Peter G. Philias assumes that Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play that lives off seemingly incompatible contradictions:
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.
Bipolar oppositions that can immediately be recognized are civilization and nature, which are juxtaposed in the confrontation of the court of Athens and the forest. In addition, man and woman are working against each other in the unequal couples of Theseus and Hippolyta, Oberon and Titania, and arch-conservative Egeus and his daughter Hermia. Concentrating on the opposition between town - the court of Athens - and wilderness - the forest - this essay is dedicated to an examination of the underlying force that drives the development of the plot: opposition. Furthermore, the essay will examine two filmic versions ofA Midsummer Night’s Dreamfrom different times, and compare their representation of the opposing forces. Max Reinhardt’s (1935) and Michael Hoffmann’s (1999)A Midsummer Night’s Dreamhave been chosen as the two different movie versions of the play that can stand as representatives for different time periods and different approaches towards Shakespeare on film. The comparative analysis of the films will be based on the results of the play’s analysis, which will deal with the primary opposition established in the play - the opposition between the court of Athens, the realm of law and order, and the forest, the realm of dreams and chaos - and its reflection in the relationship between man and woman, which also exhibits strong traits of a polarized, oppositional relationship.
The basic assumption on which the paper is based is that the 1935 movie version of the play subverts the play’s concepts of the orderly town and the chaotic wilderness. In the film, the court of Athens is in a state of disorderly flux - from carnival to a brief display of authority and back to carnival - whereas, paradoxically, the wilderness is governed by a sense of order. The characterization of Oberon as a haughty king who maintains order does not permit a portrait of the woods as ultimately unruly and chaotic.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Binary Pairs
2.1. Binary Pairs in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2.2. Binary Pairs in Max Reinhardt’s Midsummer Night’s Dream
2.3. Binary Pairs in Michael Hoffmann’s Midsummer Night’s Dream
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the central theme of opposition in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, specifically focusing on the binary pairs of civilization versus nature and the patriarchal order versus the chaotic wilderness. Through a comparative analysis of the 1935 film by Max Reinhardt and the 1999 adaptation by Michael Hoffmann, the study explores how different cinematic approaches represent these underlying power structures and gender dynamics.
- Examination of binary oppositions as the driving force behind the plot.
- Analysis of the relationship between patriarchal authority and female autonomy.
- Comparative study of Max Reinhardt's subversion of order in the 1935 film.
- Evaluation of Michael Hoffmann's conservative approach to order in the 1999 adaptation.
- Investigation into the conflict between rational town life and the irrationality of the forest.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1. Binary Pairs in the Play
The play introduces the first of the dominating forces that steer the plot’s course with the first scene, even the first lines. A couple appears, Theseus and Hippolyta, that seems to be forged by chance’s playfulness rather than by fate’s foresight and reason. Theseus, military and political leader of Athens, has defeated and abducted Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons – the cognomen alone indicates that he will find an untamed shrew in her – and now intends to take her for his wife. A second couple enters the stage, Hermia and Lysander, followed by what might be called a couple in mind, Egeus, Hermia’s father, and Demetrius, Hermia’s designated husband. The argument that ensues certifies that a strong force is at work here: the everlasting shifting and shuffling in the relationship between man and woman, which is determined by an uncontrollable force, “doting,” and a counteracting force, “reason.” 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 deny the reduction of this play to a mere love story – a view expressed by Philias, who claims that it had been Shakespeare’s intention „to compose a play presenting sudden conflict between lovers as well as antithetical attitudes toward love.“
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 man and woman, which also surfaces in the way the individual men or women interacts with society.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the core concept of binary oppositions in Shakespeare's work and outlines the comparative approach to two specific film adaptations.
2. Binary Pairs: This chapter provides a detailed analysis of how oppositional forces drive the plot, beginning with the original play and moving into the cinematic interpretations.
2.1. Binary Pairs in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: This section investigates the primary conflict between the rational court of Athens and the chaotic forest, and the parallel struggle for patriarchal dominance.
2.2. Binary Pairs in Max Reinhardt’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1935: This section discusses how Reinhardt’s film uses carnival aesthetics and expressionist elements to subvert traditional expectations of order.
2.3. Binary Pairs in Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1999: This section analyzes Hoffmann's adaptation as a reflection of a more orderly, conservative vision of town life contrasted with a wild, unruly forest.
Keywords
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare, Binary Pairs, Opposition, Patriarchy, Max Reinhardt, Michael Hoffmann, Adaptation, Film Analysis, Athens, Forest, Chaos, Reason, Gender, Civilization
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the structural role of binary oppositions—specifically the town/wilderness and male/female dichotomies—within Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and how these are interpreted in film.
Which thematic fields are central to the analysis?
The central fields include political authority, patriarchal social structures, the tension between rationality and emotion, and the cinematic representation of these literary conflicts.
What is the primary goal of this study?
The goal is to explore how opposition acts as the underlying force driving the plot and to compare how two distinct film versions—Reinhardt (1935) and Hoffmann (1999)—represent or subvert this force.
Which scientific method is applied here?
The paper utilizes a literary-historical approach combined with comparative film analysis to examine textual sources alongside cinematic techniques.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main body breaks down the textual binary pairs, then performs a critical analysis of how the 1935 and 1999 films translate these abstract concepts into visual and narrative form.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include binary pairs, patriarchal authority, carnival, illusionism, order, chaos, and film adaptation.
How does Reinhardt’s 1935 film diverge from the play's traditional interpretation?
Reinhardt subverts the expected order of Athens by depicting it as a decadent, chaotic carnival space, rather than a place of strict, rational patriarchal rule.
What distinguishes Michael Hoffmann’s 1999 approach to the forest?
Hoffmann presents the forest as a realm of untamed freedom and internal conflict, while maintaining a more stable and conservative order in the Athenian town setting.
- Quote paper
- Silja Rübsamen (Author), 2002, Structure and Chaos: Binary Pairs in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/55908
