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The language of A Midsummer Night's Dream is among the most varied and beautiful in all of Shakespeare. The play uses verse and prose, rhyming couplets and blank verse, nature imagery and moon imagery, malapropisms and poetry — all serving to differentiate the play's worlds and reinforce its themes. This lesson analyses the key language features and provides detailed analysis of key quotes.
The play uses verse and prose to distinguish between different groups of characters and different social levels:
| Form | Who Uses It | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) | Theseus, Hippolyta, the lovers (sometimes) | The language of authority, formality, and courtly speech |
| Rhyming couplets | The fairies (especially Oberon and Puck), the lovers (in heightened moments) | The language of magic, enchantment, and romantic convention |
| Prose | Bottom and the mechanicals | The language of ordinary speech, associated with lower social status |
| Mixed / lyrical verse | Titania, Oberon | The language of nature poetry and fairy power |
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