Blog drama from Adelia Andaruni
Abstract
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/midsummer/full.html
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 the theme and plot of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
drama. The writer
uses theories of Freytag’s
Pyramid with close
reading method. The writer finds that theme and
plot can ease the reader to understand a drama. In conclusion,
the plot of
this drama build upon the Freytag’s Pyramid.
Keywords: exposition,rising action, climax, falling action, denouement
INTRODUCTION
I.1 Background
of the Study
I.1.1 Drama
Drama, as a performing art, is part of the world
entertainment and it bring events to life by presenting them on a stage. Drama
on a stage sometimes seems like everyday life but it presents beautifully. The
Irish playwright Sean O’Casey on Christopher R. Reaske and John R. Knott’s book
entitled “MIRRORS An introduction to literature, third edition” (1988:541) said
that The first thing I try to do is to
make a play live: live as a part of live, and live in its own right as a work
of drama.”
I.1.2 Intrinsic Elements
Every literary work has some intrinsic elements.
Drama has intrinsic elements, there are theme, plot, setting, character,
characterization, style, tone, and point of view. One drama has a different
intrinsic elements with the other and that differences will build a different
story of drama.
I.2 Purpose
of the Study
The
purpose of this study are:
1. To
understand the theme of the drama.
2. To
understand the plot of the drama.
3. To
appreciate a work of literature.
I.3 Scope
of the Study
The scope of this study is the analysis of intrinsic
elements that is theme and plot on a drama entitled “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
by William Shakespeare.
DISCUSSION
II.1 Theme
Theme is defined as a main idea of a
literary work. The theme in a drama by Shakespeare entitled “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream” is love. There are a lot of love story and some problems about
love in this drama. We can see in the beginning of the story, a love between
Theseus and Hippolyta.
”THESEUS
…Hippolyta, I wooed thee with
my sword
And won thy love doing thee
injuries.
But I will wed thee in another
key,
With pomp, with triumph, and with
reveling.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 16-19)
From that dialogue we can see that Theseus was so
cruel that he make Hippolyta fell in love with him by injuring her. But when he
going to marry her, Theseus promise that he would make the wedding with
extravagant festivals and he would treat her differently and nicely.
Another love problem is when Hermia talks to Theseus
that she would never marry a man that she doesn’t love.
”HERMIA
So will I grow, so live, so die,
my lord,
Ere I will my virgin patent up
Unto his lordship, whose unwishèd
yoke
My
soul consents not to give sovereignty.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 79-82)
Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius instead of
Lysander. But Hermia doesn’t like her father’s plan. She loves Lysander and
doesn’t want to marry someone else. Lysander wants to marry Hermia too, but he
know that love would never be easy.
“LYSANDER
Ay me! For aught that I could
ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or
history,
The course of true love never did
run smooth.
But
either it was different in blood—“ (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 132-135)
It
is not just Hermia and Lysander who has a difficulty with love. Helena, she
loves Demetrius for a long time and she has a one-side-love. Demetrius doesn’t
love Helena because he in love with Hermia. Even Helena knows the fact that
Demetrius never love her, she always in love with Demetrius.
“HELENA
And even for that do I love you
the more.
I am your spaniel. And,
Demetrius,
The
more you beat me, I will fawn on you…” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 186-188)
Helena is in very deep love with Demetrius. She will
do everything to make Demetrius notice her. When they are in the woods,
Demetrius annoyed when Helena keep following him. He tell Helena to get away
from him, but Helena begging to following him, because she really in love with
him and want to get close with him. In the end, Demetrius will love Helena
because the effect of the flower-juce.
Demetrius will marry Helena, and Lysander will marry Hermia at the same time
when Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding.
II.2 Plot
Plot is a chain of every event and it will build up
into a story. A plot start with the exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action, and denouement.
II.2.1 Exposition
The
story starts when Egeus comes to Theseus to complain about his daughter who
doesn’t want to marry Demetrius.
“EGEUS
Full
of vexation come I with complaint
Against my child, my daughter
Hermia…
…As
she is mine, I may dispose of her—
Which
shall be either to this gentleman
Or
to her death—according to our law
Immediately provided in that
case.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 22-23, 42-45)
He
want Hermia to marry Demetrius than Lysander, or if not she should die.
Demetrius is in love with Hermia because of her beauty, but Lysander is in love
with Hermia too, but Egeus doesn’t really like Lysander. It make the situation
worse.
”DEMETRIUS
Relent,
sweet Hermia—And, Lysander, yield
Thy crazèd title to my certain
right.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 91-92)
“LYSANDER
You
have her father’s love, Demetrius.
Let me have Hermia’s. Do you
marry him.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 93-94)
With
a situation like that, Hermia know that her heart is just for Lysander. She
love Lysander with all of her heart, no one can replace Lysander. She just love
Lysander and can’t live if she should marry someone else.
“HERMIA
O hell, to choose love by
another’s eyes!” (Act 1, Scene1, Line 140)
Hermia feel sad because her
father wants her to marry Demetrius. Helena is in love with Demetrius, but she
must accept the fact that Demetrius is in love with Hermia, and Egeus wants
Demetrius to marry Hermia. Helena envy with Hermia because she has everything,
her eyes like stars, her beauty and she has Demetrius’ heart.
“HELENA
…Were
the world mine, Demetrius being bated,
The rest I’d give to be to you
translated.” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 191-192)
If Helena has everything in this
world, she would give anything to Hermia, except Demetrius. Because she know,
her love to Demetrius is too deep.
II.2.2 Rising Action
Oberon
wants to have a children but Titania doesn’t want to. They are fighting and
Titania doesn’t like to get closer to Oberon.
“OBERON
Ill met by moonlight, proud
Titania.” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 46)
TITANIA
What,
jealous Oberon?—Fairies, skip hence.
