How do the four sets of lovers, in their respective plotlines, contribute tothe play’s romantic comedy?
What will be an ideal response?
- Theseus and Hippolyta: Theseus appears to have won Hippolyta’s love despite having defeated her in battle. Pay attention to their scenes together, especially as he is called upon to mediate in the conflict between Egeus and Hermia (I.i.1–126), the morning hunt scene (IV.i.94–177), and their important exchange in V.i. on fantasy and real experience, reason, and imagination. (Hippolyta’s “something of great constancy” at V.i.26 comes close to expressing our sense of the ultimate coherence and plausibility of what Theseus would dismiss as “antique fables” or “fairy toys.” Watching the play, we have actually seen how the “airy nothing” of the fairy world has been given “a local habitation and a name” in the midsummer night’s confusions and unraveling.) A less obvious theme of the play is the growing sympathy between the two former enemies. They set a moral example of proper marital love for all the other couples.
- The Young Lovers: The romantic nature of the young aristocrats is both central and obvious—they are the new generation who are about to enter their procreative period. Their health and happiness suggests the future fate of the city. The younger aristocratic lovers, in their patterned encounters of pursuit and avoidance, also illustrate well one of the most famous principles of comedy, what the French philosopher Henri Bergson called “the mechanical encrusted on the living,” when the human being (capable beyond all creatures of adapting flexibly to changing circumstances) behaves more like a thing or machine in rote reflex. The automatism of the inconstant, aberrant men in their sudden about-faces is a rich source of comedy: “What fools these mortals be.”
- The Artisans (including both Bottom’s “translation” and the play-within-a-play): Bottom’s romance with Titania provides a parodic version of the aristocratic romances. It also offers subtle commentary on the social order of the play. Bottom’s sudden elevation in social status and his democratic union with the fairy queen leaves him totally unfazed; he regards it as his natural right. The love tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe burlesques the tragic potential of the rendezvous of “star-crossed” lovers like Hermia and Lysander.
- Oberon and Titania: These elemental nature gods have upset the balance of nature through their marital quarrels. Their reconciliation dance sets the stage for the final act’s royal wedding in Athens and the mechanicals’ wedding performance.
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Hubo un huracán muy grave en la República Dominicana ayer. La tormenta provocó inundaciones fuertes por todo el país y destruyó varias casas en la capital. La policía rescató a muchísimas personas de sus casas, pero lamentablemente unas veinte personas no sobrevivieron.
1. La noticia menciona explícitamente que hubo un derrumbe por el huracán. a. cierto b. falso 2. Según la noticia, ha llovido mucho desde hace una semana en la República Dominicana. a. cierto b. falso 3. Según la noticia, ha habido muchas inundaciones en la República Dominicana. a. cierto b. falso 4. Según la noticia, la policía salvó a muchos dominicanos. a. cierto b. falso 5. Según la noticia, nadie ha muerto por la tormenta. a. cierto b. falso
II. ARTE Y ARQUITECTURAArtistas y obras.Escriba el nombre del/de la artista mexicano/a que corresponde a la descripción. Escoga entre Frida Kahlo y Diego Rivera. Sus obras reflejan su sufrimiento físico.
A. Frida Kahlo B. Diego Rivera
Each team must elect __________ own captain
A) its B) it's C) its'
Deference and respect are antonyms. _________________
Indicate whether the statement is true or false