I've a feeling we're not in Athens anymore

Act 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream introduces another narrative; a narrative that heavily contrasts the setting surrounding the previous two. Set in the woods outside of Athens, there is a hidden fairy kingdom run by Oberon, king of the fairies, and Titania, queen of the fairies. It is in this act that the supernatural aspect of the play comes into existence. With fairies that roam the forest and magical flowers that act as love potions, the whole setting can certainly be perceived as a dream, something touched upon in class. Despite the contrasting setting, however, several themes of the previous scenes do present themselves. For example, the quarrel between Oberon and Titania regarding how Oberon demands that Titania give him an Indian boy she is sheltering brings up the theme of how men want to control women and influence their decisions, as seen with Hermia and her father. One critical aspect of dreams that seems to come alive in the character Robin Goodfellow is how dreams often times play tricks and can be misleading or irrational. Mentioned by one of the fairies in Act 2, Robin is a mischievous and malicious hobgoblin, who represents the more shrewd side of dreams. While Robin does take on one specific characteristic of certain dreams, he certainly does not embody dreams as a whole, for the tranquil setting of the forest also presents characteristics of peaceful and relaxing dreams.Continuing on the theme of dreams, Act 2 also presents nightmares, the dreams that induce dread and anxiety. Towards the end of Act 2 Scene 2, once Lysander has fallen for Helena due to the nectar of the flower, Hermia awakens from a nightmare pleading that Lysander "pluck this crawling serpent from [her] breast" only to find him gone and not by her side (2.2.153). In her dream, Hermia recalls Lysander merely watching as the serpent attempted to eat her heart. The serpent, a sign of betrayal and malignity, represents the magic stealing away her love, as seen in its attempt to eat her heart. Throughout Act 2, multiple aspects of dreams are presented: those that are misleading, those that are tranquil, and those that strike fear. Once again, the contrast of the forest is evident through these dreams.

One of the main themes of A Midsummer Night's Dream is love and the power it exerts on the characters. Within Act 2, the characters realize the consequences when an external force tries to intervene with love's path, as seen with the flower. In Act 1, the eyes of a person serve as the windows to the inner love going on within that person. The eyes act as true testaments for the love between two people. Yet within Act 2, the eyes are influenced by the power of the love flower, which greatly affects the love inside a person. Lysander, for example, is destined to be with Hermia but once his eyes feel the nectar of the flower, they are manipulated into falling for Helena. 

Finally, after watching a performance of Act 2, it definitely helped paint a picture of what a supernatural forest would look like, The director of this specific performance chose to illuminate the set with various purple and pink lights, contributing to the tranquil and mysterious feel of the forest. Through the use of these lights as well as music, the director was able to capture the feeling of being within a mystical forest inhabited by supernatural entities. The body language of each actor expertly portrays the emotions of the character, especially during Oberon's argument with Titania. One decision that interested me the most was the choice of costumes for the four lovers who find themselves in the forest. While Oberon, Titania, and the other fairies dress accordingly with makeup and bright robes, the four Athenians are dressed in modern, everyday clothes. As a result, the characters look out of place in the magical forest, which contributes to the contrast between the lifestyle of the woods and the lifestyle of Athens, the contrast between irrationality and reality.