Madalina-IrinaAgafitei Professor Annie J. Pennell Text Analysis Seminars Group 1 May 2, 2 11 A MI!S"MM#$ %IG&T'S !

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-(omparison )et*een S+a,espeare-s original text and t+e 1... adaptationS+a,espeare-s fift+ (omedy, )eing indire(tly related to /$omeo and Juliet- as t*o opposite poles of fate and its (+angea)ility in extraordinary (ir(umstan(es *+ile +a0ing t+e same su)strate, depi(ts t+e t+eme of un(onditional, infinite lo0e t+at )inds t*o entities as one. 1eing (alled t+e lo0e (omedy and not +a0ing t+e tragi( ending of /$omeo and Juliet-, t+is remar,a)le (reation aims to des(ri)e interlo(,ing *orlds, (ompletely different )ut go0erned )y t+e same spiritual la*s. As most of S+a,espeare-s plays, due to +is outstanding talent, /A midsummer nig+t-s dream- +as inspired many stage dire(tors, in t+is (ase Mi(+ael &offman, and +as )een performed )y truly gifted a(tors su(+ as Mi(+elle Pfeiffer, 2e0in 2line $upert #0erett and many ot+ers. Mi(+ael &offman-s adaptation follo*s t+e (ourse of t+e original plot and t+e (ore of t+e storyline, )ut t+ere are (+anges to t+e setting, t+e (ostumes, t+e dialogues, made in order to )lend it into a modern (ontext *+ile ensuring t+e 0isual expression t+roug+ S+a,espeare-s poetry.
The play features three interlocking plots, the wedding between the Duke of Athens, Theseus with the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta , t+e ad0entures of four

young lo0ers, and a group of amateur a(tors, most of t+eir li0es )eing manipulated *+ile entering t+e *oodland, t+e realm of fairies. The most potent change between Hoffmans
movie and the original play is the setting in !hakespeares comedy the action is set in Ancient "reece while in the adaptation is set in the #$ century Tuscany but also maintaining the "reek theme by inventing the city of %onte Athena& Also, the costumes in the movie look like clothes from the '($$ period and do not resemble

the ones !hakespeare had probably imagined, traditional "reek clothes robes, tunics or togas& Hoffman introduces a bicycle, which could not e)ist in !hakespeares time, also *ottoms wife, who doesnt e)ist in the original te)t, Hermia and Helena +fight in mud in the woods and *ottoms head is not completely transformed, he ,ust gets the ears and the hair but remains the same& -oncerning the dialogues and speeches, . noticed that the dialogue between Hermia and /ysander, then Hermia and Helenas dialogue, both based on stichomythia in the original te)t, do not appear in this form& Also, some lines do not maintain their original position in the te)t and many of the longer speeches were cut or left out probably to fit in the # hours frame& The movie remains faithful to the play because the plot, the themes, motifs and symbols are true to !hakespeares comedy& The difficulties that love has to surpass represent the conflict of the play, ,ust as /ysander states +The course of true love never did run smooth& /ove is not temperate, it springs upon the human kind when e)pected least, and therefore surprises each of us, but also blurs the vision in our minds& The fairies magic and their delightful thread in the tapestry of the play bring up the mythical atmosphere& The magic is another central element because it creates the realm of fairies, it causes chaos but eventually restores natural order& The moon denotes the night, the fairy0time, a time for love to reveal itself without the boundaries the daylight imposes& The love ,uice becomes the symbol of irrational, erratic love and attraction and its power over the feeble, vulnerable human beings& To conclude, both the movie and the play

itself have the same foundation&The society is governed by false, wrong principles& The parents thoughts are blinded by pre,udice, and marriages are fi)ed regardless of the feelings of the young people& *ut love knows no law& The four young lovers 1 Hermia, /ysander, Helena and Demetrius 0 meet in the nearby forest, hoping to be able to confess their feelings unhindered by society& Then the workers appear, who

prepare a show for the Dukes wedding& *ut the forest is a place of eternal beings also& 2f these, 2beron and Titania, 3ing and Queen of fairies are in a permanent dispute& 2beron decides to give Titania a lesson 4obin "oodfellow or 5uck gets the mission to enchant Titania to fall in love with the first person she sees, as he does to /ysander and Demetrius& 6ven if the plan backfires and he has to turn everything back to normal, for one night, all beings are 5ucks puppets, but alls well when it ends well&