Libretto: Benjamin Britten A Midsummer Night's Dream. Neumeier's ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania

Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was written between 1594 and 1596. It is considered the most romantic of all the comedies of the writer, who, when writing it, connected all his rich imagination. Shakespeare filled the play with amazing creatures, and presented events in an unreal, fantastic light.

For a reader's diary and preparation for a literature lesson, we recommend reading the online summary of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by acts and scenes. You can check your knowledge with the test on our website.

main characters

Theseus- Duke of Athens, kind and just ruler.

Lysander, Demetrius- young men, rivals in love.

Hermia- the bride of Demetrius, in love with Lysander.

Elena- a girl unrequitedly in love with Demetrius.

Oberon- the good king of fairies and elves.

Other characters

Aegeus- Hermia's father, a domineering and cruel man.

Hippolyta Queen of the Amazons, fiancee of Theseus.

Pigwa- carpenter, organizer of the play.

The foundation- a weaver, one of the central characters in the play.

Titania- wife of Oberon, mistress of elves and fairies.

Pack- little elf, prankster.

Philostratus- entertainment manager

Act I

Scene 1

Theseus is looking forward to his marriage to the Amazon queen Hippolyta, which is to take place in four days. He orders Philostratus to stir up "all the youth in Athens" and arrange a merry feast in honor of the upcoming marriage.

Aegeus comes to the ruler with “in chagrin, with a complaint”. He wants to marry his daughter to Demetrius, but the recalcitrant Hermia refuses this union, because she loves Lysander.

Theseus reminds the girl that she must obey her father unquestioningly, reading him "as if by a god". Otherwise, death or imprisonment in a monastery awaits her.

Lysander invites his beloved to get married in secret, and she agrees. They share their secret with Elena. However, she decides to tell Demetrius about the upcoming escape, with whom she is unrequitedly in love.

Scene 2

On the eve of the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, the carpenter Pigwa gathers the townspeople, who are to play in a festive production called "The pitiable comedy and the very cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe."

Pigwa assigns roles, gives texts to homegrown actors, and schedules a rehearsal for the next night.

Act II

Scene 1

In a magical forest near Athens, there is a quarrel between the ruler of the fairies and elves Oberon and his wife Titania. The subject of the dispute is the baby, who was "kidnapped from the Indian Sultan" and to whom Titania became strongly attached. The jealous king wants to take the baby away from his wife to make him his page, but she refuses him and leaves with the elves.

In obedience to Oberon is the little elf Peck - "a cheerful spirit, a naughty night tramp." The king orders him to find a flower, which was accidentally hit by Cupid's arrow - "Love in idleness" is his name. If you smear the eyelids of a sleeping person with the juice of this flower, then he will fall in love with the first person he sees immediately after waking up. Thus, Oberon wants to divert the attention of his wife from the boy and take him away.

Seeing Demetrius and Helen, the king of the elves becomes invisible in order to "eavesdrop on the conversation of mortals". Elena confesses her love to the young man, but he rejects her. Oberon decides to help the unfortunate girl, and orders Pack to smear the eyelids with the magic juice of the flower Demetrius, and he fell in love with Elena.

Scene 2

The elf lord applies the remaining magic juice to Titania's eyelids. Meanwhile, Hermia and Lysander lose their way and, exhausted, fall asleep in the woods.

Little Pack, confusing Demetrius with Lysander, wets the latter's eyelids during sleep. Helena walks through the woods, upset by Demetrius's behavior, and stumbles upon a sleeping Lysander. As soon as he sees Elena in front of him, the young man unleashes a flurry of love confessions on her. Elena is sure that Lysander is mocking her and runs away into the forest.

Hermia has a terrible dream. She asks Lysander to come to the rescue, but, not finding her lover nearby, she goes in search of him.

Act III

Scene 1

Citizens of Athens, who have been chosen to participate in the performance, gather in the forest. The plot suggests suicide, "and the ladies absolutely can't stand it." Therefore, the Foundation decides to write two prologues to the play and emphasize the fiction of everything that happens.

The rehearsal of the actors is watched by the elf Pack. He decides to play a trick on them, and enchants the Foundation, turning his head into a donkey. The Foundation's buddies flee in fear, and the prankster Baek rushes after them to "grunt and neigh, burn, roar and growl" and scare them even more.

Titania wakes up and falls in love with the Foundation with all her heart, who wandered alone not far from her. She summons "light swarm elves" to serve the new master.

Scene 2

Peck reports to his master that "Titania fell in love with a monster" - a man with a donkey's head. Oberon is pleased with this state of affairs. But, having learned that Peck confused the young men, the king is angry, and goes in search of Demetrius in order to correct the oversight of his servant. Peck, on the other hand, flies "faster than all Tatar arrows" to Elena in order to lure her into the wilderness.

Hermia finds Demetrius and accuses him of killing his beloved Lysander. Tired of proving his innocence to the girl, Demetri falls asleep. Waking up, he sees Elena in front of him and, being bewitched by the juice of a flower, falls in love with her. However, the girl is not at all happy: she is sure that Lysander and Demetrius, who unexpectedly inflamed feelings for her, are only mocking her, and are ready to “joke at the defenseless - for the game.”

