Abstract
This paper is to analyse the character of the fairies in A midsummer Night Dreams by William Shakespeare. The purpose of this paper is to understand the minor character. The writer uses the theory of the character analysis and close reading method. From this writing the characterization is used to characterize the minor character. In Conclusion, analysis of the Fairies is built from many aspect.
Keywords: Character analysis, A Midsummer Night’s Dreams, The fairies.
Introduction
1.1. Writing Background
The background of this paper is as a part of literary analysis paper for my final examination in Elizabethan drama’s class, this paper including the character analysis of the fairies in midsummer night’s dream, and include the summary of the plot. This paper began with the biography of author and following with theory and method that the writer need for this research.
1.2. Writing Purpose
The purpose of this writing to fulfil the final examination paper, and also to identify the fairies character on a midsummer night dream.
Playwright Biography
William Shakespeare (April 23, 1616) was an English playwright, actor and poet and is often called England’s national poet. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men Company of theatrical players from roughly 1594 onward. Scant records exist of William’s childhood and virtually none regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King’s New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics. William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets mostly in the 1590s. His plays have retained an enduring appeal throughout history and the world. Some of his most popular plays include: Twelfth Night, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello. William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. William was 18 and Anne was 26, and, as it turns out, pregnant. Their first child, a daughter they named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet later died of unknown causes at age 11.
Theory and method
Theory of character analysis
The meaning of character analysis is a process of evaluating specific characterization of a literary character. Character analysis include the deliberation of some elements like their role in their play and how their trait as their reaction to the conflict.
There are some different types of characters, each playing a small part in their story line. Characters can be good, characters can be bad, insignificant, or even stereotypical.
Types of character analysis:
A. Protagonist
B. Antagonist
The antagonist usually the character who fight with the protagonist. They usually character that attract people to hate.
C. Major character
A major character is a character who have the main role in the story
D. Minor character
The character that supporting the major character, have small role in the story.
E. Dynamic character
A character that usually change their attitude, purpose or behaviour as the story line progress. Protagonist and antagonism character usually a dynamic character.
F. Static Character
A character that stay as long thought out the story. Usually the minor character.
Close reading method
Close reading or what we usually said is textual analysis, is a investigate the relations between the internal workings of discourse in order to discover what makes a particular text function persuasively
What Is Close Reading? Close reading is thoughtful, critical analysis of a text that focuses on significant details or patterns in order to develop a deep, precise understanding of the text’s form, craft, meanings, etc. It is a key requirement of the Common Core State Standards and directs the reader’s attention to the text itself. Close reading includes: Using short passages and excerpts, diving right into the text with limited pre-reading activities , focusing on the text itself , rereading deliberately , reading with a pencil,noticing things that are confusing, discussing the text with others ,Think-Pair Share or Turn and Talk frequently ,Small groups and whole class, responding to text-dependent questions.
Research Object
The genre of the midsummer night’s dreams is a comedy.
What is comedy drama? Comedy is a literary genre and type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having cheerful ending.
Summary of a midsummer night’s dreams
The story of a Midsummer’s Night Dream begins in Athens with quarrel over love and marriage. It’s four days away from Theseus and Hippolyta wedding. Hermia and Lysander were two lovers forbidden from marrying, instead of Lysander Hermia’s father wanted her to marry Demetrius, Hermia’s refusal enraged her father. To punish her he invoked in ancient and barbaric law, this law stated if a daughter refuses a father’s choice, then he can have his daughter sentenced to death. This law shocked and enraged Lysander. They are getting ready to leave to forest and Helena comes in, unfortunately they tell Helena their plans. This is unfortunate because Helena is in love with Demetrius, Helena runs to Demetrius to tell him. Demetrius plans to follow the lovers into the woods. In the forest Oberon and titania the king and queen of the fairies are having a fight because Oberon wants titania to give him a changeling boy and she won’t do it. Oberon sends a fairy named Robin Goodfellow (Puck) to fetch a flower with magic properties, when Oberon puts the flowers juice on titania eye’s, she’ll fall in love with the next creature she sees first whatever it is. Helena had come through the forest following Demetrius, he’s looking for Hermia and Lysander so he can stop them from eloping. He telling her to get lost he doesn’t like her and she won’t stop following. Oberon sees all this and when Puck brings him the flower he tells him to take some of the juice go find the young Athenian man in the forest and make him love the woman who’s chasing him. In other side, Hermia and Lysander come in and lie down to sleep a little apart from each other. Puck comes in and puts the juice on Lysander’s eyes instead of Demetrius. Demetrius comes running through trying to get away from Helena, she can’t keep up with him but she discovers Lysander sleeping on the ground and Lysander jumps up and says he loves her.
