"Midsummer Night's Dream" in "Dead Poets Society"

How does the movie “Dead Poets Society” change our understanding of the role of the forest and its magic and fairies in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ?

Throughout the movie “Dead Poets Society”, a group of adolescent high school students express their love for culture, art and creativity by holding meetings as a society called the “Dead Poets Society”. How does the movie change our understanding of the role of the forest in Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”?

The play, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” mainly revolves around four young adults; Helena, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius. Shakespeare emphasizes the superficialities and absurdities of love by having fairies interfere with the four characters. Puck, out of all the fairies, is probably most noteworthy because his character is played by the main character of “Dead Poet’s Society”, Neil Perry.

The only real link which is made between the movie and the play “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is the theatrical performance towards the end of the movie. But because the main character takes charge of the main role in the play, we know that there must have been a reason for the screenwriter to include this particular play in the movie.

Although not entirely related to our understanding of the forest, the fact that Puck is played by Neil, emphasizes Puck’s important role in the play. This can be verified by noticing the circumstances in which Neil is participating in the play. He tries tu pursue acting without the consent of his repressive father. With regard to the fact that the scene in which Neil performs his part as Puck was one of the most important scenes of the movie, the role of Puck in Shakespeare’s play is given more importance than may have been assumed previously.

The woods, being an area of escape for the main characters in the movie, reflects upon the role the forest plays in the play. When Hermia and Lysander leave Athens, it is made obvious to the audience that this is done in order to escape the laws and confinements which they are subjected to. Additionally, it should be understood that the characters in the movie do not only leave the school’s premise in order to be liberated from its rules and confinement, but also in order to act free from social judgement. Considering this perspective, the actions of the characters in Shakespeare's play can be interpreted in the same way. As soon as they are in the woods, the magic of the fairies makes them act in a way which is free from consideration of other people’s opinions. Example of this can be taken from Lysander, who upon having directed his love towards Helena strongly insults Hermia without apparent shame or embarrassment.

Considering that in the movie, the character’s actions change when going to the woods, the role of the fairies and magic can be reinterpreted in the play. Although the play is filled with dialogue of fairies, it is noteworthy to mention that the movie’s character’s personality changes in the woods without any magical intervention. This could reflect upon the role played by fairies and magic in 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream', hinting towards the idea that maybe Shakespeare only used them as a stage device. The fairies, upon reflection, really just seem to be a emotional and social catalyst, allowing the play to move quickly from one idea to the next. The fact that the screenwriter of “Dead Poets Society” managed to do this without fantastical beings emphasizes this aspect of Shakespeare’s play.

To conclude, the link between “Dead Poets Society” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” seems to be very vague at first sight. Upon more reflection though, the movie emphasizes the possible metaphorical use of Shakespeare’s fairies, the role of the woods in helping characters escape, and re-emphasizes the role of Puck throughout the play.

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