Athens vs the Forest In Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare there are two settings, Athens and the forest where the four layers of ploy take place. First in Athens the royal wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. Second is the story of the four Athenian lovers (Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena) in the forest. Third is the conflict between fairies (Oberon and Titania) in the forest. Last is the effort of the “rude mechanicals” to put on a play. Athens and the forest are the two settings for A Midsummer Night’s Dream because they represent the oppositions between reality and magic, order and chaos, and rationality and imagination. In Athens and the forest there is a clear distinction between reality and magic. We know that Athens is realistic because there is law and order in the community as well as leaders of Athens. An example of members of the community and the leaders of Athens having order is when Egeus goes to Theseus for guidance. This shows that he has trust in his leaders which also shows order and this is a realistic example for society today. Athens is also a home for many. In Athens, an example of reality is how they have someone to look up to for guidance, this man is Theseus. In the forest, there is magic. An example of magic …show more content…
he two settings in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are Athens and the forest. They represent three differents sets of characteristics; the oppositions between reality and magic, order and chaos, and rationality and imagination. In other words, Athens is structured and the forest is unpredictable. The oppositions between the settings develop the themes of love in the play by the way the setting affects the characters actions. An example of this is how Hermia and Lysander escape to get married in the forest, because the setting affects what they can or cannot do. In Athens, they wouldn 't be aloud to get married because of aEgeus’ wishes, but in the forest, his wishes go out the window and they can do whatever they