Drama Analysis

[Adam Ricardo]

Authoritarianism in A Midsummer Night’s dream


A conspicuous hallucination, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the best-loved Shakespearean comedies. It was most likely written sometime between 1594 and 1596, that is, between Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an Elizabethan – person who lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603). In that period of time, the authority of the monarchy in England was outrageously superior to the general public. It is very different from the authority of the realm in England nowadays- It is more symbolical than real (Kehler 1). In the following paragraphs, I will first explore the authoritarianism in A Midsummer’s Night Dream and try to find out which authority is the domination.

Authoritarianism means the belief that power can exert influence on other people and generally speaking, authority means a form of power, often used more broadly to refer to a people’s ability to wield power as a result of qualities such as knowledge or titles such as judge. In other words, power is the ability to exert influence; that is, the ability to change the attitudes or behaviour of individuals or groups. According to the contemporary management theory, there are five sources of power and I discover that these five sorts of power also exited in four hundred years ago. Let me define them as follows:

Reward Power derives from the fact that one person, known as an influencer, has the ability to reward another person, known as an influencee, for carrying out orders, which may be expressed or implied. Coercive Power is the negative side of reward power, based on the influencer’s ability to punish the influencee. Legitimate Power exists when an influencee acknowledges that influencer has a “right” or is lawfully entitled to exert influence- within certain bounds; also called formal authority. Expert Power bases on the belief or understanding that the influencer has specific knowledge or relevant expertise that the influencee does not have. The Referent Power bases on the desire of the influencee to be like or identify with the influencer. (Robbins and Coulter, 476)

Not only is power exercised in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but also it is exerted in most of the other Shakespearian dramas such as Hamlet as well as The Tempest. After defining so much on “Authority”, let me use A Midsummer Night’s Dream to illustrate my points of view about why authoritarianism exists everywhere in the play. You may see the whole picture by analogy.

In act I, scene I, Egeus goes to the palace of Theseus and asks Theseus to make a judgment about the marriage of his daughter, Hermia. Egeus said:

“Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia, stand forth, Demetrius, My noble lord, This man, hath my consent to marry her.” (I, i, line 22-25).

I can see that Egeus asks Theseus to make a final decision about his daughter’s marriage. Theseus is the duke of Athens. Legitimate power has been exerted by Theseus because he has the right to do so. In act I, scene I, Egeus said:

“ …I beg the ancient privilege of Athens, As she is mine, I may dispose of her: which shall be either to this gentleman or to her death, according to our law…” (I, i, line 41-44).

When Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, Demetrius shows that he has a Referent Power because Demetius and Lysander have the same status. In act I, scene I, Lysander said:

“I am, my lord, as well derived as he, as well possess’d; my love is more than his; My fortunes every way as fairly rank’d, if not with vantage, as Demetrius’;” (I, i, line 99-102).

There is no point for Egeus to choose Demetrius and not to choose Lysander. The Referent Power exerted by Demetrius can be seen in this case. Egeus forces Hermia to marry Demetrius. He exerts Coercive Power because he only gives two ways for Hermia- to marry Demetrius or to die. Both ways are tragedy for her. In this situation, Theseus also exerts his Coercive power. Theseus said:

“Either to die or to abjure For ever the society of men… if you yield not to your father’s choice, you can endure the livery of a nun, For aye to be in shady cloister mew’d, To live a barren sister all your life,” (I, i, line 65-72).

In act I scene II, in Quince’s house, Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling are meeting to discuss the play, which they will act in the wedding-day of Theseus and Hippolyta. Nobody forces them to act. They act because of the Referent Power of the duke and duchess. In the meeting, Quince is the host at first, but Bottom seems to have a lot of ideas about the play-of-play and he also dominates the meeting. Bottom said:

“you were best to call them generally, man by man, according to the scrip… first, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow to a point… A very good piece of work, I assure you, and merry. Now, Good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the scroll. Masters, spread yourselves…” (I, ii, line 2-3,line 8-10, line 13-15).

