Fairies in Shakespeare – Research Paper – samoore4332
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Fairies in Shakespeare
Sarah MooreLeslie Lovenstein English Composition 13124 May 2012Fairies in Shakespeare        Ever wondered what a fairy is? When asked, most readers that have ever read a story about fairies will usually compare it to “Tinker bell.” Fairies are often thought to have wings, magical powers, pixie dust, and can fly. However, that was not the case when “William Shakespeare” wrote the play “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” During the time of Shakespeare, fairies were a big belief in the Elizabethan time period. Roger Lancelyn Green states, “there was no great fairy literature before him” (89).  Understanding the Elizabethan’s conception of fairies, allows the reader to better understand the differences and similarities between the fairies that Shakespeare created for A Midsummer’s Night Dream and the Elizabethan fairies.         One of the main differences between Shakespeare and the Elizabethan’s belief was of what the fairies looked like. In Elizabethan England, fairies were considered to be the size and shape of humans and they didn’t have wings. Also, fairies were often mistaken for humans due to their size and resemblance. One editor states, “Character studies of A Midsummer Nights Dream have included analyses of both the human and non-human characters” (Lee 1). The fairies were thought to be very beautiful and have a dark complexion due to their wickedness. Fairies often wore the color green, which was due to being associated with nature. Due to being familiar with these characteristics, Shakespeare created his fairies in this story to be beautiful. The reader is shown that the fairies Shakespeare created for A Midsummer’s Night Dream had wings with the line, “Some war with rere-mice for their leathern wings” (II. ii.5). This line means that the fairies are going to fight the bats to get their wings. Not only was the look of the fairies between Shakespeare and the Elizabethan’s different, they also had different beliefs in the behaviors and identities of the fairies.
In A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Shakespeare’s fairies were known to be tricksters. One particular fairy by the name of “Puck,” was the biggest trickster of them all. The reader can see from the moment “Puck” is introduced that he is a trickster with the line, “When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Neighing in likeness of a roasted crab.” (II.i.45-46.). Shakespeare’s fairies in A Midsummer’s Night Dream lived in the woods, whereas the Elizabethan fairies lived closely with the farm and home. Elizabethan fairies were also obsessed with cleanliness, where living in the woods is not necessarily clean. Elizabethan fairies often punished humans for having a messy house. Elizabethan fairies loved milk and would possess cattle to get the dairy that they loved so much. Similar to Elizabethan fairies, Shakespeare’s fairies liked to trick humans because they thought it was funny. Humans who were foolish often suffered punishment among the Elizabethan fairies. A huge difference between the Elizabethan fairies and Shakespeare’s was that the fairies Shakespeare created were harmless tricksters, unlike the Elizabethan fairies who were wicked. Fairies were often thought to be wicked creatures that would pinch, steal human babies, bring disease, and destroy livestock. R.U.Sayce states, “They pinch lazy maids black and blue” (99).  During this time period, Elizabethan’s were afraid of fairies. It was a nice change for the audience when they saw A Midsummer’s Night Dream performed since they weren’t accustomed to fairies that were nothing more than tricksters having fun.  Even though Shakespeare and the Elizabethans fairies have different looks and behaviors, they had the same similarity of enjoyment.         Both the fairies that were in Shakespeare’s play and the Elizabethan fairies had enjoyment. They both loved to sing and dance since it was a pastime of the Elizabethan fairies. Also, both fairies were related to night and were known to work their magic during the fairy hour, which was known as midnight and noon. In the line, “The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Lovers, to bed;’ tis almost fairy time,” (V.i.332-333) Shakespeare shows the reader that the time of day is midnight.  Even though fairies can be active both during the day and night, it was at night that they were more associated with. The fairies were known to be active during the summer, which Shakespeare’s play takes place during this time. Fairies during the Elizabethan time were thought to be forbidden to see by humans and if the human saw them, they would be punished. That was not the case in Shakespeare’s play. The fairies in A Midsummer’s Night Dream performed a play for their guests at the wedding of the main characters, who were humans. It was there gift to the humans for their wedding, so they weren’t trying to play tricks on them or punish them.
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By: samoore4332
Submitted: March 12, 2017
Essay Length: 1,036 Words / 5 Pages
Paper type: Research Paper Views: 440
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