In A Midsummer Night dream, Shake-speare incorporates the powerful theme of love; whilst, portraying that love is blind, irrational and although it is a sensational feeling, it can be both punishing and com-passionate. Ultimately, love and the sinister underside of the amorous themes constructs the performances plot.
It is evident that most people of this time had their own fallacies and regimes con-cerning lovers. Specifically, Shakespeare used the pursuit of love to make us illogical, reckless idiots. Originally, the play con-structed on two sets of lovers, Lysander and Hermia and Helena and Demetrius. Un-fortunately, Demetrius throughout the play has he heart set on Hermia instead of Hele-na. However, in the Russel T Davies adap-tation he has created a movie that breaks stereotypes through adding gay additions to the story and making an old play write into something contemporary, enchanting and compelling. Russell T Davies mentioned, “ I wanted to have a man with a man, a man who was dressed as a woman with a man, and a woman with a woman because it’s 2016, so that’s the world now. I wanted children to watch this and see the real world in the middle of this fantasy.” (companies., n.d.). Purposefully, Russell T Davies has created this adaptation to show a adolescent audience that this is the reality of the 21st century.
The character Demetrius has his heart set on thy Lysander, whereas, Titania and Hippol-yta shared a very virtuous snog. Unmis-takeably, both William Shakespeare and Russel T Davies have taken under consid-eration the social regimes and ideologies that are “accepted” of that particular period.
At the time of when A Midsummer Night Dream was written by Shakespeare, it was evident at the Elizabethan era that there was issues regarding gender roles, sexism and inequality. Shakespeare has creatively ridi-culed and scrutinized the play’s customary
conventions of gender roles in society at that time. Through characters such as; Hel-ena, Titania, Hermia, Hippolyta, Lysander and Demetrius, it is evident that gender ex-pectations begin to become conflicted with their relationships. It is expressed in the original version that the king declares Hermia is her father’s property and he can dispose of her as he see’s fit. Not so fitting-ly, Egeus (Hermia’s father) has rearranged a marriage for his daughter and expects her to obey his rules; if not, put to thy death,
”I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,
As she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Which shall be either to this gentleman
Or to her death, according to our law
Immediately provided in that case.”
This typically portrays how women were treated like objects rather than being equal. They had no choice, they had no say what-ever they were told to do, they were obliged to do so. However, in Russell T Davies ad-aptation challenges gender roles by allow love to cross social and ethnic boundaries. Patriarchs desire the status quo and the symbol of triumph through love. This is displayed once again between Queen Tita-nia and Queen Hippolyta through a simple kiss they shared. It is believed Shakespeare focuses on the patriarchal society compared to anything else.
Undoubtedly, being in a homosexual rela-tionship today is unquestionably more cus-tomary compared to what it would’ve been at the time of the Elizabethan Era. Together Davies and Shakespeare both challenge the social customs and regimes of that time. Whether it’s through roles of woman in re-lationships or through men in relationships. It was originally written that the two lovers: Hermia and Lysander were actually in love, even though , their love is forbidden by Egeus. Egeus forcefully expresses himself through saying, “she is mine, and all my right of her/I do estate unto Demetrius” (97-98). ] Blinded by love, they stop at nothing. “ LOVE LOOKS NOT WITH THE EYES, BUT WITH THE MIND, AND THEREFORE IS WING’D CUPID PAINTED BLIND.” – Shakespeare
The identities regarding the original play script is that Hippolyta and Titania obliged to lordship and defy their lord. Whereas, the complementary lovers Lysander and Her-mia differentiate with the ill-matched De-metrius and Helena (Pyramus and Thisbe) are characterised to make no metamorphosis occur in the play. The plot of the modern day play is somewhat complicated but the endings are still faultless and never fail to impress. The obstacle between the pair of lovers is removed and the heart gets what the heart wants. The book evidently demonstrates the extreme complications and consequences that follow when falling in love. Love is portrayed din several ways. Through a young, genuine love be-tween Hermia and Lysander and then des-perate love. Truthfully, there is no accurate definition of love that comply with the characters, except that true love doesn’t not run smoothly . Confusingly enough to make the story even more complex than it already is, Puck puts a love potion on Ti-tania’s eyes and immediately falls in love with bottom. Such an ass. Specifically, couples are manipulated so easily by Puck unease the identity of the couples.
To conclude, both the original and modern day adaptation both scrutinizes and challenge the social regimes of their particular era. Shakespeare creatively does this through mockery of love triangles and introducing unrealistic situations regarding love. However, in the Russel T Davies adaptation he shifts gender roles, sexism and introduces homosexual love. Successfully, both writers challenge social regimes and ideologies of their time and do this throughout their nu-merous creations if themes, love and identities’ in A Mid-Summer Night Dream.