Arthur Golding's English translation was published in This text contained the stories of Daphne and Apollo, Cupid's golden and leaden arrows, the battle of the Centaurs and, most importantly, Pyramus and Thisbe.
Ovid's tale of the lovers was a popular subject, having already been treated by Chaucer in his Legend of Good Women , as well as by contemporaries of Shakespeare. The young lovers in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet face the same problems as Pyramus and Thisbe and of course are treated tragically not comically. Shakespeare also takes details from the account of Theseus's life in the first century Greek historian Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans , translated in to English by Sir Thomas North in In Chaucer's tale, Theseus holds captive two noble prisoners who both fall in love with the same girl and escape to a wood where the inevitable quarrels and conflicts ensue.
There were many versions of the tangles and tensions between young love and friendship. John Lyly's Gallathea , printed in has two girls who disguise themselves as boys only for each to fall in love with the other.
Lyly also wrote Midas , printed in the same year, in which Midas's head is changed into that of an ass. Midas's transformation is one of the metamorphoses described by Ovid. Such a change also occurs in Apuleius's The Golden Ass , written in Latin in the second century and translated into English in by William Adlington. A unfontunately man changes completely into an ass. A beautiful girl falls in love with the ass, feeds him delicacies and adorns his forehead and hair before making love to him.
The wearing of animal masks had long been part of the folk traditions surrounding the celebration of country festivals in Britain. Transformations into asses and other animals are among the misdeeds of witchcraft listed by Reginald's Scot in The Discoverie of Witchcraft Scot also describes a mischievous, domestic fairy named Robin Goodfellow.
Pucks and hobgoblins were still certainly feared in popular culture. To dream about Midsummer Night was to conjure up images of fairies and witches and other similar creatures and supernatural events. Page Back. Probably the most famous version of this film starred the legendary James Cagney as Bottom. The Cast and Characters Click the link at the top of the page to access a list of all the cast and characters.
Dream Interpretation Interested in the meaning of Dreams? Click the following link about interpreting dreams: Dream Interpretation. William Shakespeare Site Map. William Shakespeare Index. Cookie Policy. Hermia and Lysander agree to run away together in secret.
Helena loves Demetrius, although he is in love with Hermia. She learns of the plans of Hermia and Lysander and decides to tell Demetrius. Bottom the weaver and his fellow craftsmen rehearse the play about Pyramus and Thisbe that they hope to present during the marriage celebrations.
Act 2 In the woods outside Athens, night falls. The King and Queen of the Fairies have quarrelled. Oberon sends Puck for a love-potion, with which he can take revenge on Titania. He sees Helena unhappily pursuing Demetrius, and instructs Puck to use the love-potion on him.
While Titania sleeps, Oberon uses the love-potion on her so that she will fall in love with the first creature she sees on waking. Hermia and Lysander are lost in the woods. Tired, they sleep and Puck uses the love-potion on Lysander by mistake. He awakes, sees Helena and instantly falls in love with her.
Act 2, Scene 1. British Library Sound Archive, Act 3 Bottom and his fellows meet for another rehearsal. Titania awakes to see Bottom and is immediately enamoured.
Hermia flees and the tired Demetrius lies down to sleep. Oberon uses the love-potion on Demetrius just as Helena arrives, pursued by Lysander. Demetrius awakes, and falls in love with Helena.
Hermia enters to find Demetrius and Lysander quarrelling over Helena. She and Helena quarrel as well. Oberon commands Puck to put things right.
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