The young people, who have now become rivals, are ready to fight a duel to find out "who has more rights to Elena." Peck is “glad that it turned out so funny”, but Oberon orders him to lead the young people into the thicket, then separate and drive in circles for a long time. When exhausted rivals fall asleep, the elf lubricates Lysander's eyelids with an antidote for magic love juice.

Act IV

Scene 1

Having got the baby and having plenty of fun with his wife, who is in love with a donkey, Oberon decides to save her from the spell and "chase away her empty delusion". Also, the elf lord orders the faithful Pak to remove the donkey's head "from the head of the Athenian tramp", and send all the actors back to the city.

Theseus enters the clearing, accompanied by Hippolyta and his subjects. He wants to show his beautiful hounds to his beloved, but suddenly notices sleeping young people. Theseus is surprised to see them together - after all, they are old "rivals in love".

Lysander honestly tells the master that he planned to run away with his beloved Hermia and secretly get married. Demetrius, in turn, admits that from now on “passion, purpose and joy of the eyes” are Elena, not Hermia.

Theseus graciously agrees to these unions and reports that today "two couples in love will unite in the temple."

Scene 2

The actors gather at Pigwa's house. After a nightly rehearsal, no one can find the Foundation - "no other way than he was carried away by evil spirits."

The Base enters and informs his friends that it is ordered "everyone to converge at the palace." He asks everyone to repeat their roles again, put on clean linen, but most importantly, do not eat "neither onion nor garlic" in order to "emit a sweet fragrance" during the game.

Act V

Scene 1

Theseus is wary of the story of lovers - he does not believe in "fables and fairy tales." Hippolyta shares the opinion of the future spouse, and believes that "in the events of this night there is more than one game of the imagination."

Theseus asks the lovers how they would like to brighten up their leisure time “from dinner to sleep”. He summons Philostratus, the manager of entertainment, and he offers the duke "a list of all ready entertainments." Theseus chooses a play by Athenian craftsmen, but Philostratus considers this production unsuccessful, because "there is not a word in it, nor a good actor."

Upon learning that the actors in the play are "common people, artisans from Athens", the duke wants to support his subjects and insists on his choice.

During the performance, the actors say frank nonsense, distorting the text and making their own amendments to the plot. Such nonsense amuses the duke and his guests, and they are satisfied with the play. At midnight everyone goes home.

Scene 2

At the site of the theatrical performance, Obreon appears with Titania and her retinue. The elf lord allows his subjects to have a good time. Finally, he decides to bring "as a gift to the beautiful newlyweds" well-being, happiness and good luck.

Conclusion

This play is strikingly different from other dramatic works of Shakespeare, in which realism has always dominated. This is a real magical extravaganza, light and ironic, which naturally ends with a happy ending.

For a better analysis of Shakespeare's work, after reading a brief retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream, we recommend reading the play in its full version.

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Benjamin Britten
A dream in a summer night
(A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Premiere 1960, Aldborough
Oberon - countertenor
Titania - soprano
Lysander - tenor
Demetri - baritone
Hermia - mezzo
Elena - soprano
Theseus - bass
Hippolyta - mezzo
Pak - conversational role
Bobbin - bass

Action 1. In the magical forest at night, the elves collect pearly dew for their queen Titania. Pak runs in - a cheerful spirit - and reports that Oberon, the king of the forest, is coming here. Everyone is confused: after all, Titania, who is in a quarrel with her husband, should appear this minute. It would be better to prevent their meeting. But it's too late: they're coming. Oberon offers his wife peace if she gives him a beautiful boy taken from an Indian raja as a page. Titania is angry with her husband for his causeless jealousy and refuses to comply with the request. The boy is the son of her dead priestess, and he is dear to her. The quarrel between Oberon and Titania led to a violation of the harmony in nature: winter and summer mixed up. But both persist, not wanting to give in. As soon as Titania leaves, Oberon, wanting to have his own way, sends Puck for a magic flower to bewitch Titania. It is worth splashing its juice into the eyes of a sleeping person, as he, waking up, falls madly in love with the first creature he meets.

Hermia and Lysander come to the forest. The lovers fled from Athens: Hermia's father wanted to marry his daughter not to Lysander, but to his rival Demetrius. As soon as the first couple leaves, Oberon, lurking, sees another. This is Demetrius and Helen. Demetrius is looking for Hermia, who was promised to him as a wife. But he is pursued by Elena, who is in love with him. A young man chases a beautiful girl away from him. Oberon decides to help Elena achieve Demetri's love by also dripping the juice of a magical flower into his eyes. Oberon instructs Pak to bewitch an Athenian youth who offends young Helen with his indifference.
Six artisans appear in the clearing. They decided to play a play - a play about Pyramus and Thisbe - tomorrow, on the day of the marriage of the Athenian ruler Theseus with the beautiful Hippolyta. After a long discussion, they distribute the roles: Pyramus is to be played by the weaver Spool, and Thisbe is to be played by a young bellows repairman, nicknamed the whistle; carpenter Tikhonya must portray a lion ... They disperse to learn the roles before the rehearsal.
Meanwhile, Hermia and Lysander have gone astray. They decide to rest and, wishing each other good night, lie down on opposite sides of the clearing. Puck runs in and, mistaking the sleeping Lysander for Demetrius, splashes him in the eyes with the juice of a magical flower. The young man, waking up, is the first to notice Elena who has come here and passionately confesses his love to her. The girl, considering this a mockery, runs away from him. Lysander hurries after her. Awakened Hermia does not understand where her Lysander has disappeared.

