Wednesday, January 20, 2016

What are some varieties of language styles used by Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

For one thing, in Midsummer Night's
Dream
there are the language styles of poetry, which is spoken by central
characters like Hermia and Theseus and Puck and Titania, and prose spoken by characters
like Bottom and Quince. Shakespeare traditionally uses the the elevated style and
diction of poetry for elevated characters while using the ordinary style and diction of
prose for lesser characters:


QUINCE:

You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a
sweet-faced man;
a proper man, as one shall see in a
summer's day; a most lovely gentleman-like
man:
therefore you must needs play
Pyramus.

In addition, Titania uses poetic language
from the pastoral tradition, speaking of pastoral elements that laud nature and describe
nature with admiring detail. As an example, she speaks of "rushy brook" and "whistling
wind," both characteristic of descriptions in the pastoral
tradition:


readability="12">

TITANIA: Met we on hill, in dale, forest or
mead,
By paved fountain or by rushy brook,
Or in the beached margent
of the sea,
To dance our ringlets to the whistling
wind,



It might also be said
that the word play Shakespeare uses is another variety of language style in the play.
Demetrius and Helena offer a good illustration of word play and punning on the word
"sick" and the idea of being made sick by someone: Demetrius says he is made sick when
he has to look at Helena, while Helena turns the word around and
says she is sick when she is unable to look at
him:


readability="7">

DEMETRIUS: Tempt not too much the hatred of my
spirit;
For I am sick when I do look on thee.

HELENA: And I
am sick when I look not on you.


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