Essay on Hyperbole and Illusion In A Midsummer Night’s Dream

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare makes heavy use of hyperbole, the twisting of reality into something greater than what it actually is, in both the dialogue and the ridiculous, larger-than-life nature of the situations that occur to provide a basis for the conflict between reality and illusion, blurring the line that separates the two concepts. Before the symbolism of the woods and the land of fairies, the main sources of the conflict between reality and unreality, is intact, there are small hints slowly leading to that direction in the opening scene of Act I, scene i. When Egeus approaches Theseus to aid him with his daughter’s infatuation with Lysander instead of Demetrius, he claims that Lysander has â€Å"bewitchd the bosom of†¦show more content†¦During a large argument with him in a chance encounter at midnight, Titania says, â€Å"with thy brawls thou hast disturbd our sport./Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,/As in revenge, have suckd up from the sea/Contagious fogs; which falling in the land/Have every pelting river made so proud/That they have overborne their continents.† (Shakespeare II.i.88) However, no evidence that any of the natural disasters are occurring is present in the play, aside from one fairy stating Over hill, over dale,/Thorough bush, thorough brier,/Over park, over pale,/Thorough flood, thorough fire,/I do wander everywhere... (Shakespeare II.i.2) No clear evidence exists for either side in the rest of the play. Either Titania could be speaking in an extended metaphor, which would be the so-called realistic interpretation, or they really are making these natural disasters occur, which looks like the hyperbolic interpretation at first glance until one realizes that fairies are shrouded in mythology and it would be well within their power to do so. When Puck begins to interact with the four lovers very shortly after, however, Egeuss ridiculous accusations of Lysander bewitching Hermia take an ironic echo as Oberon bewitches Titania with a love potion, suddenly bringing the ridiculousness of Egeuss statements into a new light. Puck, the perpetrator,Show MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesMember Agency 200 Main Street Los Angeles, California 90230 DATE: October 11 Roger Steiner, CEO SSS Software 13 Miller Way Los Angeles, California 90224 INTRODUCTION 35 Dear Roger, This letter is a follow-up to our conversation after last night’s board meeting. I appreciated your comments during the board meeting about the need for sophisticated computer systems in nonprofit organizations and I especially appreciate your generous offer of assistance to have SSS Software provide assistance