Meanwhile, Titania is getting ready for bed under the lullaby of the Elves. As soon as she falls asleep, Oberon bewitches Titania with the juice of a flower brought by Puck. Everything falls into a dream.

Action 2. Magical moonlit night. Not far from the sleeping Titania, artisans are having a rehearsal. They decide to introduce new characters into their play: a prologue that will explain the play to the audience; a wall that will prevent the meeting of the lovers Pyramus and Thisbe; and the moon to shine for them. These roles are taken on by the carpenter Stump, the tinkerer snout and the tailor scumbag. The prankster Pak, watching the rehearsal from a tree branch, notices Spool and plans to make him a participant in the joke started by Oberon. He turns Spool's head into a donkey's. The artisans, seeing their friend in such a monstrous guise, scatter in horror.
But Titania wakes up and, submissive to magic, immediately falls in love with a noisy donkey. She calls on the elves: Gossamer, Pea, Onion, Mushka - and tells them to give royal honors to the donkey. The elves play and dance for the bewitched Spool, while Puck discreetly leads the Indian boy away from Titania. Titania and the bewitched Spool fall asleep, and Oberon sees the queen sleeping with her donkey in her arms.

Demetrius and Hermia run in. The girl believes that Demetrius killed Lysander out of jealousy. Demetrius vehemently objects to her, and Hermia runs off in search of her beloved. Exhausted, Demetri falls asleep. Oberon realizes that Puck has messed things up. Trying to correct the trouble, he bewitches the sleeping Demetrius, and Puck sends for Elena. A new confusion arises: now both young men are in love with Elena. Hermia curses her treacherous friend. Elena believes that everyone, having agreed, mock her; rivals are preparing for a duel, the girls also rush at each other.
Oberon angrily rebukes Puck for the ridiculous joke he played. Finally, after a fruitless search for each other in the dark, the tired young people fall asleep. Oberon removes the enchantment from Lysander. Now he is calm for the future of two young couples.

In the quiet night forest, only the song of the little elves can be heard.

Action 3. The same forest. Oberon and Puck stand over the sleeping Titania. The trick was a success, Oberon took the boy from his wife, now he can remove the spell from her. The awakened queen of the elves is horrified to see that a donkey is lying on her bed. Then Puck disenchants the sleeping Spool.
The magic is over. Oberon and Titania wish happiness to the lovers and disappear with their retinue.
Dawn. Now people are awakening. Lysander loves Hermia again, and Demetrius fell in love with Helen. All four recall with surprise the strange dreams of that night. But they brought them happiness. Full of joy and love, both couples head home.
Yawning, rubbing her eyes, and Spool remembers his amazing dream. He calls his fellow actors. And here they are, grieving for the missing Spool: without him they could not have put on a play and earned sixpence from the duke.
The wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta is celebrated in the ducal palace. Hermia, Helen, Lysander and Demetrius appear: they come to ask for justice, and Theseus, touched by their love, allows them to marry at the behest of their hearts.
Craftsmen come to the wedding. Finally, their dream came true to show their performance to the Duke.
Midnight strikes, and elves appear in the garden near the palace. Near Oberon and Titania - nimble Pak. The elves bless the three pairs of newlyweds, who have won their happiness with loyalty and courage, and wish them eternal joy in love. And Pak? ... The mischievous Pak is true to himself - he addresses the audience:

If you are dissatisfied with the play,
You are free to forget about it.
And consider that we are all
You only dreamed in a dream.
Just don't scold us
We'll please you another time.
If not, I am a deceiver
Good night to you, friends.
Anyway, going home
Don't forget to clap us.

Toropunka and Shpynka

The action takes place in Athens. The ruler of Athens bears the name of Theseus, one of the most popular heroes of ancient legends about the conquest by the Greeks of the warlike tribe of women - the Amazons. Theseus marries the queen of this tribe, Hippolyta. The play, apparently, was created for a performance on the occasion of the wedding of some high-ranking persons.

Preparations are underway for the wedding of Duke Theseus and Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta, which is to take place on the night of the full moon. Enraged Aegeus, the father of Hermia, comes to the duke's palace and accuses Lysander of having bewitched his daughter and treacherously forced her to love him, while she had already been promised to Demetrius. Hermia confesses her love for Lysander. The duke announces that, according to Athenian law, she must submit to her father's will. He gives the girl a respite, but on the day of the new moon she will have to "either die / For violation of her father's will, / Or marry the one he chose, / Or give forever at the altar of Diana / A vow of celibacy and a harsh life." The lovers agree to run away from Athens together and meet the next night in the nearby forest. They reveal their plan to Hermia's friend Helena, who was once Demetrius' lover and still loves him passionately. Hoping for his gratitude, she is going to tell Demetrius about the plans of the lovers. Meanwhile, a company of rustic artisans is preparing to stage an sideshow on the occasion of the duke's wedding. The director, carpenter Peter Pigwa, chose a suitable work: "A pitiable comedy and a very cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe." Weaver Nick Osnova agrees to play the role of Pyramus, as, indeed, most other roles. The bellows repairer Francis Dudka is given the role of Thisbe (in Shakespeare's time, women were not allowed on the stage). The tailor Robin Snarky will be the mother of Thisbe, and the coppersmith Tom Snout will be the father of Pyramus. The role of Leo is entrusted to the carpenter Milyaga: he has "a tight memory for learning", and for this role you only need to growl. Pigwa asks everyone to memorize the roles and come to the forest to the Duke's oak tomorrow evening for a rehearsal.

