ENGL 225 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Hermia, Simon Forman, Egeus
Midsummer Night’s Dream (19-1596)
• Affinities with Elizabethan courtly entertainments
• Possibly designed to grace a wedding in a noble household
• Eglad’s oarh ay hae atteded a early perforae
Simon Forman
• Kept diary of dreams, daily occurrences, and practices for work
• Dreams of queen – strange
o Talks about dirt, contrast to color white
o Intimate relationship with queen – highly unusual
▪ Queen (62 yrs)
• Old, exhibiting odd behavior, not dressed or outside
• Elizabeth, virgin queen, ruled for 45 yrs unwed
• Made vulnerable through characteristics
o Old, frail, equal footing
Charaters i Midsuer Night’s Drea
• Theseus
o Begins play as lead
o Talks of time and longing as wanting to marry wife
▪ Financial transaction → young man waiting for revenue
o Violence
▪ Step dame → must die in order to enact love
o Eager for consummation
• Hippolyta (Amazonian Queen, daughter of Ares)
o Response to Theseus is simple
o Solemnities [the solemn nature or quality of something]
o Describes night as weapon
• Egeus
o Father of Hermia
▪ Athenian Law to be bestowed upon her
• Death or single life
▪ Give her away to another man (property)
o Allegiaes shifted to Heria due to father’s ord
• Hermia
o Rather die than be forced to marry
o Denying power of state and parent
o Outspoken, defiant
• Helena
o Docile, submissive
o Follows Demetrius around, wooing him → takes on roll of man
• Puck
o Mischievous, impish, fairies
o Tells account of changeling child (little Indian boy)
▪ Oberon jealous of child
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Midsummer night"s dream (1(cid:1009)9(cid:1008)-1596: affinities with elizabethan courtly entertainments, possibly designed to grace a wedding in a noble household, e(cid:374)gla(cid:374)d"s (cid:373)o(cid:374)ar(cid:272)h (cid:373)ay ha(cid:448)e atte(cid:374)ded a(cid:374) early perfor(cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:272)e. Simon forman: kept diary of dreams, daily occurrences, and practices for work, dreams of queen strange, talks about dirt, contrast to color white. Intimate relationship with queen highly unusual: queen (62 yrs, old, exhibiting odd behavior, not dressed or outside, elizabeth, virgin queen, ruled for 45 yrs unwed, made vulnerable through characteristics, old, frail, equal footing. Midsummer night"s dream (1(cid:1009)9(cid:1008)-1596: titiania, queen of fairies, tells of relationship with little indian boy, positive, emotionally grounded. Desaturation of content within the play unease throughout. Hamily on obedience (1547: every degree of people has a duty, e(cid:374)tertai(cid:374)(cid:373)e(cid:374)t , was a source of social disruption, gave the idle a source of assembly, ex. The rustics: carry names that suggest profession, bottom = weaver, speak in prose.