I have forsworn his bed and
company.” (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 47-48)
Titania doesn’t want to sleep or
talk to Oberon again. She feels really angry to Oberon. Their fight is getting
bigger, and Titania decides to stay in the wood until Theseus’ wedding day.
Lysander and Hermia escape into
the woods. They tells Helena about their plan, because Helena is Hermia’s
friend. But Helena tells Demetrius. Demetrius and Helena go to the forest to
find Lysander and Hermia.
“DEMETRIUS
I
love thee not, therefore pursue me not.
Where
is Lysander and fair Hermia?
The
one I’ll stay, the other stayeth me.
Thou told’st me they were stol'n unto this wood.
And here am I, and wood within this wood,
Because I cannot meet my Hermia.
Hence, get thee gone,and follow
me no more.”
(Act 1, Scene 1, Line 173-179)
Demetrius
is going to crazy because he couldn’t find Hermia. And he is mad because Helena
keep following him. He wants Helena to go home and stay away from him.
II.2.3 Climax
Oberon
still mad at Titania, so he rub Titania’s eyelids with flower juice to make her fall in love with the first thing she see
when she wake up.
“OBERON
(squeezing flower juice on TITANIA ’s eyelids)
What
thou seest when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true love take…” (
Act 2, Scene 2, Line 15-17)
Oberon
wants to make Titania fall in love with the animal in the forest. Oberon see in
the forest how Helena suffering because of Demetrius. So he tell Robin to rub
Demetrius’ eyelid with flower juice
so he will fall in love with Helena.
“ROBIN
…(squeezes flower juice on LYSANDER’s eyelids)
Churl,
upon thy eyes I throw
All
the power this charm doth owe.
When
thou wakest, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid…”
(Act 2, Scene 2, Line 64-68)
Robin
make a mistake by giving the flower juice
to Lysander eyelids because he thinks that Lysander is Demetrius. When he
wake up, he will fall in love with Helena. Oberon tells him to go to the forest
again to rub the flower juice to
Demetrius eyelids.
“DEMETRIUS
(waking) O
Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!
To
what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal
is muddy. Oh, how ripe in show
Thy
lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!...
(Act
3, Scene 2, Line 139-142)
The effect of the flower juice is same as Lysander.
Demetrius will fall in love with Helena when he wake up.
Lysander
and Demetrius are under the spell from the flower
juice. They are both fall in love with Helena. Lysander and Demetrius fight
to have Helena’s heart.
“LYSANDER
…In
Hermia’s love I yield you up my part.
And
yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love and will do till
my death.” (Act 3, Scene 2, Line 167-169)
……..
“DEMETRIUS
Lysander,
keep thy Hermia. I will none.
If
e'er I loved her, all that love is gone.
My
heart to her but as guest-wise sojourned,
And
now to Helen is it home returned,
There to remain.” (Act 3, Scene
2, Line 171-175)
They
are fighting to have Helena’s heart. They forget about their love to Hermia. In
the other side, Hermia and Helena fight too.
“HERMIA
I
am amazèd at your passionate words.
I scorn you not. It seems that
you scorn me.”
(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 223-224)
“HELENA
Have
you not set Lysander, as in scorn,
To follow me and praise my eyes
and face?
And
made your other love, Demetrius—
Who
even but now did spurn me with his foot—
To
call me goddess, nymph, divine, and rare,
Precious, celestial?...” (Act 3,
Scene 2, Line 225-230)
Hermia
and Helena fight because Helena thinks that Hermia is insulting her and behind
all of this. She thinks Hermia ask Lysander and Demetrius to praise her.
II.2.4 Falling Action
Robin
realize about his mistake. So he puts the flower
juice to Lysander’s eyelids again
“ROBIN
…(squeezes flower juice into LYSANDER ’s eyes)
When
thou wakest,
Thou
takest
True
delight
In
the sight
Of thy former lady’s eye…” (Act
3, Scene 2, Line 466-471)
That
flower juice will make Lysander fall
in love with the one she loved when he wake up. Oberon release Titania from the
flower juice spell.
“OBERON
…But first I will release the
fairy queen.” (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 53)
Oberon
puts the flower juice from the second
flower into Titania’s eyes and release from the spell. Robin doesn’t put the flower juice into Demetrius eyes, so he
will fall in love with Helena forever.
II.2.5 Denouement
Theseus
announce that Demetrius and Helena, and Lysander and Hermia, will married along
with his wedding day.
“THESEUS
For
in the temple by and by with us
These couples shall eternally be
knit… (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 167-168)
After face many difficulties, they all getting
married. On the wedding day, Philostrate preparing a plays with some music. After
the play ends, Oberon blessing the house and the couples who married
SUMMARY
A
drama entitled “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakerpeare tells us
about love. It begins when Hermia who deeply in love with Lysander, forced to
marry Demetrius by his father. Until them Hermia and Lysander run away into the
forest. Helena who fall in love with Demetrius since a long time, must face the
fact that Demetrius is fall in love with Hermia. Helena and Demetrius follow
Hermia and Lysander into the forest. In the forest, Demetrius and Lysander are
fall in love with Helena because they are under the spell of the flower juice. Titania under the spell of
the flower juice too because Oberon
mad at her. In the end, everything runs beautifully because Lysander and
Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena are getting married at the same time with
Theseus’ wedding day. Titania is release from the spell of the flower juice and Oberon and she come to
the wedding.
This
drama tells us that love is never easy. We can see how patient Helena waiting
until Demetrius loves her and the effort that Lysander and Hermia do when they
know that Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius. There are so many effort to
have a true love. Sometimes it makes us sad but we should never give up, just
like Hermia when she abandoned by Lysander. Never give up and be patient to
waiting our happy ending.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
