Category Archives: category-in-waiting

Apple of his eye

A speculative religious reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

In a way that is all but straightforward, Shakespeare weaves repeated invocations of serpentine imagery, delineates characters on gendered lines, and overlays a driving tension between fate and free will. Accidental or intended, these features invite a connection of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to foundational Christian theology, specifically to the story of Genesis.

Bodleian Library, University of Oxford http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/

Fall of Princes. John Lydgate. 15th century. The Garden of Eden or Shakespeare’s fairy woods?

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Puck

One of Shakespeare’s trademark characteristics in his writing is his blending of the real and the supernatural. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no exception, as the world of humans and the world of fairies mingle and interact in the woods outside of 16th century Athens. Shakespeare was not the first to imagine these mischievous creatures, however: behind Shakespeare’s Puck lies a vibrant history of folklore that stretches across the many cultures of Europe. Continue reading →