Love and the supernatural in methamorphosis ey ovid and midsummers Essay

Love and the supernatural in methamorphosis ey ovid and midsummers night dream by shakespeare - Essay Example While the former uses love and supernaturalism in order to transcend the material and induce a feeling of goodness about the world at the end, the latter, uses these two themes to criticize and disapprove the contemporary political and scientific theories. Though the literary pieces under consideration were composed at a gap of centuries, yet influences of Ovid can be detected in Shakespeare’s play. It is analysed by critics that the ‘gods and goddesses ’of Metamorphoses’ had influenced the construction of ‘fairies’ in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It may be claimed that Ovid’s construction of a mythological and mystic world through the random use of immortal characters and supernatural elements, has been attempted by Shakespeare to recreate in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by using elements like magic and fairies. Whether both the texts establish the same idea, or are widely different from one anothe r is the subject of the analysis below. There is a prevalent use of supernatural elements in the plays of Shakespeare. Be it ghosts, witches, or fairies, or the technique of prediction and foretelling, paranormal and bizarre factors have always played a major role in the plot and thematic structure of the plays. The people of the Elizabethan period to which Shakespeare belonged to, were much superstitious, and their belief in supernaturalism dictated their life and actions to large extent. It may be said that Shakespeare’s use of elements of supernatural in his works shows the Elizabethans’ obsession with mythical beliefs. Though he was much influenced and pressurized by the demands of the contemporary stage goers to include supernatural elements in the plays, Shakespeare’s inherent genius was such that nowhere in the plays, the supernatural constituents appear incoherent or unnecessary to the plot. Those were incorporated ingeniously and made an dispensable