The goal of this adaptation is emphasize and increase the accessibility of Shakespeare’s theme of the subversion of traditional power dynamics in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We will achieve this through two primary methods: modernization of setting and minor plot modification. Modernization will make the text’s message more accessible to a wider audience, and the minor modifications in plot help emphasize.
Modernization of setting is intended to increase the accessibility and applicability of the text to the audience. It is easier for a viewer to resonate with a story set in their own time period than one set far in the past. Therefore, the film will be set in modern England. The story will begin in Liverpool, replacing Athens at the beginning of the play. The scenes taking place in the forest will be replaced with scenes on a train. Finally, instead of returning to Liverpool by the end of the film, the four lovers (and Rude Mechanicals) will arrive in London, where the end of the film will take place. Additionally, we will update the dialogue to standard modern English. The goal of these changes is to make the viewer feel like the events of the play are more modern, allowing them to better receive the intended message.
We will accompany this modernization of setting with minor plot modifications. The overall story will remain unchanged, but specific situations and characters will be changed. The purpose of these changes is to emphasize the pre-existing theme of subversion of traditional power dynamics. The first change comes to the lovers. At the beginning of the film, Helena and Hermia are in love, with Demetrius also in love with Hermia and Lysander in love with Demetrius. Hermia’s conservative father does not approve of her relationship with Helena, and wishes for her to marry Demetrius. As a result, Hermia and Helena decide to take a train to London to escape from their families. However, Lysander hears of their plan and informs Demetrius, and the two get on the same train as Hermia and Helena.
Once on the train, the events happen almost identically to the original text, with the exception that Titania (leader of the rail union) and Oberon are swapped, and Titania and Puck are merged into one character. However, the context is changed for the events to make better sense to the audience. About halfway into the journey, the train stops due to a rail workers’ strike, as workers are demanding higher wages. The company's owner happens to be on board. He takes the role of Oberon. The original events occur, where Puck (now Titania) messes with the lovers, with the relationships ultimately resolving to Hermia with Helena and Lysander with Demetrius. Ultimately, Oberon agrees to the pay raise, and the trains moves on to London. There, the four lovers decide to go see a play put on by a college theatre company replacing the Rude Mechanicals, who had actually been on the same train and decided to practice while the train was stopped. For the sake of plot continuity, Hippolyta and Theseus are omitted in their original role, instead becoming Helena’s parents (unapproving of her relationship with Hermia).
Every plot change is intended to amplify Shakespeare’s theme of subversion of traditional power structure. By allowing the lovers to ultimately arrive in London and escape from their parents, the film subverts the idea of parents having power over their children. By making Oberon agree to the workers’ demands, the film subverts the idea of employers having power over their employees. By swapping Titania and Oberon, the film shows a female character establishing control over the male character. Furthermore, by changing the direction of the four lovers’ relationships and depicting the lovers as escaping from homophobic parents, the film takes a stance on a modern issue, which additionally subverts traditional heteronormative ideas. This, coupled with the changes to setting and language, will allow this adaptation to send a strong, accessible message to modern audiences.
Modernization of setting is intended to increase the accessibility and applicability of the text to the audience. It is easier for a viewer to resonate with a story set in their own time period than one set far in the past. Therefore, the film will be set in modern England. The story will begin in Liverpool, replacing Athens at the beginning of the play. The scenes taking place in the forest will be replaced with scenes on a train. Finally, instead of returning to Liverpool by the end of the film, the four lovers (and Rude Mechanicals) will arrive in London, where the end of the film will take place. Additionally, we will update the dialogue to standard modern English. The goal of these changes is to make the viewer feel like the events of the play are more modern, allowing them to better receive the intended message.
We will accompany this modernization of setting with minor plot modifications. The overall story will remain unchanged, but specific situations and characters will be changed. The purpose of these changes is to emphasize the pre-existing theme of subversion of traditional power dynamics. The first change comes to the lovers. At the beginning of the film, Helena and Hermia are in love, with Demetrius also in love with Hermia and Lysander in love with Demetrius. Hermia’s conservative father does not approve of her relationship with Helena, and wishes for her to marry Demetrius. As a result, Hermia and Helena decide to take a train to London to escape from their families. However, Lysander hears of their plan and informs Demetrius, and the two get on the same train as Hermia and Helena.
Once on the train, the events happen almost identically to the original text, with the exception that Titania (leader of the rail union) and Oberon are swapped, and Titania and Puck are merged into one character. However, the context is changed for the events to make better sense to the audience. About halfway into the journey, the train stops due to a rail workers’ strike, as workers are demanding higher wages. The company's owner happens to be on board. He takes the role of Oberon. The original events occur, where Puck (now Titania) messes with the lovers, with the relationships ultimately resolving to Hermia with Helena and Lysander with Demetrius. Ultimately, Oberon agrees to the pay raise, and the trains moves on to London. There, the four lovers decide to go see a play put on by a college theatre company replacing the Rude Mechanicals, who had actually been on the same train and decided to practice while the train was stopped. For the sake of plot continuity, Hippolyta and Theseus are omitted in their original role, instead becoming Helena’s parents (unapproving of her relationship with Hermia).
Every plot change is intended to amplify Shakespeare’s theme of subversion of traditional power structure. By allowing the lovers to ultimately arrive in London and escape from their parents, the film subverts the idea of parents having power over their children. By making Oberon agree to the workers’ demands, the film subverts the idea of employers having power over their employees. By swapping Titania and Oberon, the film shows a female character establishing control over the male character. Furthermore, by changing the direction of the four lovers’ relationships and depicting the lovers as escaping from homophobic parents, the film takes a stance on a modern issue, which additionally subverts traditional heteronormative ideas. This, coupled with the changes to setting and language, will allow this adaptation to send a strong, accessible message to modern audiences.