Monday, July 29, 2013

Do the fairies disapprove of the marriages in the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream?I have read over and over, and I am uncertain of this question;...

Perhaps it's not a matter of approval or disapproval, but that they see it as a rather trivial thing. Though the fairies do understand and are the victims of love themselves, they don't seem to take relationships and fidelity all that seriously. The first time we see the fairies discuss relationships is in Act II, scene i, while one of Titania's fairies and Puck discuss the fight between Oberon and his queen. It seems as if both characters are used to their masters' quarreling and seem to know it will pass. Oberon's plan to teach Titania a lesson is to embarass her and trick her into falling in love with another. He ia not bothered by the fact that his plan involves his queen loving another man. (The ease with which Titania falls in love with another may also be a comment by Shakespeare on the nature of love.) Oberon seems to approve of the humans' relationships and, beginning in Act II, sc. ii, takes pity on Helena vowing that Demetrius will soon love her as well. Puck's inability to distinguish between the different characters seems to show that he does not take his job too seriously and does not seem overly upset by the fact that he has put the spell on the wrong man in Act III, sc. i. In the end, the fairies may simply see love and relationships as a fun and enjoyable thing that the humans often ruin by taking too seriously.

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