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Ethos In A Midsummer Night's Dream

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In Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nick Bottom’s arrogance is introduced following Peter Quince’s assignment of character roles in Pyramus and Thisbe to the five artisans in Act I. From the viewers’ first introduction to Bottom, he is presented as strong-willed and daring, as demonstrated by his confidence in his acting abilities. After being assigned to play Pyramus, Bottom expresses that his performance will bring the audience to tears:
That will ask some tears in the true performing of it. If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes. I will move storms; I will condole in some measure. To the rest.—Yet my chief humour is for a tyrant. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to make all split. (Shakespeare …show more content…

The director utilizes colour, set, costume, depth, character placement, and lighting to enforce the lack of individuality in ancient Athens. This frame epitomizes the themes of hubris and commonality in the play, while also alluding to characterisation.
The majority of the scene is a monotonous white, without much character. The white brick building represents the lack of uniqueness amongst everything common, signifying boredom and blandness. Contrary to that, Bottom brings the frame to life with his spirited movement and extravagant hand gestures. This separates him from conformity, proving he is not common, but rare.
Bottom is dominant in the frame. Although, he does not stand out due to a contrast in colour, but rather because of the contrast in energy. While the wall stands stale and mundane, Bottom’s flamboyant action is full of life. His suit easily fades into said wall, suggesting that he should be amidst the common. However, Bottom’s pretension begs to differ. He recognizes he does not belong in this pre-set rank, and aspires to be something greater: an actor. Despite being assigned the leading role of Pyramus, Bottom’s ego takes over. He desires to play every role, as he believes only he can do them justice. This strongly demonstrates his

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