Bottom has a Referent Power because Quince seems to listen to his instruction obediently. Bottom also has a lot of ideas during the meeting. Bottom said:

“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. The raging rocks And shivering shocks shall break the locks of prison gates; And Phibbus’ car shall shine from far And make and mar The foolish Fates. This was lofty! Now name the rest of the players. This is Ercles’s vein, a tyrant’s vein; a lover is more condoling.” (I, ii, line 21-37).

Showing his Expert Power, Bottom seems to know a lot of techniques of acting and theory of play.

In act II, scene I, in the conversation between Puck and the Fairy, I feel that the king of fairies, Oberon and the queen of fairies, Titania have the Legitimate power which can influence the fairy world. The fairies are very afraid of Oberon and Titania. Puck said:

“ The king doth keep his revels here to-night: Take heed the queen come not within his sight;” (II, i, line 18-19).

Oberon also exerts Expert Power in act II, scene I, Oberon said:

“ I pray thee, give it me… And with the juice of this I’ll streak her eyes, And make her full of hateful fantasies. Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove: A sweet Athenian lady is in love with a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes…Effect it with some care, that he may prove More fond on her than she upon her love:” (II, i, line 248-266).

Oberon has the power to change Demetrius’ love from Hermia to Helena. This is an Expert Power because only Oberon can exert this magic power not only in the normal world but also in the fairy world. At the same time, Oberon exerts Reward Power because Helena’s love touches Oberon very much and he wants to help Helena, so he uses his magic power (Expert Power) on Demetrius. He rewards Helena by giving her the lover she wants.

The magic power used by Oberon can be a Reward power. It can also be a Coercive power. In Act two, Scene one, Oberon warns Titania that she will be suffered by what she did. Oberon said:

“Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove Till I torment thee for this injury.” (II, i, line 146-147).

In act III, scene I, Oberon orders Puck to change bottom’s head with an ass’s head. Puck leads Bottom to the wood where Titania is lying asleep. When Titania wakes up, she falls in love with Bottom at once. This is a Coercive power, which Oberon exerts on Titania. When Oberon releases the magic power (Expert power) from Titania, Titania feels very annoyed because she sleeps beside an ass’ head. Titania said:

“ How came these things to pass? O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now! (IV, i, line 77-78 ).

In act V, scene I, Theseus wants to see the play-in-the-play. Philostrate gives him advice that the play is nothing, but Theseus exerts the Legitimate power; he does not listen to the advice given by Philostrate; he makes the final decision; he still wants to hear the play. He said:

“I will hear that play; For never anything can be amiss, when simpleness and duty tender it, Go, bring them in …” (V, i, line 89-92).

Theseus exerts Reward power in this case. He does not reject the performance of those laymen. He gives them the chance to perform the play.

Finally, after exploring the Authoritarianism in the above paragraphs, I want to point out that Expert Power is the most important power in the power-categories. One has the specific knowledge or relevant expertise that nobody has. One can dominate the others. Referent Power, more or less, is derived from Expert Power. It is not difficult to know that if you do not have some special knowledge or traits, you cannot be liked or followed by the people you want to influence. That means you should have no Referent Power. Legitimate Power is not the power you can hold it forever or we can say that Legitimate Power is the power somebody gives you and sooner or later, it will be taken back. When you have the above-mentioned three sorts of power, you can use the Reward Power to reward anybody or Coercive Power to punish anybody. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon, the king of fairies, has all sorts of power. He can dominate both fairy world and human world. The second point I should like to point out is that although the Expert Power is the most important power among the others, Expert Power itself can be divided into different grading. Bottom has an Expert Power to act in a play but it cannot compare with the Expert Power Titania has and Titania’s magic power is a kind of Expert power, but it cannot compare with the Expert Power Oberon has because he has the most powerful magic that can influence all the people in both fairy world as well as human world.


28th July 2004