The characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are a shining example of Shakespeare’s incorporation of mythology and literature in his works. The mythology used in his works is unique as it is a blend of previously existing mythology and his own ideas of mythology based on Elizabethan culture. His use of mythology and literature most likely stemmed from the curriculum he was taught at his school as a boy. Scholars agree that Shakespeare attended the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford-upon-Avon (Callow). At school, the pupils would have studied in English, as well as Latin and Greek. They studied authors such as Terence, Virgil, Horace, and Ovid (“Shakespeare’s School”). The influence of Ovid can be seen especially in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For example, the name “Titania” is taken directly from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, as well is the story of “Pyramus and Thisbe.” Shakespeare was not the only writer that was greatly influenced by Ovid during this time period, others include Marlowe, Drayton, Dickenson, Heywood, Chapman, and more (Staton, 165).
Several characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are taken straight from mythology, two of which are Theseus and Hippolyta. In the play, Theseus is the Duke of Athens, who is engaged to Hippolyta. In mythology, Theseus was a founding hero of Athens who goes on many quests, similar to Perseus or Heracles. Stories of Theseus have been written by many prominent and famous writers.
A myth about Theseus that is relevant to the play is the myth of Theseus and the minotaur. In the myth, the minotaur is a monster that is half human and half bull, this is comparable to Bottom once Puck has given him the head of a donkey. The minotaur in the myth is sired from Pasiphae, the Queen of Crete, and a bull. This is reflected in the relationship between Titania and Nick Bottom. Another part of the myth is that Theseus finds his way out of a labyrinth because of his love for Ariadne (a King’s daughter). The labyrinth in the myth is comparable to the forest in the play. Just as love played a role in Theseus finding his way out, it plays a role in the four Athenian’s (Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena) ability to get out of the forest (Lamb, 478-480).
The stories of Theseus continue with the myth of how he came to marry Hippolyta. After Theseus slayed the minotaur, he sailed to Hippolyta’s lands and became enamored with her. Theseus proposed that they marry and that he make her the Queen of Athens, but Hippolyta was the Queen of her own people, so she refused his proposal. Theseus then resorted to kidnapping Hippolyta to make her his bride (Geller).
In mythology, Hippolyta is the daughter of Ares, the god of war and she is the Queen of the Amazons, a race of female warriors. As the Queen, Hippolyta is seen as the strongest of the Amazons and a fierce warrior, which is a juxtaposition to the roles of the other women in Shakespeare’s play, who were bound by the conventions of society. The contrast of Hippolyta as a fierce warrior queen and simultaneously a woman who was kidnapped to be married, a woman who is both weak and strong, could be a reflection of the monarchy of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another piece of mythology that Shakespeare makes use of that would have been familiar to many in Elizabethan England is within the character of Puck/Robin Goodfellow. It is uncertain where the character of Puck stems from originally as arguments can be made for an Irish origin, Scandinavian origin, etc. Some scholars believe that the idea of a helper with magical powers stems from Richard Coer de Lion, a story about Richard I, King of England. This could be true, as it is thought that this work also influenced Shakespeare in his play King John (Thomas, 3).
Just like some of the other characters, the origin of the character of Oberon does not come from just one place. There are stories of the “king of the elves” in many cultures; including French and German. Oberon is commonly referred to in mythology as being a dwarf and having magic powers. It is thought that Shakespeare was most likely influenced by the version of Oberon from the French poem Huon de Bordeaux (Britannica).
As mentioned earlier, Shakespeare took the name “Titania” from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In the play, Titania is the queen of fairies. Traditionally, the queen of fairies does not have a name; though before Shakespeare, the queen of the fairies was often identified with Diana, the Roman goddess of the Hunt because both are associated with forests/woods (Staton, 167). The “queen of fairies” has since been compared to Hera and Juno, the Greek and Roman queen of the gods (Britannica).
The four Athenians in the play do not have as many literary or mythological ties, but there have been comparisons made between Shakespeare’s Helena and Helen of Troy (Howard-Vyse). Parallels have been drawn based on Menelaus and Paris fighting over Helen of Troy and Demetrius and Lysander fighting over Hermia. Scholars also believe that the storyline of the four Athenians is influenced by Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale (Bethurum, 85). Knight’s Tale is about two knights who fight over the love of a woman, just as in A Midsummer Dream how Demetrius and Lysander fight over Helena, the difference being Knights Tale involves three while A Midsummer Night’s Dream involves four. Interestingly enough, this story also includes Theseus as a character.
Shakespeare clearly was influenced by mythology and literature. He took preexisting myths and wrote them in a way that suited the culture of Elizabethan England and in doing so he has influenced how certain myths are told and interpreted today.
Works Cited
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Oberon.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Oberon-legendary-figure
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Titania.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Mar. 2011, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Titania-fictional-character.
Bethurum, Dorothy. “Shakespeare’s Comment on Mediaeval Romance in Midsummer-Night’s Dream.” Modern Language Notes, vol. 60, no. 2, 1945, pp. 85–94. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2910493
Callow, Simon. “Shakespeare’s Childhood and Education.” The British Library, The British Library, 8 Mar. 2016, http://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/shakespeares-childhood-and-education
Geller. “Hippolyta – Amazonian Queen in Greek Mythology.” Mythology.net, Mythology.net, 21 Oct. 2016, mythology.net/greek/mortals/hippolyta/.
Gray, Emily. “A 16th Century Ovid: The Influence of Classical Mythology on the Understanding of Shakespeare’s Plays.” Inquiries Journal, Inquiries Journal, 1 Feb. 2017, http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1545/a-16th-century-ovid-the-influence-of-classical-mythology-on-the-understanding-of-shakespeares-plays
Howard-Vyse, Bella. “Retrospect Journal | History, Classics and Archaeology MagazineClassical Influences on Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.” Retrospect Journal | History, Classics and Archaeology Magazine, 29 Oct. 2017, retrospectjournal.com/2017/10/29/classical-influences-on-shakespeares-a-midsummer-nights-dream/.
Lamb, M. E. “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream: The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 21, no. 4, 1979, pp. 478–491. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40754586.
Staton, Walter F. “Ovidian Elements in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’” Huntington Library Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 2, 1963, pp. 165–178. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3816813
“Shakespeare’s School.” Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/william-shakespeare/shakespeares-school/
Thomas, Dylan. “Discuss the Significance of Mythology in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Academia.edu – Share Research, 11 May 2016, http://www.academia.edu/25773831/Discuss_the_significance_of_mythology_in_A_Midsummer_Night_s_Dream.
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