Love and Supernatural in A Midsummer Nights Dream and Metamorphoses - Essay Example

Love and Supernatural in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Metamorphoses’ Introduction The connection between the theme of love and the theme of supernaturalism has contributed immensely to the production of some famous literary works through ages. Love, which is always associated with jealousy, revenge and retribution, has often led to a catastrophic end in literature. It is through the use of the elements of supernaturalism that the violent consequences of love could be moderated, and given an aesthetic feel which conforms to the more popular and celebrated notion of love. Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ deal with these two themes, but from different perspectives. While the former uses love and supernaturalism in order to transcend the material and induce a feeling of goodness about the world at the end, the latter, uses these two themes to criticize and disapprove the contemporary political and scientific theories. Though the literary pieces under consideration were composed at a gap of centuries, yet influences of Ovid can be detected in Shakespeare’s play. It is analysed by critics that the ‘gods and goddesses ’of Metamorphoses’ had influenced the construction of ‘fairies’ in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It may be claimed that Ovid’s construction of a mythological and mystic world through the random use of immortal characters and supernatural elements, has been attempted by Shakespeare to recreate in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by using elements like magic and fairies. Whether both the texts establish the same idea, or are widely different from one another is the subject of the analysis below. Theme of supernaturalism There is a prevalent use of supernatural elements in the plays of Shakespeare. Be it ghosts, witches, or fairies, or the technique of prediction and foretelling, paranormal and bizarre factors have always played a major role in the plot and thematic structure of the plays. The people of the Elizabethan period to which Shakespeare belonged to, were much superstitious, and their belief in supernaturalism dictated their life and actions to large extent. It may be said that Shakespeare’s use of elements of supernatural in his works shows the Elizabethans’ obsession with mythical beliefs. Though he was much influenced and pressurized by the demands of the contemporary stage goers to include supernatural elements in the plays, Shakespeare’s inherent genius was such that nowhere in the plays, the supernatural constituents appear incoherent or unnecessary to the plot. Those were incorporated ingeniously and made an dispensable part of the plays. In fact supernaturalism was an effective tool in the hands of Shakespeare because his inquiring mind that was not to be bounded by the limitations of matter. Ovid, makes use of supernatural elements to depict metamorphosis of everything, living or non-living, in the world. Ovid, through his celebrated poem ‘Metamorphoses’, provides a new dimension to the Greek idea that ‘everything always changes’. In his ‘Metamorphoses’, Ovid shows that change is perpetual and god-ordained, and that all life is consistent with the changes. He shows how man and life on earth are dependent on the workings of fate, which preordain every move they make. (Slashdoc) Supernatural elements in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Love and supernatural elements play the key role in the theme of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. The playwright’s ability to mix real and the imaginary world, has given the play a dream-like feel. The presence of Supernatural elements transcends the human world of love and suffering into the heavenly world of the fairies where pain in unknown. Shakespeare uses the tools of magic and dream to interweave an atmosphere of shadow and other worldliness, which is highly in sync with the theme of love. The end of the play where Puck announces that everything have been crafted in dream, brings out the real intention of Shakespeare in using magical and dream elements. He tries to convey through this play that a situation where everything turns out to be all right at the end is only possible in dreams and not in reality. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ has several contextual ingredients of supernaturalism, which take the reader or audience into its grip and help them rise above their immediate surroundings. With the introduction of the fairy world, Shakespeare creates a probability of the resolution of the lover’s conflict and dilemma through magical powers. Shakespeare does not attach any particular significance to them, nor he allows them any special power of control over humans. The fairies freely mix with the earthly men and women, and sometimes annoy them childishly. He then brings onto the magic factor in the plot by referring to the magic potion, the application of which on the eyelid of someone would make him or her love the first person he or she sees in the morning. Oberon asks Puck to bring that potion so that it could be applied to all those lovers who are supposed to love someone else and not their present lover. Supernatural elements in ‘Metamorphoses’ Supernatural elements dominate the stories of ‘Metamorphoses’ as it is mainly concerned with the doings of the Greco-Roman gods. The human characters present in the epic poem are also blessed with godly power to transform themselves in any form they want to. Since everything is presented in a stage of metamorphoses, superhuman transformations abound the poem. Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ begins with the metamorphoses of creation and Prometheus transforming earth into Man and ends with the spirit of Julius Caesar changing into a star (Ovid. Innes. Book 15.29-48 & 335-358) Throughout the poem, Ovid weaves in mythological contents to show how the process of metamorphoses is entailed from gods and goddesses to humans. It may be asserted that in this poem, Ovid uses Greek mythology in a new literary genre that is neither a tragedy, nor a typical epic poetry, and not a typical satire. Ovid’s use of the unnatural theme of transformation is remarkable in its underlying symbolism and profound hidden meaning that the poet wants to convey. Myers argues that Ovid uses the theme of metamorphosis in order to universalize it “into a form of cosmology” and challenge Lucretius’ theory of rationalization of myth with the help of physics. He further states, “Ovid reacts against Lucretius’ purely materialistic explanation of natural phenomena, and by incorporating physics into his unrelentingly unnaturalistic and supernatural metamorphoses he consciously ‘remytholizes’ Lucretius’ rationalistic allegorizations of myth.” (Myers, 54) The Phaethon episode in Book 1, focuses on this aspect since Ovid ‘remytholizes’ the concept of ‘flood and fire’ that Lucretius had tried to demythify by explaining the causes to be the victory of the elements of fire and water over the elements they are in fight with. (Ovid. Innes. Book 1. 29-48) The Echo and Narcissus episode in Book 3 “represents a deliberate remythologizing of Lucretius’ theories of vision and love in ‘De Rerum Natura 4.” (Myers, 55) Theme of love Love, as content and theme, is universally recognised as being the most powerful and attractive in the artistic circle. When it is the question of love, then the first name that comes to the mind is that of Shakespeare. He is the person who has explored the theme of love from every possible angle. Be it the romantic plays, or the romantic-comedies, Shakespeare surpasses all in bringing out love in all its glory and supremacy. For Shakespeare, love symbolizes an ‘all-conquering power’ which leaves no one from coming under its sway. Though there are controversies regarding the attitude towards love that he projects in his plays, which is many times shrouded in pessimism, yet it may be claimed for sure that Shakespeare celebrates love as well. In the words of Radcliffe, “Shakespeare certainly knew that love was something that came much easier than the task of maintaining it in an uncertain world.” (Radcliffe). He further reinstates that Shakespeare “was not blind to the negatives but rather believed that love, true love had the power to blight out all else.” (Radcliffe). In contrast to Shakespearean love, Ovid’s portrayal of love is something different. He has tried to show clearly in his writings, that love, to him is like a game, which demands lots of strategy and deceptive power but not sacrifice and the soul of life. Ovid rather identified love with sex and bodily pleasure than with heart. His depiction of illegitimate love as being full of passion and zeal throughout ‘Metamorphoses’ distinguishes itself from the divine aspect of Shakespeare’s true and pure love. Love in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Lysander’s reflection in the first Act of the play that “The course of true love never did run smooth,” (Shakespeare 11) works best to explain the theme of love in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. From the very first Act, Shakespeare sets the stage for conflict of love by introducing four young men and women who are not couples. Demetrius is shown to be in love with Hermia after ditching his former love Helena, while Hermia is not in love with Demetrius but with Lysander. Love forms a central part of the theme in many of Shakespeare’s plays. He exposes the lovers’ sentiments involved in love from different angles. For example, Viola’s true love for Orsino in ‘As You Like It’ lies in sharp contrast to that of the fleeting feelings of Olivia. Whereas Shakespeare portrays the tragic fate of love in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, the theme of love is dealt with a lighter air in the play under consideration. The way the craftsmen in the woods deal with the serious love story of Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, and a make a total mess in acting out the play, is in sharp contrast with the love triangle of Demetrius, Lysander, and Hermia, and the pains of Helena’ rejected love. It can be argued that Shakespeare has deliberately done this to mock the ‘serious love’ and its pang the four of them are suffering from. The craftsmen are projected as being clumsy and ridiculous, often fumbling with their words. In contrast, the passionate lovers are refined people with fine manners and good behavior. Everything is fine and sophisticated around them. Their love also has a dream-like feel around it, far removed from the throbbing realities of life. The craftsmen do not understand love and the feelings associated with it. They understand their work, which earns them bread, and is honest with the fact. Their honesty and candor seem to challenge the ‘serious’ love of the lovers who can playfully discard their lover whom they truly love and seek someone else’s attention at their own disposition. Shakespeare, by comparing the unorganized behavior and awkward attitude of the craftsmen with that of the lovers, depicts reality in this play also, which is commonly appreciated for its magical and supernatural elements. The presence of the fairies along with their King Oberon and Queen Titania, presents another aspect of the theme of love. Other than offering a direct comparison between the material and the ethereal worlds, the fairies also serve the purpose of putting up a contrast between the earthly lovers and heavenly love embodied by Oberon and Titania. The conflict between them regarding the ownership of an Indian prince shows that their love is not too perfect. The imperfections of their love give a glimpse into Shakespeare’s thoughts that seems like saying that finding perfect love is not too easy. Theme of Love in Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ Unlike Shakespeare’s use of love as the driving force in most of his romantic plays, Ovid looks upon love as more of a destructive agent in his poem ‘Metamorphoses’. Ovid believed that love has an overpowering control on the lives of everyone, including