The mood in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is far from that of Titus Andronicus and, aside from the absence of beheading and cannibalism, is probably due to the egregious use of sexual puns(see examples below). Shakespeare uses the sexual connotation behind both flowers, as a vulvic symbol, and snakes, as a phallic symbol, to extrapolate an entire garden allegory, and lead his characters into its physical manifestation. Besides the blatant humor behind the imagery, are there other analyses, politically, piously, or otherwise, that the ‘snake in the garden’ allegory might arouse?
1.1.76 “But earthlier happy is the rose distilled / Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn, / Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness”
1.1.129 “How chance the roses there do fade so fast?”
1.1.185 “When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. / Sickness is catching.”
1.1.214 “And in the wood, where often you and I / Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie”
2.1.99 “And the quaint mazes in the wanton green”
2.1.159 “And loosed his love shaft smartly from his bow, / As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts. / But I might see young Cupid’s fiery shaft / Quenched in the chaste beams of the wat’ry moon”
2.1.165 “Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell. / It fell upon a little western flower”
2.1.249 “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, / Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, / With sweet musk roses, and with eglantine. / There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, / Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight; / And there the snake throws her enameled skin, / Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in. / And with the juice of this I’ll streak her eyes”
2.2.9 “You spotted snakes with double tongue”
2.2.69 “This flower’s force in stirring love.”
2.2.146 “To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!”
What I want to base this post off of, is the scene where Helena finally gets what she wants – love from Demetrius. The mood in the forest becomes a blatant frenzy.
To set a foundation, it is almost ridiculous that Oberon is frustrated with Puck that he had used the love potion on Lysander instead of Demetrius. Puck finds it amusing, but Oberon wants to rectify the situation and feels sorry for Helena being lovesick. For all of the mischief that these two have caused, what’s not a little more?
Helena has been conditioned to being treated poorly by Demetrius. She is too broken down to see what false, but possibly sincere love looks like. Helena believes that all the Athenian parties involved are mocking her affection in some sort of cruel and well-managed joke.
There is one thing that I do need to clear up. When they are all together after the potion took effect for the first time, does Hermia believe the two guys are joking as well? (I believe so.)
3.2.251 {Hermia} “Sweet, do not scorn her so.” [To Lysander, speaking of Helena]
It’s kind of awesome that the tables have turned. Hermia begins to lash out on Helena. And there is almost a fistfight between the two girls! At this point I think that Hermia starts to realize that Demetrius and Lysander were never joking around.
Do we begin to feel bad for Hermia at the point when she is so easily rejected?
Does anyone wish that Oberon and Puck in the end, did not pair up the lovers?
Why does Egeus (Hermia’s father) seem like a crazy person – fixated on Demetrius?
4.1.144 {Egeus} “They would have stol’n away, they would, / Demetrius, / Thereby to have defeated you and me,”
The mood in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is far from that of Titus Andronicus and, aside from the absence of beheading and cannibalism, is probably due to the egregious use of sexual puns(see examples below). Shakespeare uses the sexual connotation behind both flowers, as a vulvic symbol, and snakes, as a phallic symbol, to extrapolate an entire garden allegory, and lead his characters into its physical manifestation. Besides the blatant humor behind the imagery, are there other analyses, politically, piously, or otherwise, that the ‘snake in the garden’ allegory might arouse?
1.1.76 “But earthlier happy is the rose distilled / Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn, / Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness”
1.1.129 “How chance the roses there do fade so fast?”
1.1.185 “When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. / Sickness is catching.”
1.1.214 “And in the wood, where often you and I / Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie”
2.1.99 “And the quaint mazes in the wanton green”
2.1.159 “And loosed his love shaft smartly from his bow, / As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts. / But I might see young Cupid’s fiery shaft / Quenched in the chaste beams of the wat’ry moon”
2.1.165 “Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell. / It fell upon a little western flower”
2.1.249 “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, / Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, / With sweet musk roses, and with eglantine. / There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, / Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight; / And there the snake throws her enameled skin, / Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in. / And with the juice of this I’ll streak her eyes”
2.2.9 “You spotted snakes with double tongue”
2.2.69 “This flower’s force in stirring love.”
2.2.146 “To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!”
What I want to base this post off of, is the scene where Helena finally gets what she wants – love from Demetrius. The mood in the forest becomes a blatant frenzy.
To set a foundation, it is almost ridiculous that Oberon is frustrated with Puck that he had used the love potion on Lysander instead of Demetrius. Puck finds it amusing, but Oberon wants to rectify the situation and feels sorry for Helena being lovesick. For all of the mischief that these two have caused, what’s not a little more?
Helena has been conditioned to being treated poorly by Demetrius. She is too broken down to see what false, but possibly sincere love looks like. Helena believes that all the Athenian parties involved are mocking her affection in some sort of cruel and well-managed joke.
There is one thing that I do need to clear up. When they are all together after the potion took effect for the first time, does Hermia believe the two guys are joking as well? (I believe so.)
3.2.251 {Hermia} “Sweet, do not scorn her so.” [To Lysander, speaking of Helena]
It’s kind of awesome that the tables have turned. Hermia begins to lash out on Helena. And there is almost a fistfight between the two girls! At this point I think that Hermia starts to realize that Demetrius and Lysander were never joking around.
Do we begin to feel bad for Hermia at the point when she is so easily rejected?
Does anyone wish that Oberon and Puck in the end, did not pair up the lovers?
Why does Egeus (Hermia’s father) seem like a crazy person – fixated on Demetrius?
4.1.144 {Egeus} “They would have stol’n away, they would, / Demetrius, / Thereby to have defeated you and me,”
Gannon