In a forest near Athens, the king of the fairies and elves, Oberon, and his wife, Queen Titania, are quarreling over a child whom Titania has adopted, and Oberon wants to take for himself to make a page. Titania refuses to submit to her husband's will and leaves with the elves. Oberon asks the mischievous elf Pak (Good Little Robin) to bring him a small flower, on which Cupid's arrow fell, after he missed "the Vestal Virgin reigning in the West" (a hint of Queen Elizabeth). If the eyelids of a sleeping person are smeared with the juice of this flower, then, upon waking up, he will fall in love with the first living creature that he sees. Oberon wants in this way to make Titania fall in love with some wild animal and forget about the boy. Pack flies off in search of a flower, and Oberon becomes an invisible witness to the conversation between Helena and Demetrius, who is looking for Hermia and Lysander in the forest and scornfully rejects his former lover. When Peck returns with a flower, Oberon instructs him to find Demetrius, whom he describes as an “arrogant rake” in Athenian clothes, and lubricate his eyes, but so that when he wakes up, a beauty in love with him will be next to him. Finding the sleeping Titania, Oberon squeezes the juice of the flower onto her eyelids. Lysander and Hermia got lost in the forest and also lay down to rest, at the request of Hermia - away from each other, because "for a young man with a girl, human shame / Does not allow closeness ...". Peck, mistaking Lysander for Demetrius, drips juice over his eyes. Helen appears, from whom Demetrius escaped, and stopping to rest, wakes up Lysander, who immediately falls in love with her. Elena believes that he is mocking her and runs away, and Lysander, leaving Hermia, rushes after Elena.

Near the place where Titania sleeps, a company of artisans gathered for a rehearsal. At the suggestion of the Foundation, who is very concerned that, God forbid, not to scare the ladies-spectators, two prologues are written for the play - the first is that Pyramus does not kill himself at all and he is not really Pyramus, but the weaver the second - that Lev is not a lion at all, but the carpenter Milyaga. Naughty Pak, who is watching the rehearsal with interest, enchants the Foundation: now the weaver has a donkey's head. The friends, mistaking the Basis for a werewolf, scatter in fear. At this time, Titania wakes up and, looking at the Foundation, says: “Your image captivates the eye. I love you. Follow me!” Titania summons four elves - Mustard Seed, Sweet Pea, Gossamer and Moth - and orders them to serve "their darling". Oberon is delighted to hear Pak's story about how Titania fell in love with a monster, but is very unhappy when he learns that the elf splashed magic juice into Lysander's eyes, not Demetrius. Oberon puts Demetrius to sleep and corrects the mistake of Pack, who, on the orders of his master, lures Helen closer to the sleeping Demetrius. Barely waking up, Demetrius begins to swear his love to the one he recently rejected with contempt. Elena is convinced that both young men, Lysander and Demetrius, are mocking her: “There is no power to listen to empty ridicule!” In addition, she believes that Hermia is at one with them, and bitterly reproaches her friend for deceit. Shocked by Lysander's rude insults, Hermia accuses Helen of being a liar and a thief who stole Lysander's heart from her. Word for word - and she is already trying to scratch out Elena's eyes. Young people - now rivals seeking Elena's love - retire to decide in a duel which of them has more rights. Pack is delighted with all this confusion, but Oberon orders him to lead both duelists deeper into the forest, imitating their voices, and lead them astray, “so that they can’t find each other in any way.” When Lysander collapses in exhaustion and falls asleep, Peck squeezes the juice of a plant - an antidote to the love flower - onto his eyelids. Helena and Demetrius are also put to sleep not far from each other.

Seeing Titania asleep next to the Foundation, Oberon, who by this time had already got the child he liked, takes pity on her and touches her eyes with an antidote flower. The fairy queen wakes up with the words: “My Oberon! What can we dream about! / I dreamed that I fell in love with a donkey!” Peck, on Oberon's orders, returns his own head to the Base. The elf lords fly away. Theseus, Hippolyta and Aegeus, hunting, appear in the forest. They find sleeping young people and wake them up. Already free from the effect of the love potion, but still stunned, Lysander explains that he and Hermia fled into the forest from the severity of Athenian laws, while Demetrius admits that "Passion, purpose and joy of the eyes are now / Not Hermia, but dear Helena." Theseus announces that two more couples will be married today with them and Hippolyta, after which he leaves with his retinue. The awakened Base goes to Pigva's house, where his friends are impatiently waiting for him. He gives the actors final instructions: “Let Thisbe put on clean linen,” and let Leo not take it into his head to cut his nails - they should peek out from under the skin like claws.

