesmanship that harmonizes personal desire with social order.
- The confrontation between rationalism of state and emotional irrationality
- The development of Theseus as a political leader
- The interplay between individual autonomy and institutional authority
- The role of the fairy world in bridging private conflict and public concord
- The resolution of contradictions through compromise and humanization
Excerpt from the Book
2. Argument
Right in the beginning of the play we witness how Theseus becomes aware that a change of his own behavior is necessary in order to render the relationship beween him and Hippolyta successful:
Hippolyta, I woo´d thee with my sword
And won thy love doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp, with triumph and with reveling.
Theseus, who as the duke of Athens is the first representative of the state, has learnt that violence and conquest are no basis for a relationship between lovers. Thus a spiritual process has begun that might as well be named a humanization, which will finally extend to Theseus’ whole state, but in the beginning is nothing more than the insight of the lover Theseus into his own love – the statesman will develop much later. This interpretation is justified by Theseus’ behavior towards Hermia: in the very moment he orders Hermia to completely subordinate under her father’s will he presents himself as the merciless defender of a reason of state that demands unquestioning subordination of individual needs and wishes to the abstract authority of the law.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction establishes the thesis that the play transcends a simple love story by exploring the fundamental tension between individual desires and the restrictive nature of political institutions.
2. Argument: This chapter analyzes the character arc of Theseus from a rigid, uncompromising enforcer of law to a statesman who recognizes the need for compromise, ultimately demonstrating how the state can achieve harmony by balancing public duty with private happiness.
Keywords
Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Individual, State, Politics, Rationalism, Emotionalism, Theseus, Humanization, Governance, Reason of State, Social Order, Compromise, Athens, Authority
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the structural and thematic conflict between the individual and the state as depicted in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
What are the central themes addressed in the analysis?
The core themes include the opposition between political rationalism and subjective emotion, the necessity of compromise in leadership, and the reconciliation of personal freedom with social cohesion.
What is the author's primary research objective?
The goal is to demonstrate how the conflict between the individual and the state is resolved in the play, leading to an ideal state of affairs defined by "golden means."
Which methodology does the author apply?
The author employs a literary and political analysis, interpreting the characters and their actions through the lens of political philosophy, focusing on the development of Theseus as a representative of the state.
What is the main subject matter of the argument chapter?
The chapter discusses Theseus's transition from a strict, law-enforcing figure who ignores individual rights to a more humane leader who learns to balance the needs of the city with the nature of human relationships.
Which terms best characterize this academic study?
The study is best characterized by terms such as "Reason of State," "Political Rationalism," "Individual Autonomy," and "Humanization."
How does the author interpret Theseus's evolution in the play?
The author argues that Theseus undergoes a crucial development; by moving away from absolute, rigid law, he adopts a "natural virtue" that allows him to harmonize the private lives of his citizens with the stability of the state.
What role does the fairy world play in the narrative conflict?
The fairy world acts as a catalyst that forces the characters out of their rigid rationalist or emotional ruts, eventually facilitating the "civil concord" that characterizes the final act of the play.
- Quote paper
- Silja Rübsamen (Author), 2002, Individual and State in William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/55906
