Flowers In A Midsummer Night's Dream Essay

As William Shakespeare once commented, “one touch of nature makes the world go round.” Nature, especially flowers were significant in many Shakespeare plays, epically in a Midsummer Night’s Dream. The flowers were used to convey the emotions of characters in a creative way, so the audiences could relate to the scenes. As Shakespeare said in act IV scene I “kill me a good red-hipped humble bee on top of my thistle…” Shakespeare is symbolizing “untidiness and carelessness” (Plants, flowers) .The play is a filled with whimsical and charming elements, such as fairies, magic, mischief” (Cummings 1419) as well as showing the audience “the paradox of the imagination, examing particularly its function to theater and love.” Shakespeare employed many types of flower imagery in a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Rosenburg contends a Midsummer Night’s Dream has various themes “love and lust, rebellion, justice and authority. William Shakespeare exemplified the themes by using flower symbolism. Shakespeare illustrates

“(Rosenburg) to show the characters emotions .The musk rose adorned Titana’s bower. It was considered her favorite rose as she commanded her fairies to “Kill cankers in the Musk Rosebuds,” (plants. Flowers). Shakespeare described the musk rose to add beauty to Titana’s tower. It also talks about a white sometimes pink and yellow colored rose” with a scent unlike any other rose” (Plants, Flowers). Jay L. Halio also emphasizes a weed is wide enough to wrap a fairy in, showing how the fairies in a Midsummer Night’s Dream were considerably small. There are numerous types of characters who are symbolized throughout the play. A mischievous character Puck uses “the once milk-white flower, love-in-idleness, stained purple which will provide Oberon with the magic he need for his plot against Titana.”(Halio) . He uses this flower to give Titana a pleasurable voice so the rude sea would he civil at her