A Midsummer Nights Dream Performance

On Tuesday 13th of May, the Year 11 Drama Class performed a script excerpt from the play “A Midsummer Nights Dream” written by William Shakespeare in the Stowe at Hale School. We were split into two separate groups and performed Act 3, Scene 2. We used a variety of verbal, non-verbal and characterisation techniques and made choices from our rehearsals outside of class time to create a believable character.

In our performance Giles use very clear articulation and a slightly elevated tone to show her emotion and power over Demetrius in the scene. I used a varied tone throughout the scene and an effective vocal production to show my feelings toward Hermia which was frustration over her anger towards me, it also showed the power that Hermia had over me. In Elizabethan times, men had a lot more power over women which makes this scene unusual as women would not normally over power men, but Shakespeare tried to influence and change commonly held beliefs in his plays to shock audience members. Hermia says the line “Out dog, out cur! Thou drivst me past the bounds of maidens patience!” Demetrius says the line “Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear, as yonder venus in her glimmering sphere” Giles’s verbal techniques worked effectively as it highlighted the status of their relationship in the scene between Hermia and Demetrius, also his increased fast pace showed how the level of anger was increasing between them. His pace increased as he said the line “Out dog! Out cur!” It was as if she had realised her anger towards Demetrius. My verbal technique was also effective as it showed my feelings and emotions towards Hermia which were frustration, anger and love. When I said the lines “As yonder venus in her glimmering sphere” I slow down in pace and increase pitch in an act to try and reason with Hermia.

As the anger escalates in our scene, the movement in the scene becomes more aggressive with an increase in hand gestures which demonstrates the tension between us. Giles movements were very full and fluid which were appropriate to his female character. As he pushes me off stage he uses full body and clear movements which are highly exaggerated. My movements mostly consisted of gestures, as I did not move around the stage. The reason for this is because we were showing the dominance that Hermia held over Demetrius. Whilst Hermia was moving rapidly around the stage I was planted in one spot. My Laban effort action whilst on stage talking to Hermia was floating as my movements were indirect and passive. In Elizabethan times, actors had to use large and fluid movements as they needed to be seen from the large theatres. Giles says “Could not a worm, an adder do so much? An adder did it for with double tongue” and I say “So should the murdered look and so should I, pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty”
When Giles says this line, I am below him off stage after he has pushed me off in an act or rage, this use of levels shows power and dominance. His gestures towards me are aggressive and have a large circle of attention which shows his negative attitude towards me. When I say my line, I am behind Giles during this line my movements are minimal, this again shows dominance but also shows how I feel towards Hermia, begging and complimenting her presence.

Luke showed effective characterization technique in a way to show his character as truthful, believable and as clear as possible, he showed this through his verbal and non-verbal character decisions. In Elizabethan times, there was an extreme obsession with magic and superstition within the Elizabethan people, the reason for this is because the surreal interested them and Shakespeare incorporated this into his plays as they entertained the audience. I showed effective characterization to also show my emotions but towards Hermia, I did this through my gestures and facial expressions. In Elizabethan times, Shakespeare liked to explore the theme of familiar love that is a love between a parent and a child. This theme occurred through such plays as King Lear, Much Ado about Nothing and even Merchant of Venice. Luke says the line “Flower of this purple dye, hit with cupid’s archery, sink in apple of his eye”.  As I am laying down asleep Oberon played by Luke plants a potion into my eye, as he does this he kneels down and speaks softly, his facial expressions are still angry however as Puck as previously made a mistake with the potion. His verbal technique and facial expressions enhance his magical approach and make him seem more mysterious which adds to his character. I say the line “An if I could, what should I get therefore”. As I say this line, I long fully look into Hermia’s eyes to show my love for her. I also outstretch my hands with my palms facing upwards to show my warmth towards her. This characterization technique enables the audience to see and experience the proximity of our relationship in this scene.

When creating and constructing the dynamics of our play, we tried to incorporate the main themes of a Midsummer Nights Dream which are Love, Magic, Superstition and Social Status. In the Elizabethan society, people were desperate for a definition of love. To experience it was one thing, but to understand it was another. Shakespeare attempted to answer this question through several of his sonnets and plays but some may argue that he knew nothing of love. Giles says the line “Plunge into the deep and kill me too!”. As Giles say this line, he sounds deeply depressed by using a slow pace and low pitch with a high inflection. The play pokes fun at the torment and suffering that those in love suffer by distancing the audience from the emotions of the characters, that is that the play contains humorous satires that distracts audiences from focusing on real emotions, for example the over exaggeration that Hermia feels during this script excerpt is laughable as she is so over the top that it is almost surreal that anything like this would happen in the real world on this topic.

In conclusion, our group performed a successful excerpt from the play “A Midsummer Nights Dream” I enjoyed working with this play during this course as it allowed us to use a wide variety of verbal, non-verbal and characterization techniques to build a character and make it our own.