Monday, September 13, 2010

Is it really pity, or is actually jealousy?

So far in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream we've met the characters Oberon and Titania. As we know these two lovers have a feud about loyalty and the ownership of the little indian boy.
Titania bestows more love on this boy (as well as on Theseus) than she does on Oberon, her husband and King.

From the start Oberon says he wants the child to become a hunter. Now we can look at this in three ways: him being concerned with the boy's upbringing, him seeing some kind of advantage to the boy being a hunter, or (and i think this is more so the reason) just plain ol' jealousy.

Oberon's wife bestows all her love on this child and not on him and she refuses to yield him or her love to Oberon. So as we know Oberon bewitched her (with the help of Puck) to fall in love with Bottom, who now has an ass's head.

In 4.1 Oberon says:
"Her dotage now i do begin to pity,
for meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking sweet favours for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her and fall out with her,
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With coronet of fresh fragrant flowers,"

Oberon watches as his wife loves yet another, Bottom, someone as hideous and stupid as they come. She loves Bottom with all of her heart (even though she doesnt' know it is because she is bewitched). She has now loved three people more than she loves Oberon and though he says he pities her for her choice of love, it sounds like to me that he tragically longs to be the ones loved. He wants to be desirous, and yet with all his powers and hierarchy he is not.

Oberon in this story is the only one who really isn't loved. Yes, he gets what he wants, which includes spiting his wife and putting her back in her "rightful place," blessing Hippolyta's bed, bewitching Demetrius to love Helena, and receiving ownership of the little indian boy, yet no one at all says that they love him. Not even Titania when she wakes from her sleep doe she say that she loves him. She does call him her lord though, its sort of like Oberon tamed her.

So for all he has he still never gets love. Which sort of makes him all alone.

We also never learn of Titania's reaction, in her normal, sober self, when she learns she has given up the child to Oberon. Perhaps they just continue to feud because of it. They just go off and bless the bride bed and there's no talk of their affairs afterwards...

In a way, I feel like although the story ends because we get closure for all the Athenians, i wish we knew what happens to the fairies. Since their story is built up but it never really solidly ends. The closest we get to a solid ending is that their story might just be a dream, that is if you find that the idea of fairies runs with witchcraft and offends the Christian religion (Shakespeare's own way of pardoning his own choice of characters). We never find out if Oberon has told Titania of what has happened... my guess is that she hasn't a clue of what Oberon did to her until after the wedding. He probably was saving it so they could get through the nuptials without problem, and then he could scoot out the next day with the indian boy and never face her until a long time from now. To me it almost sounds like there should be a part 2 to their story: Titania's Revenge. It would be quite like Clytemnestra in the Agamemnon.

I personally found Act 5 to be the most boring of the play, until the fairies return. I guess thats because its mainly the play Pyramus and Thisbe... but i guess its meant to feel like that. As we know Theseus doesn't even want to stay for the epilogue. I find it interesting though that there is a play within a play...it sounds kind of strange. Shakespeare has done that before. Speaking of which, many of Shakespeare's plays share very common links to each other, their plots, the word choice used, the things within the plays...i guess that is expected.

5 comments:

Robert Cutrera said...

I never realized before that Oberon is the only character in the play who never has anyone actually say they love him. I think its really interesting that even though he does seemingly get what he wants, he probably doesn't know what the true meaning of love is. I wouldn't go as far as saying Act V is boring, but compared to the others, I don't find it to be as interesting.

Tiffany Atchison said...

I think it's hard for Titania to love Oberon. It seems as though he's all about control and getting what he wants. I definitely think that Oberon displays a lot of jealousy, but I don't know if it's because he wants to be loved or not. From my view point I think he just likes to have control and will do anything in his powers to have it. If he loved his wife and wanted that in return he wouldn't try to take from her or put spells on her to make her fall for someone else. However, I didn't realize that Oberon was the only character that wasn't loved until you mentioned it.
I too would love to know what happens to the fairies after Titania realizes what Oberon has done. I can't imagine things being calm and peaceful when she does find out. I don't think that he would ever tell her though. I think she'd have to find out for herself because that's just the way he is.

Victoria Holm said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Victoria Holm said...

Honestly, at the end of the play I complelty forgot about Oberon and your post did make me question the true feelings behind his character. The point that Oberon is the one that is truly left alone did strike me as odd and truly sad. He, however, is not the only one that is left alone; Titana is another one left without love. This series of events leads me to question the intent to have this play be a "comedy". I wonder if you have also considered that within your analysis of Oberon

Steph Cryan said...

Honestly, I had never thought about Oberon's point of view before reading your blog but it does make a lot of sense. In a way, you could say that he helps the Althenians find their love because if he can't have it he wants everyone else to have it at least. It almost could be seen as him trying to make things right by love even if he himself cannot have it. I also have to agree with the comment above me, in Oberon being alone, so is Titania. The Fairies are said to be the most carefree and happy, left on the outside or on a higher level, as the Athenias are higher then the rude mechanicals, but not one of them make it to the end of the play with their own love.