Sigmund Freud In A Midsummer Night's Madness
“Why, This is Very Midsummer Madness” - Twelfth Night As long as humans have been on this earth, they have been curious. People were curious about land, so they explored the world by ship. People were curious about the sea, so they dove below the surface. People were curious about the universe around them, so they sent man to space. In 1873, a European-American psychoanalyst named Sigmund Freud was curious about the mind, the subconscious, and how it affects human action, so he began studies of concepts and patients that would last over sixty years. 1923 brought a publication titled The Ego and the Id, that introduced new ideas of a developed and divided unconscious (“Timeline”). In his time, his works were used by psychologists around the globe, but now they have paved the way for a literary school of thought (Shmoop, “Psychoanalysis”). In William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Freud’s theory of the id, ego, and superego can be applied to analyze how the characters’ reactions are shaped by their subconscious and how their decisions affect the play as a whole.
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(Shmoop, “Psychoanalysis”). His studies have been used to dive into characters, plot, and even authors of many different genres and mediums. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Freud’s theories of the id, ego, and superego can be applied to many actions and situations between various characters. Looking through the lens of freudism allows the audience to understand more about themselves by relating to the characters and why they do what they do. It allows them to find these desires, defences, and consciences within themselves and take a new perspective away from the encounter. In a way, it satisfies their curiosity and prompts them to higher thinking, which was one of Shakespeare’s intentions in writing Dream: to get the audience to question what they have
(Shmoop, “Psychoanalysis”). His studies have been used to dive into characters, plot, and even authors of many different genres and mediums. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Freud’s theories of the id, ego, and superego can be applied to many actions and situations between various characters. Looking through the lens of freudism allows the audience to understand more about themselves by relating to the characters and why they do what they do. It allows them to find these desires, defences, and consciences within themselves and take a new perspective away from the encounter. In a way, it satisfies their curiosity and prompts them to higher thinking, which was one of Shakespeare’s intentions in writing Dream: to get the audience to question what they have