‘Night’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
In contemporary usage the word ‘night’ can be presented as a noun with two different meanings. One of them means “the part of every 24 hour period when it is dark and people usually sleep” and the other means “the period of time between the late afternoon and going to bed, the evening”. But how the word ‘night’ is used in Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of his most popular comedies, which is widely performed across the world?
In the 80’s Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith composed a rock song in which a line goes “because the night belongs to lovers”, and in Shakespeare’s comedy the night really does belong to lovers. The play is about adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the duke and duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest.
The word ‘night’ occurs quite a few times within the play. At first, on the very beginning, in the title of the play A Midsummer Night’s dream. Here Shakespeare leaves us to create our own image of what the play is about and the word ‘night’ attached with the word ‘dream’ gives a special harmony. We could assume the action will take place in the midsummer, late at evening or at night. By reading the comedy we see, the play takes action sometime around May Day and not in the midsummer. However, night is the time when the main story happens. And as one of many Slovenian proverbs says “noč ima svojo moč”, which means that the night has its power, Shakespeare leads us through a very magical night.
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The word ‘night’ itself occurs in the play more than 30 times, but its disposition is not equable within the acts. In some it occurs more often than in the others. This could be a result of places where the play takes place.
In the first act the word appears four times and in its first two appearances the meaning of it is part of the day – evening: “Tomorrow night when Pheobe doth behold” (I i 214).
In this first appearance Lysander uses the word when he talks to Hermia and they decide to meet in the wood. Knowing about this meeting the word night creates a special atmosphere. It gives a scent of mystery, adventure and romance. In this same scene Helena uses the word ‘night’ with the same meaning as Lysander but the atmosphere she creates by using it is no longer romantic. She decides to tell Demetrius about Hermia’s meeting with Laysander in the wood, hoping he will follow them and see for his eyes that Hermia’s heart will never beat for him. Helena is desperate from longing for Demitrius’s love. Still there is a scent of mystery involved by not knowing what the night will bring and what will happen in the wood.
The next appearance of the word is in scene two, when Quince provides rolls to the actors of the play they will perform in front the duke and the duchess. He informs them they will act at their wedding day at night. Here the word ‘night’ has its basic meaning, the part of every 24 hour period when it is dark and people usually sleep.
In act two, the word ‘night’ first appears when Fairy and Puck talk in the wood. The Fairy recognizes Puck to be Robin Goodfellow, who jests and misleads ‘night wanderers’.
Thou speakest aright;
I am the merry wanderer of night.
I jest to Oberon, and make him smile
When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal; (II I 43 – 47)
In both examples the word ‘night’ refers to the same thing. People who pass the wood at night and the Puck calls himself a ‘merry wanderer of night’. He too wanders in the wood and jests people passing the wood. The word ‘night’ here is used in more relaxed, funny and comical context. It no longer has a mysterious inspiration but together with the selection of words, Shakespeare used, creates a very playful image of wood.
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There is another image of night created in this act. The king of fairies, Oberon, creates a kind of glamorous vision of night. “Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night” (II I 78).
The adjective ‘glimmering’ creates a special atmosphere. It could refer to a sky at night, sprinkled with stars, which shine and glimmer. Again this brings up that magical and romantic atmosphere.
One of the appearances of the word ‘night’ in this act reveals a new, different meaning to the ones already mentioned.
Your virtue is my privilege: for that
Is not night when I do see your face,
Therefore I think I am not in the night; (II I 225 – 226)
Here Helena addresses Demetrius, explaining that he means a world to her and that nothing can make her stop loving him. The first appearance of word in this quotation has its basic meaning, but the second (I am not in the night), points out that although Demetrius ignores Helena’s deep love to him and shows no inclination, kindness to her, she still sees his face, there is still light in her world, a ray of hope which preserves her from staying in the dark and feel hopeless.
The last appearance of the word ‘night’ in act two is when Puck finds Hermia lying in the wood. “Night and silence! Who is here?” (II ii 70) Puck seems to be surprised when he finds her sleeping there in the dark wood. He personalizes night and silence by asking them who is there. The atmosphere is very peaceful, quiet. There is a image of wood in the night when all creatures sleep and there is a complete silence and not a sound is heard.
In act three the word ‘night’ first appears when Titania tells her fairies to wait upon Bottom.
The honey-bags steal from the humble bees,
And for night tapers crop their waxen thighs,
And light them at the fiery glow-worm’s eyes,
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To have my love to bed, and to arise: (III i 167 – 170)
Here Titania is very sweet and generous towards him. This sweetness is almost coying. She offers him everything and glories him. Her fairies even hail him. But away from her Oberon and Puck have their own worries. They are dealing with Oberon’s plan to match true lovers together. “What night-rule now about this haunted grove?” (III ii 5) Here Oberon uses the word ‘night’ with the word ‘rule’ as a compound noun. It means what is going on tonight. That is the question Oberon states to Puck. The word ‘night’ occurs more than just three times, but in some cases the word carries its basic meaning. However in its last two appearances the word creates a special atmosphere and tells a lot about how Helena feels. “O weary night, O long and tedious night, /Abate thy hours! (III ii 455 – 456) Here we get the image of long lasting and weary night that does not end. Helena is tired and longs for the sunrise. Everything that happened at night exhausted her and all she wishes is that time would run faster and shorten this tedious night.
In act four the word ‘night’ appears only two times. It is said by Oberon and Titania and in both cases carries its basic meaning. Again in act five it occurs more often. Still in some cases the meaning is the same. But there are some usages of it, which create a special atmosphere.
O grim-looked night! O night with hue so black!
O night, which ever art when day is not!
O night, O night! alack, alack, alack,
I fear my Thisby’s promise is forgot! (V I 174 – 177)
In this last example we have example of repetition of the word ‘night’. Pyramus stresses the word ‘night’ and personalizes it. He finds it grim and black and compares it with his fears that his love will forget about her promise. Here night is presented with a negative modulation. It represents fears and ignorance because of not knowing what will happen.
In summation, the word ‘night’ has two basic meanings, but in connection with different adjectives or as compound nouns can have many different meaning. On times Shakespeare takes us into the mysterious world of fairies and presents us a magical side of night. Night certainly has a special power in which imagination has no limitation and can take you wherever you want. In Shakespeare’s play it took us in the world of fairies and a group of people who were longing for their true love, which in the end they find with the help of fairies. The atmosphere the word creates varies. Sometimes it creates a mysterious and magical atmosphere but for some of the characters who used the word ‘night’, that was a hard, exhausting part of the day, which made them feel lost and insecure. It was the time of lovers and the time of unlimited imagination which weaved a very unique story.
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People sometimes play games with words. People may also recite or memorise lists of words, for example when trying to learn the words of another language or to remember technical terms. And they may occasionally leaf through a dictionary looking at words more or less randomly. These are legitimate activities, enjoyable or useful as they may be. But they are not typical uses of words. Typically, ...
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York: Washington Press, Inc, 1961.
http://dict.die.net/night%20rule/