Theseus marvels at the strange story of the lovers. "The mad ones, the lovers, the poets - / All of the fantasies are made by one," he says. Philostratus, the manager of entertainment, presents him with a list of entertainment. The Duke chooses the artisans' play: "It can never be too bad, / What devotion humbly suggests." Under the ironic comments of the audience, Pigwa reads the prologue. The snout explains that he is the Wall through which Pyramus and Thisbe talk, and therefore smeared with lime. When the Basis-Pyramus is looking for a gap in the Wall to look at his beloved, Snout helpfully spreads his fingers. Leo appears and explains in verse that he is not real. “What a meek animal,” Theseus admires, “and what a reasonable one!” Amateur actors shamelessly distort the text and say a lot of nonsense, which greatly amuse their noble spectators. Finally the play is over. Everyone disperses - it's already midnight, the magic hour for lovers. Pack appears, he and the rest of the elves first sing and dance, and then, by order of Oberon and Titania, they fly around the palace to bless the beds of the newlyweds. Baek addresses the audience: "If I couldn't amuse you, / It will be easy for you to fix everything: / Imagine that you fell asleep / And dreams flashed before you."

retold

B. Britten opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the very work that can safely be called the pinnacle of creation. Benjamin Britten . Taking as a basis the plot of Shakespeare's work, which in itself is a bold step, the composer managed to find that golden mean, thanks to which the combination of comedy and tragedy, farce and sorrow, fantastic and real is sustained so precisely that one can only admire the talent and skill of the person who managed to convey it all naturally and without the slightest falsehood.

A summary of Britten's opera "" and many interesting facts about this work, read on our page.

Summary of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

In the fairy forest, the elf king Oberon quarrels with his wife, Titania. The reason is Titania's reluctance to give her husband an Indian boy who means a lot to her. Frustrated, Oberon orders the elf Pak to get a magic flower. Using the juice of a flower, he wants to take revenge on his wife so that she falls in love with the first person she meets.

At this time, lovers who fled from Athens appear in the forest: Hermia and Lysander. Another couple appears - Helen and Demetrius. The girl is selflessly in love with a young man, but he does not reciprocate her love, because he wants to be only with Hermia. Observing them, Oberon decides to help Elena and tells Puck to use a magic flower charm.

While walking through the woods, Lysander and Hermia accidentally move away from each other, and at this time Puck appears. Because of his haste, he makes a mistake and instead of Demetrius he bewitches Lysander. Seeing Helen, Lysander immediately falls in love with a girl who cannot help but be surprised at what is happening. At this time, Titania falls asleep, and Oberon safely bewitches her.

During Titania's sleep, a magical night reigns. At this time, artisans are rehearsing the upcoming wedding performance. Watching him, Pak cannot resist the fun and enchants one of the bottom - the Base, turning his head into a donkey. In this form, the Foundation appears before Titania, who, being in the power of the flower's spell, immediately falls in love with him. Demetrius appears, pursuing Hermia, and Lysander, who confesses his love to Helen. Finally entangled in their relationship, all four enter into a fierce altercation. Oberon, watching this, tells Puck to end the confusion. Using his talent as a voice mimic, Puck pulls the four of them apart and puts them to sleep.

Just before dawn, Titania, disenchanted by her husband, wakes up, recalling with horror her love for a donkey. Both couples wake up and this time everything is in order - Demetrius falls in love with Helen, and Lysander loves Hermia. Craftsman Foundation assumes human form and remembers his transformation as a nightmare.

The wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta begins, to which Lysander with Hermia and Lemetrius with Helen come with a request to be allowed to marry. Delighted by their feelings, Theseus blesses all four. The artisans show Theseus their performance, after which the couples in love disperse.

A photo

Interesting Facts

• While working on the libretto, Britten Together with Pierce, they did a truly titanic work. From Shakespeare's original five-act comedy they made a three-act comedy, while noticeably concentrating all the action in one place - a fairy-tale forest.
• Britten removed some of the characters from the opera, and after compiling the libretto, he divided the remaining characters into three clear groups: elves, beloved couples and artisans.
• As in his other operas, as well as in some vocal cycles, Britten dilutes A Midsummer Night's Dream with orchestral interludes, thus obtaining a peculiar division into paintings and scenes.
• interval , which has become a symbol of tragedy in Britten's music, is the tritone. It is by using this interval that the main characters express their sorrow and the tragedy of the situation at the highest point.
• Despite the fact that the opera was originally conceived as a chamber opera, for a small composition of soloists and an orchestra, the dramaturgy and brilliance inherent in it made it much larger. In Britten's edition for the Royal Opera House, it is clear that A Midsummer Night's Dream is much more than a composition for a chamber ensemble.

• The performance shown by artisans during the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta parodies Italian opera.
• The opera is usually performed in English, with synchronous subtitles.
• Britten wrote the wonderful music for the opera, inspired by Henry Purcell's The Faerie Queene.
• All the music in the opera has bright features of the English folk, from rhythms to solo numbers.
• Conductor James Conlon was personally acquainted with Britten, and it was he who conducted at the Metropolitan Opera his "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the author.

