This writing is about analyze the Theme and Characterization of "A MIdsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare

1. INTRINSIC ELEMENTS ANALYSIS:
THEME AND CHARACTERIZATION
IN A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Nikolaus Natal Narasyudo

2. Abstract
In this writing, the writer tries to analyze the intrinsic elements of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. The purpose of this writing is to understand
theme and characterization in the drama. The writer uses theories of
characterization and theme with close reading method. The writer found that
theme and characterization as intrinsic elements give a soul for the drama. In
conclusion, the theme and characterization give the real live of drama.
Keywords:William Shakespaeare, characterization, theme

3. Introduction
Drama is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of dialogue
between character, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading.
Sylvan Barnet, Morton Berman, and William Burto in “An Introduction to Literature”
(1989:589) difines drama as is it can denote the whole body of work written for the
theater, or asingle play, or a serious but untragic play or (as in “Life is full of Drama”)
even that contain conflict, tension, surprise.

4. Discuccion
THEME
Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of literary work that may be stated
directly or inderectly.The main theme in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” byWilliam Shakespeare that writter
analysis is love. Most dialogues of the story talk about love but,William Shakespeare brilianlty blend love
with comedy.
In the beginning of the play, it showed in Act 1 Scene 1 about the wedding and how the love is
going betweenTheseus and Hippolyta.
 “THESEUS
 Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draw on space. Four happy day bring in another moon. But oh,
methinks how slow this old moon wanes! She lingers my desires, liek to a stepdame or a dowager long
withering out a young man’s revenue.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 1-6)
 “Theseus
 Go, Philostrate, stir up the Athenian youth to merriments......” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 11 – 15)
 “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injuries.....” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line
16 – 17)

5. From some part of the dialogue above we can know thatTheseus has getting married with Hippolyta in “Now, fair Hippolyta,
our nuptial hour...”. In “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injuries..” shows us how deep
and pureTheseus’s love to Hippolyta until he want to sacrifice his live for their love. Another part like “Go, Philostrate, stir up
the Athenian youth to merriments...” we can assume thatTheseus is someone who has power in Athen, so we can assume
thatTheseus is a king of Athens.
In dialogues above we can know that Lysander is in love with Hermia and Hemia is falling in love with Lysander too.
Lysander is a humble mand, he believe that true love need a struggle and they decide to fight together for their love because
Lysander and Hermia are in love each other.
Another dialogue in this drama tell us another problem of love, the true love between Lysander and Hermia daughter of
Egeus.
“Egeus
Full of vexation come I with complaint against my child, my daughter Hermia. – Step forward, Demetrius. – My lord, this
man, Demetrius, has my premission to marry her. – Step forward Lysander. – But this other man, Lysander, has cast a
magic spell over my child’s heart........” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 21 – 26)
“Hermia
So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, ere I will my virgin patent up unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke my soul
consent not give sovereigny.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 79 – 82)
From two dialogues above we know that Egeus father of Hermia wants Hermia marry with the man who he has
choosen, Demetrius but Hermia does not want marry wth Demetrius because she does not love him. Hermia loves someone
else, Lysander.

6. ”HERMIA
Call you me ‘fair’? that ‘fair’ again unsay. Demetrius loves you fair.................................. Were the world mine, Demetius
being bated, the rest I’d give to be to you translated.”
From the dialogues above, Shakespeare bring us to a complicated love story. Helena a friend of Hermia was falling in love
with Demtrius who is in love with hermia. However, Shakespeare give us some joke here, Hermia called Helena with “fair” or
beauty but the truth is, Helena is not beauty as Hermia.

7. CHARACTERIZATION
Characterization can be defines as a persionality of a character, it can be phychological or physical. In this papper, the
writter wil analyzes three interesting character in “Midsummer Noght’s Dream” by William Shakespeare.
• Puck a.k.a. Robin Goodfellow
King Oberon’s loyal servant
Puck is one of major character who is very loyal to his master, King Oberon the King of Fairy.We can know it from his attitude
and some dialogues.
“OBERON
I pray thee, give it me. (take flower from ROBIN)...........” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 234 – 254)
“ROBIN
Fear not, my lord. Your servant shall do so.” (Act2 Scene 1 Line 255)
From dialogue above we know that Robin is a servant from Oberon and he is very loyal because he will do anything for
his master.
Funny
Puck loves a good practical joke, more than other characters.
“ROBIN
My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,…” (Act 3 Scene 1 line 6)
In that dialogue Robin looks very funny when he said like that. With some willingness to prank someone.

8. Naughty
“FAIRY
Either I mistake your shape and making quite,
Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite
Called Robin Goodfellow.Are not you he
That frights the maidens of the villagery,
Skim milk, and sometimes labor in the quern
And bootless make the breathless housewife churn,
And sometime make the drink to bear no barm,
Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm?
Those that “Hobgoblin” call you, and “sweet Puck,”
You do their work, and they shall have good luck.
Are not you he?” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 18)
The Fairy with explicit tell us if Puck is a naughty and dishonest fairy.
Has magical power
“ROBIN
I’ll follow you. I’ll lead you about a round
Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier.
Sometime a horse I’ll be, sometime a hound,
A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire.
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.” (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 48)
From that dialogues we can know that Puck has a magical power. He can transform itself become anything he want.

9. • Bottom
Stupid
“FLUTE
Oh. (as thisbe) As true as truest horse that yet would
never tire.
BOTTOM
(as PYRAMUS) If I were fair,Thisbe, I were only
thine..” (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 45)
Bottom looks very stupid in this dialogues, he believe that he was change be a handsome man but otherwise he
change to a man with a donkey head.
Confidence
“BOTTOM
I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me, to
fright me if they could. But I will not stir from this
place, do what they can. I will walk up and down here
and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid.
(sings)
The ouzel cock, so black of hue
With orange-tawny bill,
The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill—“ (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 57)
In this dialogue, Bottom looks very confidence in his idiocy. He thinks everyone want to scaring him with the ass joke,
but it is the truth. However, Bottom still believe that he was transformed into a handsome man.

10. Romantic
“BOTTOM
Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for
that.
And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little
company together nowadays.The more the pity that
some honest neighbors will not make them friends.
Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.” (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 69)
Bottom is a quite romantic character, he believe in true love. He is a sweet character and has a pure love to Titania, the
queen of Oberon.
• Titania
The Queen of the Fairies
“TITANIA
Then I must be thy lady. But I know
When thou hast stolen away from Fairyland,
And in the shape of Corin sat all day,
Playing on pipes of corn and versing love
To amorous Phillida.Why art thou here,
Come from the farthest step of India?
But that, forsooth, the bouncingAmazon,
Your buskined mistress and your warrior love,
ToTheseus must be wedded, and you come
To give their bed joy and prosperity.” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 50)
From this dialogue, we know that Titania is the wife of the Oberon king of fairy.Therefore, she is a queen of fairy.

11. Summary
The play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” byWilliam Shakespeare mostly tell
us about love.The story is very unique because Shakespeare talk about love with
some humor. In other hand, this story talk about some problem in love.
This drama teach us how we fight for our love and we think that the right
way.This drama also, tell us how love does not see physically.