The Strange, Mystical Dream Continues

In Act Three, we see many different storylines continuing to intertwine. As the 'rude mechanics' continue working on their play, Bottom's head turns into one of an ass(ironic being that is name is Bottom), and all his other partners in crime leave him. This leaves him alone with Titania, who falls in love with him despite his strange appearance, due to the magic petals we were introduced to in Act 2. At the same time we have the ongoing love affair between Helena, Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander, while Titania and Oberon continue to fight for power, however Titania becomes sidetracked. As the magic petal is used on Titania, Demetrius, and on Lysander for a second time, we see how different things have become outside of Athens. In the patriarchal society of Greece, we saw that the fathers determined what was law, and Egeus wanted his daughter, Hermia, to marry Demetrius. In the woods, however, we see a distinct contrast, where that law is now disregarded and both Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena. There is a very similar situation with Titania, who falls in love with Bottom. Titania, who is a queen, would normally never be associated with a peasant such as Bottom, let alone be in love with him. However, in this mystical dream-like state, anything goes. The only semblance of normality that remains is Helena, who despite all the magic sees clearly and notices that all that is happening around her is strange.

    The clip above depicts the scene where Titania wakes up and sees Bottom with the head of an ass, and she instantly falls in love with him. I would like to point something out about Bottom however. Before Titania even wakes up, Bottom is walking very joyfully, swinging his body back and forth as he walks. At the same time, he his singing to himself in a very upbeat manner. That subtle action shows how oblivious Bottom is to what's around him. Despite having the head of an ass, he still seems very optimistic being that he is unaware of his change in appearance. This sums up not just Bottom's personality, but the woods as a whole. It represents how the woods are not nearly as strict as Athens, and things seem to be much looser and there is more freedom among its inhabitants. This also becomes very clear with many of the changes in gender role, such as Titania being dominant over Oberon, and the change in love affairs between Helena, Demetrius, and Lysander.