The best numbers from the opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Oberon's recitative and aria "Flower of this purple dye" is beautiful music with a bright and unusual melody that perfectly conveys the spirit of the magic of opera. (listen)

Osnova's aria "When my cue comes, call me" - Britten perfectly conveys with the help of music the confusion and uncertainty that gripped the artisan Osnova. (listen)

History of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Although Britten usually took several years to write his operas, A Midsummer Night's Dream was written by him in just one year. By the opening of his festival, the composer urgently needed a new opera, so the schedule for writing "Dream ..." was extremely tight. Taking on the job with Pierce, they chose Shakespeare's comedy as the plot suited their purposes perfectly.

Having written the libretto fairly quickly, Britten set about composing the music. Despite the serious state of health, he worked on the work every day, not giving himself any concessions, and managed to write the opera on time. The first performance was preceded by some difficulties associated with the lack of self-confidence of the performer of the role of Oberon, as well as very little experience as an opera choreographer. Nevertheless, the performance was brilliant and caused enthusiastic responses from the press and ordinary viewers.

Productions

The opera first saw the light in 1960 and since then has been repeatedly staged in different theaters around the world. In Russia, the first production took place in 1965 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. In the 20th century, directors fell in love with staging A Midsummer Night's Dream, significantly changing both the plot and the setting.

For example, in 2011, A Midsummer Night's Dream was shown in London, set in an English school during the reign of the young Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, all of Shakespeare's magic has been removed and replaced with the use of drugs. Such a free interpretation of the work deserved numerous negative responses from the audience. On June 10, 2012, director Christopher Alden, who came to Russia with the same production, showed it at the Musical Theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. The interpretation of the opera caused a huge public outcry, up to angry reviews in the media and the creation of a special commission designed to evaluate the moral component of the performance.

In the same 2011, The Dream... was presented at the Mariinsky Theater by the young director Claudia Solti. The opera is full of virtuoso acrobatic numbers and flights. The production was warmly received by the audience, largely due to the skill of the singers and the talent of Valery Gergiev.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Britten's birth, The Metropolitan Opera House directed by Tim Albery screened "Dream...". Bright costumes, colorful sets and magnificent voices perfectly conveyed the atmosphere conceived by Britten. Music critics very warmly received this production.

On January 4, 2018, a production took place at the Israeli Opera under the direction of Ido Riklin. This time the action was moved to Hollywood, to the set. Only those who know the original work of Shakespeare can draw analogies in this performance and correctly correlate the original characters of the comedy with new characters.

"is one of the best compositions Benjamin Britten , which is not surprising, because by the time it was written, the composer had more than 20 years of musical experience. Having invested in the opera the bright features of original England, Britten managed to create such beautiful music that to this day it is not perceived as something outdated. Until now, A Midsummer Night's Dream rightfully occupies a worthy place among other operatic works, proving that a wonderful Shakespearean story, multiplied by the composer's talent, can work wonders.

Benjamin Britten "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

The action takes place in Athens. The ruler of Athens bears the name of Theseus, one of the most popular heroes of ancient legends about the conquest by the Greeks of a warlike tribe of women - the Amazons. Theseus marries the queen of this tribe, Hippolyta. The play, apparently, was created for a performance on the occasion of the wedding of some high-ranking persons.

Preparations are underway for the wedding of Duke Theseus and Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta, which is to take place on the night of the full moon. Enraged Aegeus, the father of Hermia, comes to the duke's palace and accuses Lysander of having bewitched his daughter and treacherously forced her to love him, while she had already been promised to Demetrius. Hermia confesses her love for Lysander. The duke announces that, according to Athenian law, she must submit to her father's will. He gives the girl a reprieve, but on the day of the new moon she will have to “either die For violation of her father’s will, Or marry the one he chose, Or give forever at the altar of Diana A vow of celibacy and a harsh life.” The lovers agree to run away from Athens together and meet the next night in a nearby forest. They reveal their plan to Hermia's friend Helena, who was once Demetrius' lover and still loves him passionately. Hoping for his gratitude, she is going to tell Demetrius about the plans of the lovers. Meanwhile, a company of rustic artisans is preparing to stage an sideshow on the occasion of the duke's wedding. The director, carpenter Peter Pigwa, chose a suitable work: "A pitiable comedy and a very cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe." Weaver Nick Osnova agrees to play the role of Pyramus, as, indeed, most other roles. The bellows repairer Francis Dudka is given the role of Thisbe (in Shakespeare's time, women were not allowed on the stage). The tailor Robin Snarl will be the mother of Thisbe, and the coppersmith Tom Snout will be the father of Pyramus. The role of Leo is entrusted to the carpenter Milyaga: he has “a tight memory for learning”, and for this role you only need to growl. Pigwa asks everyone to memorize the roles and come to the forest to the Duke's oak tomorrow evening for a rehearsal.