gods. Love does not care for reasons or ethics. Ovid depicts how love, embodied by Cupid or ‘Amor humiliate and ridicule other gods, especially Apollo. Apollo, who is the god of reason, is also made to move away from reasons under the influence of Amor. It is like a storm which when blows into a person’s life, takes him by surprise and changes nearly everything around him. It is found mainly responsible for most of the transformations, which occur in ‘Metamorphoses’. For example, Apollo transforms into his lover’s sister in order to stay within her reach, and Daphne changes into a laurel tree to avoid the unwanted attention of Apollo. (Ovid. Innes. Book 1 29-48) Ovid’s portrayal of love in ‘Metamorphoses’ can be analysed from a political standpoint. Understanding the contemporary political condition under the reign of Augustus, when legal love was differentiated from illegal love in order to stabilize moral norms of behavior in the society, Ovid’s attempt may be viewed largely as being influenced by it. Illicit love affairs are dealt with a strong hand in ‘Metamorphoses’. It is largely depicted as negative and dangerous, and thus seen as backing up the moral norms of the Augustan period. Yet the stories, which focus on the futile attempt to control or suppress emotions and desires, suggest the opposite. Ovid may have tried to criticize the rules and norms, which are made to regulate love. Conclusion Though there are several contrasting ideas and concepts in the writings of Ovid and Shakespeare, both of them agree at one point. Fate, as the unrelenting destiny, plays a major role in the lives of both of their characters. The overpowering presence of Fate can be detected in most of their compositions. Shakespeare has made use of several supernatural devices like witches and ghosts to foretell the future of the characters and to establish the fact that everything that happens in a man’s life is preordained and can never be changed. Ovid, by using similar tools of prophecies and forecasting, ascertains the same in ‘Metamorphoses’. For example, Tiresias’s prophesy about Narcissus long life till he discovers himself, or Cassandra’s foreseeing Troy’s fall, are all proven true. Though in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ these elements of prediction are not overtly present, yet through the interference of Puck and the fairy King Oberon in the love affairs of the four young men and women, and correcting the pairing between them, Shakespeare once again asserts the working of Fate in determining the destiny of love in a person’s life. In Shakespeare’s plays, love is always interlaced with destiny, which manifests itself in deciding the end or future of a love relation. For Ovid, Fate is more of an instrument to portray not only the end of love but also the limitations of both gods and men in altering their course of life. Since for Ovid, love is more of carnal pleasure than vows and marriage oaths, he focuses more on ‘hubris’, a fatal flaw in one’s character resulting in his or her downfall, than on Fate in determining love relation of the characters. Ovid deliberately represents ‘hubris’ as the theme, which offsets the theme of love as the common and universal equalizer. Outline I. Introduction A. Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ are delightful studies of the themes of love and supernaturalism. 2. Theme of Supernaturalism A. Shakespeare’s use of supernatural elements in his plays has its origin in the superstitions and blind faith of the audience of the Elizabethan period, and their desire to see those incorporated in the plays. 3. Supernatural elements in A Midsummer Night’s Dream A. Supernatural elements like fairies and magic are used in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to create an atmosphere of dreams so that the theme of love finds its perfect condition to captivate the entire thoughts of the lovers. B. Supernatural factors are chiefly used for the sake of entertainment and not to foretell and forebode. 4. Supernatural elements in Metamorphoses A. Ovid in ‘Metamorphoses’ uses mythological allusions and supernatural elements like gods and goddesses to create the world that had been at the beginning, before evolution made it what it is now. B. Ovid, by attaching supernatural causes with every transformation or metamorphosis, seems to challenge the Lucretius’ rationalistic interpretation of mythology and evolution. Several contexts of such evidences can be found in ‘Metamorphoses’. 5. Theme of Love A. Shakespeare has been claimed to explore the theme of love like no other litterateur. He projects both the good and bad sides of love in his plays. He associates purity and divinity with love. B. Love in Ovid’s poems is more physical than sentimental. He projects the passions and physical aspects of love. 6. Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream A. Love conflict among four young lovers forms the core of love theme in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It is more of fleeting emotion than deep love with them, and thus often changes its focus of attention. 7. Love in Metamorphoses A. The destructive force of love is exhibited in ‘Metamorphoses’. Gods and goddesses engage in and pursue physical love along with earthly men and women. B. Ovid’s portrayal of illegal and extra-marital love affairs may be viewed as either supporting the contemporary regulatory rules of morality, or criticizing and refuting them. References Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Plain Lable Books. 2003. Ovid. Innes, Mary M. the Metamorphoses of Ovid. Penguin Classics. 1955. Myers, Sara. K. Ovid’s Causes: Cosmogony and aetiology in the Metamorphoses. University of Michigan Press. 1994. Radcliffe, Royce. Love conquers all: A Common Theme in the works of Shakespeare. Helium. Available at- http://www.helium.com/items/365468-love-conquers-all-a-common-theme-in-the-works-of-shakespeare (accessed on 19.3.2010) Slashdoc. Supernatural elements in Shakespeare. 2004. available at- http://www.slashdoc.com/documents/37112 (accessed on 19.3.2010) Read More