Monday, February 6, 2012

Character Analysis (Act 3), Titania, Queen of Fairies

  
     I selected Titania's speech, A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 3, Scene 1, Lines 73-84. I chose this because this is the moment where the audience fully witnesses Titania's change of character. This sudden change in heart is due to Oberon's act of revenge. Along with her change of character, Titania's objective(s) completely change. If one's objective changes, then his or tactic to achieving that goal is most likely subject to change as well.

     Prior to Oberon and Puck's revengeful act with the flower juice, Titania's goal was to keep hold on her rare changeling child who is so desperately wanted by Oberon. Her tactic of doing so was to simply keep the changeling (and herself) out of Oberon's path. This tactic, although simple, makes sense considering that she already possesses such a highly valued object. Once she awakens from her character changing sleep, her objective dramatically shift from preserving the changeling and to keeping Bottom with her in the forest. The flower juice's effect was powerful enough to have Titania completely change her focus from the changeling to her love with Bottom, who looks non-human due to Puck's sly ways. Her main objective, now, is to keep Bottom with her to satisfy her love for him. Her tactics, along with her objective, have changed as well. Her new tactic is to keep Bottom with her by supplying him with gifts and complements. Bottom, understandably, is flattered and drawn to his newfound attention and stays with her. The psychology of Titania's character has also shifted: from an independent, elegant, (somewhat) stubborn, and prideful. She was adamantly unwilling to give up the changeling, she didn't want to seem like a woman who easily gives in to her husband's (Oberon's) demands. After the flower's effect, she easily gives herself up to her new lover, Bottom. She seems to be in a state of euphoria with Bottom.

1 comment:

  1. Good. But -- when you speak of a character's objective it goes beyond what the character does or says in the play. It's about what the character really wants to achieve in relation to the other person. Titania wants to defeat Oberon, to belittle Oberon, to frustrate Oberon in order to teach him a lesson about her strength and equality. The tactic she uses to achieve this goal is to fight back. Do you see how that is a more interesting interpretation? It isn't just a reiteration of the words she says, but an analysis of what she does and says.

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