Sunday, March 8, 2015

Discuss the theme of appearance and deception in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Can anyone help me with this?It's for an assignment.

It sounds like you're referencing reality (appearance) vs. illusion (deception) here, so if we approach this theme, we'll find many examples of it. 

Behind this theme is the word "dream."  Dreams figure prominently in the play.  Many characters fall asleep, then wake up to a different reality, which they then believe has been a dream.  For example, Titania falls in love with Bottom, then falls asleep and when she wakes up (after the love potion has been reapplied to her eyelids), she believes she has dreamed it.  The same applies to Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia.  They all fall asleep at various times in the play, then wake to wonder if they have dreamed events they've experienced.  The intermixing of the faerie world and the "mortal" world also contributes to the reality vs. illusion theme. 

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