仲夏夜之梦 论文.doc

Contradiction and Unity：Interpretations of Three Characters’ Dreams in A Midsummer Nights Dream Ⅰ.Introduction William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds preeminent dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet and the Bard of Avon (or simply The Bard). His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, suggested by The Knights Tale from Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeares most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was probably written in 1595-96, and therefore belongs to Shakespeare’s early period as dramatist. This was his time of apprenticeship to the playwright’s craft, when he was experimenting in various dramatic forms, exploring among the many materials available to him, trying out new combinations of effects, making himself familiar with the tools of his craft, and perfecting his use of them. This is not to say that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a crude or amateurish play. In certain respects it is imperfect: for example, some of characters are poorly drawn and do not always come fully to life. Yet when we take into account the manner in which the young dramatist has combined so effectively such a rich variety of materials—delightful stories, superb poetry, charming songs, moonlight and magic, rustics and fairies, aristocrats and common folk, humor, satire, and some quite serious observation on love and marriage—one can only marvel at the craftsmanship that has been able to weld