A Midsummer Night’s Dream

What a nice thing to read after Othello. To go from so much evil to, oh, a little silly mischief by Puck, sure, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,* but really, so much frivolity, so much happiness, so much goodness.

I’ve watched two film versions of it, too: a 1968 version with some great women cast (Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench) and a super colorful 1996 version. I love that in in the ’68 version, Hermia and Lysander are blonde and Helena and Demetrius are brunette. And in the ’96 version, that Theseus is Oberon and Hyppolyta is Titiana. Both versions do leave out some lines… maybe they referred to different texts, or maybe they just wanted the text to fit the particular director’s vision… or maybe it was just about time limits.

Probably my favorite part is when the mechanicals put on their play of Pyramus and Thisbe. It has been described to Theseus as pretty wretched, and yet he chooses it over all the other available entertainment. He’s been told it’s “nothing,” but he still suggests it is worthy of thanks. His whole acceptance of it (some of his little mocks notwithstanding) is really quite lovely. Both film versions left out Theseus’s line, “The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing.” That’s such a nice line, too!