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Exploring Shakespeare
Hamlet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream
For Teachers
Home | A Midsummer Night's Dream: Languages and themes | The fairy blessing

Languages and
themes

Director's cut
The text
Fairies and mortals
Chaos and harmony
Historical context
The play within the play

The fairy blessing

Who's this? Joe Dixon plays Oberon.

This movie is in two sections:
Fairy harmony is playing | Hear about the wedding bed

Context: Harmony between the fairies brings peace to the world and this reconciliation is marked with a dance. Creating this dance in rehearsal was a truly collaborative effort with director, composer and movement director all experimenting. The choice of a minor key gave the piece a magical, eerie feel and the steps and style of movement were firmly based on the characters' intentions. The resolution is all in Oberon's hands; he feels pity and hopes the accidents of the night will be remembered only as the 'fierce vexation of a dream'.

Did you know? The play has a similar structure to The Merchant of Venice. The difficult events are brought to a resolution at the end of Act 4 so that Act 5 can be reserved for enjoying a courtly household party.

Chaos and harmony

A happy ending
The fairy blessing
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