A Midsummer Night's Dream Act I Scene ii
Act I Scene ii
In the city of Athens, a group of workmen is gathered to discuss the casting of roles for a play they are to perform for Theseus and Hippolyta on the night of their wedding day. Peter Quince attempts to lead the group but he is constantly interrupted and instructed by Bottom the weaver. Quince begins by informing the company that they will be performing “The most lamentable and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe”. He then goes through the list of the cast members and informs each in turn of the role that has been decided. He begins with Bottom, the weaver, who is to play the role of Pyramus. Bottom inquires whether the role is that of a lover or a tyrant, at which Quince informs him that it is that of a gallant lover who takes his own life. Bottom is sure that he would do the part justice, but expresses his desire to play the role of a tyrant, and performs a monologue of a tyrant to demonstrate his ability.
Quince moves through the rest of the list assigning the role of Thisbe, the love of Pyramus, to Flute who protests at playing the role of a woman given that he is growing a beard, but Quince informs him that his mask will cover the beard. Bottom chimes in to argue that he could play the role of Thisbe as well as Pyramus. Quince moves to the other players, while Bottom keeps interjecting periodically. Bottom offers to play the role of a roaring lion, but all the company members agree that if Bottom were to roar too well, then the women at court would grow afraid and have the whole company killed. Quince finally convinces Bottom to play just the role of Pyramus. Once all the members are cast, Quince hands everyone their scripts and asks them all to meet in the duke's woods the following night for a private place of practice, and with that, they all disperse.
Analysis
The play uses contrast as a primary motif throughout, it is evident in not just the situations that arise but also in the groups of people that are represented. The clumsy group of workmen serves as the perfect contrast to the overly serious and melodramatic group of young and noble lovers featured in the first scene.
The play that the workmen have decided to enact is also a tragedy, one that they are not equipped to enact for they are barely able to remember the lines of the roles for which they have been cast. This serves as a recipe for a truly comedic enactment of a tragic play that the audience of Shakespeare would be acquainted with, given that it was a feature in Ovid's Metamorphoses. The workmen's obsession with how certain parts of the play may be received by the audience lends the reader an insight into how art is not a primary concern for the group of workers.