In a forest near Athens, the king of the fairies and elves, Oberon, and his wife, Queen Titania, are quarreling over a child whom Titania has adopted, and Oberon wants to take for himself to make a page. Titania refuses to submit to her husband's will and leaves with the elves. Oberon asks the mischievous elf Pak (Good Little Robin) to bring him a small flower, on which Cupid's arrow fell after he missed "the Vestal Virgin reigning in the West" (an allusion to Queen Elizabeth). If the eyelids of a sleeping person are smeared with the juice of this flower, then, upon waking up, he will fall in love with the first living creature that he sees. Oberon wants in this way to make Titania fall in love with some wild animal and forget about the boy. Pack flies off in search of a flower, and Oberon becomes an invisible witness to the conversation between Helena and Demetrius, who is looking for Hermia and Lysander in the forest and scornfully rejects his former lover. When Peck returns with a flower, Oberon instructs him to find Demetrius, whom he describes as an “arrogant rake” in Athenian clothes, and lubricate his eyes, but so that when he wakes up, a beauty in love with him will be next to him. Finding the sleeping Titania, Oberon squeezes the flower's juice onto her eyelids. Lysander and Hermia got lost in the forest and also lay down to rest, at the request of Hermia - away from each other, because "for a young man with a girl, human shame does not allow closeness ...". Peck, mistaking Lysander for Demetrius, drips juice over his eyes. Helen appears, from whom Demetrius escaped, and stopping to rest, wakes up Lysander, who immediately falls in love with her. Elena believes that he is mocking her and runs away, and Lysander, leaving Hermia, rushes after Elena.

Near the place where Titania sleeps, a company of artisans gathered for a rehearsal. At the suggestion of the Foundation, who is very concerned that, God forbid, not to scare the ladies-spectators, two prologues are written for the play - the first one is that Pyramus does not kill himself at all and he is not really Pyramus, but the weaver the second is that Leo is not a lion at all, but the carpenter Milyaga. Naughty Pak, who is watching the rehearsal with interest, enchants the Foundation: now the weaver has a donkey's head. The friends, mistaking the Basis for a werewolf, scatter in fear. At this time, Titania wakes up and, looking at the Foundation, says: “Your image captivates the eye. I love you. Follow me!” Titania summons four elves - Mustard Seed, Sweet Pea, Gossamer and Moth - and orders them to serve "their darling". Oberon is delighted to hear Pak's story about how Titania fell in love with a monster, but is very unhappy when he learns that the elf splashed magic juice into Lysander's eyes, not Demetrius. Oberon puts Demetrius to sleep and corrects the mistake of Pack, who, on the orders of his master, lures Helen closer to the sleeping Demetrius. Barely waking up, Demetrius begins to swear his love to the one he recently rejected with contempt. Elena is convinced that both young men, Lysander and Demetrius, are mocking her: “There is no power to listen to empty ridicule!” In addition, she believes that Hermia is at one with them, and bitterly reproaches her friend for deceit. Shocked by Lysander's rude insults, Hermia accuses Helen of being a liar and a thief who stole Lysander's heart from her. Word for word - and she is already trying to scratch out Elena's eyes. Young people - now rivals seeking Elena's love - retire to decide in a duel which of them has more rights. Pack is delighted with all this confusion, but Oberon orders him to lead both duelists deeper into the forest, imitating their voices, and lead them astray, "so that they can never find each other." When Lysander collapses in exhaustion and falls asleep, Peck squeezes the juice of a plant - an antidote to the love flower - onto his eyelids. Helena and Demetrius are also put to sleep not far from each other.

Seeing Titania, who fell asleep next to the Foundation, Oberon, who by this time had already got the child he liked, takes pity on her and touches her eyes with an antidote flower. The fairy queen wakes up with the words: “My Oberon! What can we dream about! I dreamed that I fell in love with a donkey!” Peck, on Oberon's orders, returns his own head to the Base. The elf lords fly away. Theseus, Hippolyta and Aegeus, hunting, appear in the forest. They find sleeping young people and wake them up. Already free from the effect of the love potion, but still stunned, Lysander explains that he and Hermia fled into the forest from the severity of Athenian laws, while Demetrius admits that "Passion, purpose and joy of the eyes are now Not Hermia, but dear Helen." Theseus announces that two more couples will be married today with them and Hippolyta, after which he leaves with his retinue. The awakened Base goes to Pigva's house, where his friends are impatiently waiting for him. He gives the actors final instructions: “Let Thisbe put on clean linen,” and let Leo not take it into his head to cut his nails - they should peek out from under the skin like claws.

Theseus marvels at the strange story of the lovers. “The madmen, the lovers, the poets – All of the fantasies are made by one,” he says. Philostratus, the manager of entertainment, presents him with a list of entertainment. The Duke chooses the artisans' play: "It can never be too bad, What devotion humbly suggests." Under the ironic comments of the audience, Pigwa reads the prologue. Snout explains that he is the Wall through which Pyramus and Thisbe talk, and therefore smeared with lime. When the Basis-Pyramus is looking for a gap in the Wall to look at his beloved, Snout helpfully spreads his fingers. Leo appears and explains in verse that he is not real. “What a meek animal,” Theseus admires, “and what a reasonable one!” Amateur actors shamelessly distort the text and say a lot of nonsense, which greatly amuse their noble spectators. Finally the play is over. Everyone disperses - it's already midnight, the magic hour for lovers. Pack appears, he and the rest of the elves first sing and dance, and then, by order of Oberon and Titania, they fly around the palace to bless the beds of the newlyweds. Peck addresses the audience: "If I could not amuse you, It will be easy for you to fix everything: Imagine that you fell asleep And dreams flashed before you."

