Peace Within the Realm

Peace Within the Realm

Throughout the chaos and mishappenings of William Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream”, Shakespeare lays out several conflicts within his play, including conflict between economic classes. The noble men in their palace, the working class attempting a play, and the fairies within their forest, all have distinct characteristics and traits that set them apart from each other. Whereas the nobles within the story symbolize order and formality, the working classes represents ignorance and the fairies represent absolute chaos. Shakespeare has made the differences in characteristics in the economic classes of “A Midsummer Night's Dream” obvious through use of dialog, setting, and titles.

In order to fully understand the upper class represented in “A Midsummer Night's Dream”, It is important to understand the class system that was in place during Shakespeare's time, which was the Elizabethan Era (1558–1603). In the article written by Duke University “A Midsummer Night's Dream: Social, Cultural, and Economic Significance”, they state that “The Nobility was the smallest and most recognized class in England. Made up of only 55 families, the nobles were rich, powerful, and intelligent men. They owned large houses, large amounts of land, and even servants to care for their possessions.” (Duke paragraph 8). They were a small class, but represented power, wealth, and order. The nobles within the story are Theseus (Duke of Athens), Hippolyta (Duke's finance), Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, Helna, and Egeus. By the way they talk, it is obvious they all have a formal education. When Lysander is trying to comfort Hermia he says “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;” (I, i). His dialectic is very formal and appeals to logic since he is telling her that love is never easy instead of just cursing her father. Also, he references to stories he has read and history he has learned therefore proving he has a formal education. They address each other by there titles, saying things like your grace, my lord, my lady, etc. The setting where all the nobles are is also a representation of the upper class. The story opens in Athens, within the palace of Theseus. A palace is a royal place, and heavily symbolizes power and order. The fact that Egeus has come here to talk to Theseus about his daughter breaking the law, also shows that it is a place of order and a house where the law is upheld. Whenever they are in the palace, there is order.

The difference between the upper and working class in the story are very apparent according to the article “A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Motif of Contrast” written by Duke University, “The dichotomy between the first two sets of characters is painfully obvious; from their rankings in society down to their very abilities to carry intelligent conversation, the characters could not be any more different.” (Duke Paragraph 3). To understand the working class in the Elizabethan Era better, one can again reference to "A Midsummer Night's Dream: Social, Cultural, and Economic Significance", for they also state that “The Yeomanry, considered the middle class, were neither rich nor poor. This class included craftsmen, farmers, and tradesmen. The “middle” class population worked very hard to earn a living and to live at ease but not enough to avoid poverty if disease or misfortune struck. In addition to hard working, the Yeomanry were known for being extremely religious in comparison to the nobles or gentry” (Duke paragraph 10). The working class usually had little to no formal education, there for when Bottom, Peter Quince, Francis Flute, Tom Snout, Snug, Robin Starvling, and Peter Quince are trying to create a play for the royal wedding, it is full of ignorance. When Bottom's character has to kill himself, they worry about the women in the audience. Bottom comes with a solution by saying “Not a whit: I have a device to make all well./Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to/ say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that/ Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more/ better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not/ Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them/out of fear.” (III, I). Out of ignorance, they feel they have to announce the fact that Bottom is not really the character he is portraying, and that no one is harmed with in the play. Also his dialectic is far less formal than the upper class in the story. When they are calling roll to make sure everyone is there, they address them by their job. Nick Bottom, the weaver, Francis Flute, the bellows-mend, Robin Starveling, the tailor, etc. They are nothing more than there job they do, for they hold no other value to society. They are first introduced in Quinces house, showing that they are nothing more than common working class people.

The fairies are the last class introduced in the play. Puck, Oberon, and Titania are those among the fairies that have names. Oberon is the king, Titania his queen, and Puck is their jester. They address each other by their titles, but even though they have noble titles, they do not represent order. Diana Major Spence states this in her article “A Midsummer Night's Dream: Connecting Several Plots into a Single Unified Structure” by stating “The fairies are responsible for the confusion in the forest, the magical resolutions of the conflict, blessings of peace, and their own love story.” (Spence, paragraph 10). Where the upper class represent law and order in their palace, the fairies represent complete confusion and absolute mayhem in the forest. The way the fairies speak is also an obvious difference between them and the humans. According to Duke University in there article “A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Motif of Contrast”, “The fairies also contrast with the craftsmen through speech; the fairies’ rhythmic poetry contrasts strongly with the craftsman’s bumbling diction” (Duke paragraph 4). Examples of this can be found all through out the story including when Puck is first introduced. “The king doth keep his revels here to-night:/ Take heed the queen come not within his sight;/ For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,/ Because that she as her attendant hath” (II, I). All the fairies speak in mythical sounding rhyme schemes, which greatly contrast both human classes. Though it is formal, the Upper class do not rhyme like the fairies do, and the working class entirely contradicts the fairies style.

Even through all the chaos, conflicts, and differences between the classes, all the classes are able to come together in the end. Out of the mayhem of the forest, all order is restored within the palace as they all enjoy the effort but into the working classes play. Through this play, Shakespeare was trying to show that even though the differences in classes is great, peace could be reached between them, and they could all happily co-exist. The play ends with Puck sayings, “Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, We will make amends ere long;/ Else the Puck a liar call;/ So, good night unto you all./ Give me your hands, if we be friends,/ And Robin shall restore amends.” (V, i). By him saying this, it proves that this is not a short term solution, and that they will all be able to live side by side for a long time and that there can be peace within the realm.

Works Cited

“A Midsummer Night's Dream: Connecting Several Plots into a Single Unified Structure” Utah Shakespeare Festival, Diana Major Spencer

“Archive for the ‘Social, Cultural, and Economic Significance’ Category” William Shakespeare- A Midsummer Night's Dream Duke University

“Archive for the ‘Motifs’ Category” William Shakespeare- A Midsummer Night's Dream Duke University

“A Midsummer Night's Dream” Massachusetts Institute of Technology William Shakespeare