My overall favorite part of Midsummer was Shakespeare’s use of dark humor. I’m a very sarcastic person, so the little hidden phrases that entail dark humor are what make the play really intriguing for me.

A scene that made me LOL was when Oberon told Puck he had drugged the wrong person and Puck was explaining that he thought he had the right person…but isn’t watching them argue funny? (“Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook. Did not you tell me I should know the man By the Athenian garment he hath on?….And so far am I glad it so did sort, As this jangling I esteem a sport” Act 3, Scene 2 lines 1388-1394). After, Oberon agrees that it’s funny but then goes back to being strict as far as having each person love their respective other again.

I believe that the addition of the dark humor helped to better my understanding of the play overall. Also seeing the dark humor acted out in the Globe Theater’s production made it a lot funnier than I already thought it was. I guess you could say I was ROFL.

-Avery

The idea of love is portrayed in two different ways according to the text. The old Athenians (Titania and Oberon) seem to be tired of each other and basically “stuck” with each other, whereas the new Athenians (Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander) fight against each other so they aren’t stuck living miserable lives.

In a way the two have “prank wars” because Titania takes in the child fairy even though Oberon doesn’t want the child or wants the child to be their slave. Oberon gets back at Titania by drugging her which is his modern-day “prank” on Titania because he makes her fall in love with a donkey but later reverses it so that she loves (or “loves”) Oberon again.

The love as portrayed between the old Athenians seems very shallow. Because this is known by everyone (more specifically the reader), when Oberon drugs her so that Titania falls in love with him again, the love is obtained again but only by deception.

The love as seen between Hermia and Lysander seems very genuine as Lysander continuously fights for Egeus’s approval. This same scenario might’ve happened when Oberon and Titania were younger, but there’s an obvious difference in the types of love now as they’ve grown older. Oberon makes it apparent that he believes Hermia’s indecisiveness is immature and childish and he dismisses every remark Hermia says that defends Lysander.

-Avery

The juice of the flower that Oberon uses on Titania is a representation of a modern-day date rape drug. Oberon uses it to alter Titania’s perception of love which we all know is really messed up because who wants to fall in love with a donkey against their own will?  A question that came up for me when reading the script was does the spell from the juice rub off or ever go away? It was my understanding that the juice would need to be reapplied in order for the “drugged” person to fall in love with someone new.

Back to the idea of the flower being a date rape drug, people tend to do things or act certain ways against their own will as a result of being drugged. At the start of the story, it was an obvious love triangle between Lysander, Hermia, and Demetrius. When Lysander and Hermia were in the woods and Pucked drugged Lysander, he fell in love with Helena which was not the original plan that Oberon wanted. It is clearly known that Lysander voluntarily loved Hermia as he was fighting Egeus to get his approval on Hermia and Lysander’s love. It is only after when Lysander is drugged that he falls in love with Helena. This is an accurate representation of Lysander acting against his own will due to being under the influence (which was an involuntary act).

I believe Titania, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena are all put under by Puck and drugged in order for them to fall in love with their respective others (Hermia and Lysander, Demetrius and Helena). This act prompts the question: was this final act moral or immoral on Puck’s behalf?

-Avery