Critical Interpretations (Edexcel A-Level English Literature): Revision Notes

Critical Interpretations

What are Critical Interpretations?

From the exam board: "As part of their study of their selected Shakespeare play, students should engage with different interpretations."

How should Critical Interpretations be used?

• Grasp the interpretation being presented regarding the literary text(s).
• Contrast the critic's viewpoint with your reading of the text (or that of another critic or classmate). Note any similarities or differences.
• Agree with the critic's point and find further evidence in Shakespeare's text to support and expand it.
• Disagree with the critic's stance and identify evidence in Shakespeare's text that might bolster your counterargument.
• Adjust the critic's position by finding one aspect you can endorse and another that you wish to refine and clarify with evidence from the text.
• Choose specific quotations that either support or challenge your interpretation of the text to enhance your discussion or literary essay.
• Make sure to reference critical quotations in your essay by using quotation marks and writing down the critic's last name!

Critical Interpretations with Analysis

Lisa Hopkins - Marriage as Comic Closure

"The most outstanding feature of Shakespearean comedy is its pervading obsession with marriage."

Lisa Hopkins, 'Marriage in Shakespeare's comedies', from 'Marriage as a Comic Closure', 1998.

• Hopkins emphasises that Shakespearean comedies often culminate in marriage, which serves as a resolution to the plot.
• In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the play concludes with multiple marriages, reinforcing the social order and harmony.
• This interpretation underscores marriage as a central theme and a vehicle for restoring balance and resolving conflicts.

Supporting Evidence

"Joy, gentle friends! Joy and fresh days of love Accompany your hearts!" (Act 5, Scene 1)

• Theseus's blessing on the marriages at the end of the play reflects the importance of marital unions as a source of joy and societal harmony.

"Now thou and I are new in amity, And will tomorrow midnight solemnly Dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly, And bless it to all fair prosperity." (Act 4, Scene 1)

• Oberon's reconciliation with Titania and their participation in the wedding celebrations highlight the theme of marriage restoring harmony.

Opposing Evidence

"Methought I was enamoured of an ass." (Act 4, Scene 1)

• Titania's enchantment and subsequent realisation introduce an element of chaos and irrationality that contrasts with the orderly conclusion of marriage.

Lisa Hopkins - Marriage as Comic Closure (#2)

"Marriage is appropriate as a provider of closure for comedy because it focuses primarily on the experience of the group, as opposed to the individualist, isolationist emphasis of tragedy."

Lisa Hopkins, 'Marriage in Shakespeare's comedies', from 'Marriage as a Comic Closure', 1998.

• Hopkins argues that marriage serves as a fitting conclusion for comedy because it emphasises collective social bonds rather than individual isolation.
• In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the marriages at the end bring the characters together, reinforcing social unity and collective joy.
• This perspective highlights the communal aspect of Shakespeare's comedic resolutions.

Supporting Evidence

"Egeus, I will overbear your will; For in the temple by and by with us These couples shall eternally be knit." (Act 4, Scene 1)

• Theseus's decision to overrule Egeus and unite the lovers emphasises the communal celebration of marriage.

"These couples shall be eternally knit." (Act 4, Scene 1)

• The plural reference to "couples" underscores the collective experience of marriage as a unifying force.

Opposing Evidence

"O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent To set against me for your merriment." (Act 3, Scene 2)

• Helena's feeling of isolation and betrayal during the play's conflicts contrasts with the communal harmony marriage is supposed to represent.

François Laroque - Shakespeare's Festive Comedies

"Shakespeare's festive comedies revel in a carnival spirit of liberty and irreverence. They sanction sexual desire to be crowned and licensed by companionate marriage."

François Laroque, 'The festive tradition', from 'Shakespeare's Festive Comedies', 2003.

• Laroque emphasises the celebratory and liberating nature of Shakespeare's comedies, where marriage legitimises and crowns romantic and sexual desires.
• A Midsummer Night's Dream reflects this spirit through the whimsical and chaotic events in the forest, culminating in marriages that restore social order.
• This interpretation underscores the play's blend of freedom and festivity leading to structured, socially sanctioned relationships.

Supporting Evidence

"Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Theseus's anticipation of his wedding with Hippolyta sets the tone for the play's festive and celebratory atmosphere.

"Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends." (Act 5, Scene 1)

• Theseus's reflexion on the irrational nature of love underscores the play's festive celebration of romantic and sexual desire.

Opposing Evidence

"O hell! to choose love by another's eyes." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Hermia's lament about the constraints of choosing love based on societal expectations introduces a tension between individual desires and social norms.

Kiernan Ryan - Shakespeare's Comedies

"The play's scenic structure is symmetrically designed to converge on the moment when Bottom meets Titania."

Kiernan Ryan, 'Shakespeare's Comedies', 2009.

• Ryan discusses the symmetrical and structured design of the play, which centres around the pivotal and comical encounter between Bottom and Titania.
• This moment encapsulates the play's blend of the magical and the mundane, highlighting the transformative power of the forest and its comedic potential.
• This interpretation emphasises the importance of key scenes in structuring the play's comedic narrative.

Supporting Evidence

"What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?" (Act 3, Scene 1)

• Titania's enchanted response to Bottom reflects the whimsical and magical nature of their encounter.

"Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art translated." (Act 3, Scene 1)

• Quince's reaction to Bottom's transformation underscores the play's theme of transformation and the convergence of the magical and the ordinary.

Opposing Evidence

"I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me; to fright me, if they could." (Act 3, Scene 1)

• Bottom's awareness of the trickery played on him introduces a more self-aware and less symmetrical element to the scene.

Stephen Fender - Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

"The phrases arranged antiphonally express the lovers' feeling that things are exactly the opposite of what they ought to be."

Stephen Fender, 'Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream', 1968.

• Fender highlights the use of antiphonal (alternating) phrases to express the lovers' confusion and sense of disorder.
• This literary technique emphasises the topsy-turvy nature of the forest and the lovers' experiences, reinforcing the play's theme of disrupted order.
• This interpretation underscores the play's exploration of confusion and mistaken identities.

Supporting Evidence

"The course of true love never did run smoothly." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Lysander's observation about love's difficulties reflects the lovers' experiences of confusion and disorder.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" (Act 3, Scene 2)

• Puck's comment highlights the absurdity and confusion experienced by the lovers in the forest.

Opposing Evidence

"I will not trust you, I; Nor longer stay in your curst company." (Act 3, Scene 2)

• Helena's determination to distance herself from the confusion introduces an element of clarity amidst the chaos.