2. ◤
A midsummer Night's
Dream by William
Shakespeare
Unveiling the Enigmatic Persona: An
Exploration of the Characters
3. ◤
Agenda Introduction
Characters in
A Midsummer
Night's Dream
The misguided
Lovers
The Fairies Puck
The Athenian
Court
Comic Relief
Characters
Shakespeare's
Use of
Characters
Significance of
Characters
conclusion
4. ◤
Introduction and Background of A
Midsummer Night's Dream
Delve into the world of enchantment and mischief as
we embark on a journey to unravel the enigmatic
persona of the characters in William Shakespeare's
timeless masterpiece, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
With a touch of magic and a dash of humor, this
exploration promises to illuminate the complexities and
wonders of Shakespeare's captivating creations.
5. ◤
▪Characters in Midsummer Night's Dream
▪ Theseus: The duke of Athens and symbol of order and rationality in the play.
▪ Hippolyta: The Queen of Amazon and Theseus' bride-to-be, representing strength and
independence.
▪ Hermia: A young women in love with Lysander, facing conflicts due to her father's
disapproval.
▪ Lysander: A young man in love with Hermia, facing obstacles in his pursuit of true love.
▪ Helena: Hermia's friend, who is in love with Demetrius but is rejected by him.
▪ Demetrius: Initially in love by Hermia, but later enchanted by magic potion and falls in
love with Helena.
▪ Egeus: Hermia's father, who brings complaints against her daughter to Theseus.
6. ◤
▪Continued;
▪ Oberon: The Fairy king, who manipulates the events of the play with his
magic.
▪ Titania: The Fairy Queen, who has conflicts with Oberon and plays a pivotal
role in the plays magical elements.
▪ Puck: Also Known as Robin Goodfellow, a mischievous fairy who serves
Oberon and creates chaos through his pranks.
▪ Nick: The overconfident weaver chosen to play Pyramus in the craftsmen's
play for Theseus marriage celebration.
▪ The Craftsmen: The men who are responsible for the play at the Theseus
wedding celebration.
7. ◤
The Misguided Lovers: Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and
Demetrius
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and
Demetrius form a tangled web of love and confusion. Hermia and
Lysander are forbidden lovers, while Helena pines for Demetrius,
who is infatuated with Hermia. Their intricate love square creates
comedic chaos as they navigate the enchantments of the fairy realm
and the meddling of the mischievous Puck
8. ◤
The Fairies:
▪ Oberon: The king of Fairies is initially at odds with his wife,
Titania. Oberon's desire for revenge on Titania leads him to
send Puck to obtain love potion flower that creates so much
farce and confusion in the play
▪ Titania: The Fairy Queen, involved in conflicts with Oberon.
Titania has a brief potion induced love for Nick Bottom, whose
head has Puck transformed into a donkey, yields the play's
foremost example of contrast motif.
9. ◤
Puck
▪ A mischievous and sprightly fairy who serves Oberon and
carries out his command.
▪ Puck creates confusion and chaos through his antics,
including mistaken identities and love-potion.
▪ As play is divided into different groups of characters, puck
is closest to this play has a protagonist..
10. ◤
The Athenian Court:
▪ Theseus and Hippolyta provide a contrasting backdrop to
the magical events and human conflicts, representing the
rational world in which the play takes place.
▪ Theseus appears only at the beginning and end of the
story, removed from the dream like events of the forest.
▪ Theseus won Hippolyta heart in a battle and they soon will
be married.
11. ◤
Comic Relief Characters
▪ Nick: a Weaver who is transformed into a donkey and
becomes the object of Titania's Affection.
▪ Quince, Flute, Snout, Starveling: fellow craftsmen who form
a group of amateur actors and provide comedic moments
during rehearsal and performance.
▪ Wants to put on a play called Pyramus and Thisbe.
▪ The craftsmen are such bumbling actors, their performance
satirizes the melodramatic Athenian lovers and gives the
play a purely joyful, comedic ending.
12. ◤
Famous Quotes:
• "The course of true love never did run
smooth."(Lysander)
• "I’ll follow thee and make a heaven of hell,
To die upon the hand I love so well." (Helena)
• My soul is in the sky. (Pyramus)
▪ "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
▪ "So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends". (Puck)
13. ◤
Shakespeare's use of Characters
▪Symbolism: Shakespeare uses characters to symbolize
different concept and ideas, such as love, power, and
dreams.
▪Foils: characters with contrasting traits are used as foils
to highlight each other's characteristics and enhance the
story-telling.
▪Parallelism: Characters and their storylines intersect with
each other, creating thematic connections and reinforcing
the play's structure.
14. ◤
Significance of characters
▪ Conveying themes and message
▪ Love and Desire: the characters are driven by love and desire.
Their various pursuits of love, weather requited or unrequited,
highlight the complexities and irrationality of human emotions.
▪ Illusion and Reality: The characters' experiences in the
dreamlike forest blur the lines between illusion and reality. The
fairies especially Oberon and Puck, manipulate reality and
create chaos, challenging the characters' perceptions and
questioning the nature of reality itself.
15. ◤
Continued...
▪ Power and Control: The power dynamics between characters
reflect societal hierarchies and explore the themes of submission and
dominance. The fairy realm, with Oberon and Titania as its rulers,
showcase the struggle for control and consequence of power imbalance.
▪ Transformation and Metamorphosis: The play's magical elements,
including Puck's mischievous pranks and Bottoms literal transformation,
symbolize the transformative power of love and the ability for individuals to
change and evolve.
▪ Nature and Artifice: the play contrasts the natural world of forest and the
artificiality of Athenian court. The characters interactions with natural and
supernatural elements emphasize the conflicts between the human and
constructs and the wild, untamed forces of nature.
16. ◤
Conclusion:
▪ In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the fairy characters add
depth and complexity to the story. Oberon and Titania
represent power and manipulation, while Puck brings chaos
and mischief. Their presence creates a sense of
enchantment and blurs the lines between reality and
fantasy. These characters highlight the themes of love,
mischief, and the unexpected, making A Midsummer Night's
Dream a captivating and timeless play.
