I recently re-read, for my first time in approximately twenty-five years, William Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream." This was driven by the upcoming world premiere of Ben Stevenson's ballet of the tale, which I'm proud to say my son will be starring in and that I have scored tickets to go see in late May. I also recently watched Balanchine's ballet of the same name on YouTube to get an approximation of what to expect. I read this play on my Kindle for just a couple of bucks. I love how affordable e-books can be sometimes.
The story tells the tale of two couples who, due largely to mischief on the part of the faeries, get mixed up about who truly belongs to whom. In Balanchine's ballet, this was represented by outfits the dancers wore...the couples wore matching outfits. I like that as it represents a way to show the chemistry above and beyond the actual moves and behavior of the dancers themselves. It adds a nice touch. At one point, a character is transformed into a mix of human and donkey and one of the characters finds herself falling in love with him at least temporarily - once again due to the faeries' mischief.
In addition to the couples being mixed up, there is also a play within the play. This perplexed me as a teen; I think it does still a little now. Though ultimately it could be as simple as a writer wanting to write about another writer. Shakespeare was a playwright and he and his fans enjoyed plays so....you know...why not? The play within the play also adds another layer of complexity and action to the flow of the story...waves and eddies.
Overall, the play is a lot of fun and easy to read. I was surprised to hear it was Shakespeare's most popular play...I would have though "Romeo and Juliet" would have carried that title. And that not only because I personally like it more but because it seems to be more ingrained in our culture.
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