Option 2

The ruler of Athens, Duke Theseus, is preparing to marry Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. Preparations for the wedding are in full swing, but here Aegeus appears, who is very angry with his daughter Hermia and a certain Lysander, who, according to Aegeus, enchanted Hermia and made her fall in love with herself. The girl's father is against such a relationship, because she already has a fiancé - this is Demetrius. But Hermia objects to her father, claiming that she loves Lysander. Theseus interrupts their quarreling with the assertion that, according to the law, she must be completely commanded by the will of her father. He gives time to think and think everything over, but on the day of the new moon, she must give her answer. Lysander and Hermia are about to flee, but they need support, and the girl turns to her friend Helen, telling her the whole plan. Hermia did not know that for a long time, for a long time, Elena was Demetri's lover, but her love had not cooled down. Hoping to rekindle long-forgotten feelings, she tells Demetri everything.

Near Athens in the forest, Oberon, the king of elves and fairies, quarrels over an adopted child with his wife Titania. He wants to take the baby and make him a page, but his wife is against it, and, taking the child, leaves with the elves. Not knowing the refusal, Oberon asks Pack to find and bring the flower on which Cupid's arrow lay. The king is aware that if you smear the eyelids of a sleeping flower with the juice of this flower, then waking up, he will fall in love with the first person who meets him on the way. He wants to smear his sleeping wife's eyelids, so that when she wakes up, she will fall in love with some kind of animal and forget about her son, and then the child will be his. Peck flew off in search, and Oberon, against his will, hears the conversation of Elena and Demetrius in the forest, where they came to look for Lysander and Hermia, and he rejects her with contempt for Elena. At that moment, Baek arrives with a flower. The king tells him to smear the eyelids of Demetrius with juice from a flower when he falls asleep, and when he wakes up, then make sure that a woman who loves him is in front of his eyes. Peck flies away, and Oberon goes to look for his wife. Finding her sleeping, he smears flower juice on her eyelids.

Lost in the forest, Hermia and Lysander lay down to rest. Peck, thinking that this is the couple that the king spoke of, smears the sleeping Lysandre's eyelids. Helena, who has left Demetrius, finds a couple and wakes up Lysander. As soon as he saw her, he immediately fell in love. Elena thought it was a joke that Lysander was joking like that, and began to leave. Lysander, leaving Hermia, went after her.

In the same forest, next to the sleeping Titania, Osnova and friends came to rehearse scenes for the count's wedding day. Watching them, Baek transforms the Base into a donkey's head. Friends thought it was a werewolf, and they run away out of fear, waking Titania. The first thing the queen sees is the Basis with a donkey's head, and immediately falls in love with him.

Oberon returns. Peck reported to him what he had done and how. The king realizes that Paek smeared the wrong eyes, and corrects the situation by putting Demetrius to sleep and smearing his eyes. Helen is lured to him, and, waking up, Demetrius begins to declare his love for her. Elena is sure that she is just being bullied. Oberon and Peck are lured into the forest and put the two couples to sleep. The juice is removed from Lysander's eyes, but Demetri's eyes are left. Aegeus, Theseus and Hippolyta find the sleeping children and wake them up. The spell passes, Lysander explains himself to Hermia, and Theseus announces that today not one, but two couples will be married, and leaves.

An essay on literature on the topic: Summary of A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare

Other writings:

1. The action takes place in Athens. The ruler of Athens bears the name of Theseus, one of the most popular heroes of ancient legends about the conquest by the Greeks of a warlike tribe of women - the Amazons. Theseus marries the queen of this tribe, Hippolyta. The play, apparently, was created for a performance on the occasion of the wedding Read More ......
2. The playwright borrowed the name Titania from his favorite poet Ovid. In a magical forest inhabited by spirits, the same passions boil as in the world of people. T. reproaches her husband, Oberon, for his love for Hippolyta. At the same time, she does not want to part with a charming page boy, Read More ......
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream is the most romantic of all Shakespeare's comedies. This is a magical extravaganza, and even Belinsky noted that, along with The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream represents “a completely different world of Shakespeare's work than his other dramatic works - the world of Read More ......
4. Twelfth Night, or Anything The action of the comedy takes place in a fabulous country for the English of Shakespeare's time - Illyria. The Duke of Illyria, Orsino, is in love with the young Countess Olivia, but she is in mourning after the death of her brother and does not even accept the duke's messengers. Olivia's Indifference Read More ......
5. Viola Description of the literary hero VIOLA (eng. Viola) is the heroine of W. Shakespeare's comedy “Twelfth Night, or Anything” (1601). An image that fully expresses the idea of ​​a man of the Renaissance. Active, courageous, enterprising, generous V. is also beautiful, well-educated and well-mannered. Read More ......
6. Storm The action of the play takes place on a secluded island, where all fictional characters are transferred from different countries. Ship at sea. Storm. Thunder and lightning. The ship's crew tries to save him, but the noble passengers are the Neapolitan king Alonzo, his brother Sebastian and son Read More ......
7. King Lear Location - Britain. Time of action - XI century. The powerful King Lear, sensing the approach of old age, decides to shift the burden of power onto the shoulders of his three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, dividing his kingdom between them. The king wants to hear from his daughters how Read More ......
8. Richard III When Richard was born, a hurricane was raging, destroying trees. Foreshadowing timelessness, the owl screamed and the owl cried, the dogs howled, the raven croaked ominously and the magpies chirped. In the most difficult childbirth, a shapeless lump was born, from which her own mother recoiled in horror. Baby Read More ......