Metatheatre in a Midsummer Nights Dream - 1805 Words

METATHEATRE IN A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (SHAKESPEARE). The term metatheatre is used to refer to any instance in which a play draws attention to itself as a play, rather than pretending to be a representation of â€Å"reality.† Various uses of metatheatrical devices can be found in the works of William Shakespeare. One of Shakespeare’s favorite such devices is the â€Å"play-within-a-play.† With this device, the theatre audience finds itself watching an audience (on stage) watching a play. The play-within-a-play is thus a self-reflexive device that addresses the question of where audience reality ends and theatrical illusion begins. Shakespeare often incorporated the device as an integral part of his plots. A famous example can†¦show more content†¦Puck’s statement reflects back to the words used by Quince in his prologue to the play-within-a-play. In the words of Quince: â€Å"If we offend, it is with our good will. That you shoul d think, we come not to offend, but with good will† (5.1.108-109). Throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream, while the story involving Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, Helena, Oberon and Titania is developing, the rustic gentlemen (Bottom and his friends) are shown rehearsing for a play that they will perform in honor of the upcoming wedding of Theseus (the Duke of Athens) and Hippolyta. The play, â€Å"Pyramus and Thisby,† is based on a story that was told by the ancient Roman writer Ovid and retold by Chaucer. The â€Å"Pyramus and Thisby† play is not performed until the fifth and final act of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. By then, as Barton points out, the major problems of Lysander, Demetrius and the rest have all been neatly resolved. As such, the â€Å"Pyramus and Thisby† play-within-a-play â€Å"seems, in effect, to take place beyond the normal, plot-defined boundaries of comedy† (Barton 110). Taylor argues that the speech made by Thes eus before the play-within-a-play is performed â€Å"brings logic and order to all that is illogical andShow MoreRelatedA Midsummer Night s Dream By Pyramus And Thisbe1325 Words   |  6 Pages The inclusion of a play within a play often serves to highlight and reinforce the dramatic nature of the primary play. Pyramus and Thisbe do this exact practice in a midsummer night’s dream. Pyramus and Thisbe is the play which is performed by the mechanicals at the end of the play. Because the craftsmen are such bumbling actors, their performance satirizes the melodramatic Athenian lovers and gives the play a purely joyful, comedic ending. Pyramus and Thisbe face parental an social disapprovalRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Night’s Dream1973 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Shakespeares A Midsummer Night’s Dream The focus of this discussion will be upon the language and performance possibilities of this extract from the Dream[1], following brief consideration of the manner in which the extract relates to the rest of the play in terms of plot development and the reflection of certain of the play’s themes. Performance aspects are considered alongside the distinctive features of the language, as it is suggested that the nature