Lysander keeps insisting he’s in love with her but she thinks he’s mocking her and tells him to stop then leaves, with him following Hermia wakes up and finds him gone and goes off to search for him. in the next morning the labourers come to the same spot in the woods to practice their play while Robin hides and watches them bottom goes into the woods to wait for his cue and when he returns, Robin has given him an donkey’s head and Titania wakes up and since bottom is the first thing she sees she falls in love with him she says he has to stay in the wood where her fairies will wait on him. Oberon sends Robin to go find Helena then he puts the love juice in Demetrius his eyes. Lysander and Helena come into the glade, he’s still telling her. Demetrius wakes up sees her and falls in love now. Lysander and Demetrius both love Helena and she thinks they’re ganging up to make fun of her. Hermia comes in, she is shocked and Helena thinks Hermia is part of the conspiracy to make fun of her. Hermia gets angry at Helena for stealing hers. Oberon tells Robin to fix what he’s done, so he imitates Demetrius and Lysander voices to lead them apart in the wood until they’re, hopelessly lost and they lie down to sleep by this point they’re near each other- so they all sleep Robin puts the juice of another flower until Lysander eyes to take away the effect of the love juice. Oberon gives Titania the antidote and wakes her up, Robin takes off bottom’s donkey head and the fairies do a dance. Theseus comes into the glade with Hippolyta, Lysander explains how he was running away with Hermia and Demetrius says he loves Helena. Theseus lets the workmen perform their play for him after the wedding. It’s the most ridiculous play ever one actor plays the part of the wall that keeps Pyramus and Thisbe apart from each other and he has to make a chink that the lovers can kiss through, the audience laughs their way through it. The end.
Analysis
Character analysis of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream :
Puck – Robin Goodfellow: Puck have clown character, most of his role attend to make audience laugh, he is a mischievous fairies, he also dutiful sevarvan of Oberon, but he is sloppy as he plays the role who mistaken to apply the love potion to Lysander instead of Demetrius, and causing the chaos in the lovers, and mischievous as he turns Bottom’s head into donkey’s head.
Oberon – The King of Fairies : he showing the stubborn character, he also have issue being odd to his wife, Titania, because she refuse what he wants, he also a vengeful character that he wants a revenge to Titania with love potion, but he also a farce character. As we can see The Fairy King really likes a good joke, which is why he’s chosen mischievous Puck to be his servant. Also, Oberon’s not above abusing his powers to get a few laughs.
Titania – The queen od Fairies : she’s a gracious queen (inviting Oberon to dance), but she’s still sassy. She sticks by her guns and refuses to give up the little Indian boy she’s raising, thus protecting her love and honor. The Titania we know disappears when she becomes in love with Bottom. Though Titania is arguably the most powerful woman in the play, she, like all the other women, is subject to the machinations of men. However, once Oberon releases Titania from the spell, she doesn’t exactly light into Oberon for his horrible treatment of her.
Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote, And Mustardseed – The others fairies : They are Titania’s serveant fairy, they obey the queen’s order. They showing the obedient character.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are three major fairies and 4 minor fairies, all of them is a minor charater. There are Puck the Robin GoodFellow, Oberon the King of Fairies, Titania the Queen of Fairies, and the other fairies is Peaseblossom, Cobweb,Mote, Mustradseed. At the end of story Puck and Oberon solve the conflict that they create by themselves.
Suggestion
We learned that love can’t not be force, you can’t married someone that you don’t like, and before do something you have to make sure it right that you do as the right order and think twice before done it, don’t be sloppy like Puck, because the mistake that happened can’t be solved with fairies’ potion.
Reference
- https://www.biography.com/writer/william-shakespeare
- https://www.biographyonline.net/poets/william_shakespeare.html
- https://methods.sagepub.com/Reference//the-sage-encyclopedia-of-communication-research-methods/i2533.xml
