Journal Assignment

The best between the play and 1999 movie version of Midsummer Night’s Dream to watch is the 1999 version. I am going to talk about many different aspects the directors chose and why the 1999 version of Shakespeare’s famous play is worth watching.

To begin with, I am going to talk about the actor choices between the play version and the 1999 movie version of midsummer Night’s Dream. The director made an excellent choice of selecting actors to act different roles compared to the play. There are many differences between what the directors chose. For example, Puck is acted by an actress and seems a bit “crazy” in the play. In the 1999 movie version of Midsummer Night’s Dream, the director chose an actor, and the actor made the audience think Puck is wise. Helena, who thought she was mocked by Lysander and Demetrius, was not nearly as mad as she is in the play than in the movie.

Moreover, delivery of lines made a big impact on the audience. During the pay, Oberon did a lot of shouting when he gave commands to Puck to put love juice and herb in Demetrius’ eyes. In the 1999 movie version, Oberon remained calm when he found out Puck put love juice on the wrong man’s eyes, and he found a solution to recover Puck’s mistake.

Furthermore, the directors made different costume choices as well. In the play, people generally wore plain costumes. Oberon and Puck had leather costumes on. The other fairies dressed up more like fairytale creatures. Thesius did not look very royal. The lovers represented people in 1600-1700. On the other hand, the 1999 version of the movie was generally more modern than the play. Both Oberon and Puck wore fur clothes. The fairies had more design in their costumes in the movie than in the play. Lysander and Demetrius were dressed in suits. The 4 lovers all had a bicycle each, which proves this movie seemed more modern than the play. The costumes and props were generally in 1800-1900.

Last but not least, the setting differs in the play from the movie. The whole play of Midsummer Night’s Dream took place in a forest, from when they began the fight to when they get married. In the movie, however, all the conflict did not occur in a forest. The first argument of who should marry Hermia took place in Duke Thesius’ castle, where Hermia’s father gave the duke a complaint. The rest of the conflict of the lovers fighting occurred in a forest, like the play. When the conflicts are solved, marriages took place back in Duke Thesius’ castle again.

In conclusion, the play and 1999 movie version of Midsummer Night’s Dream have many differences in actor choices, delivery of lines, costume choices, and setting. The movie seemed better than the play because the costumes were more modern, delivery of lines gave more enthusiasm, the actors were better, and more variety in setting. If you have watched the 199 movie version of Midsummer Night’s Dream, hope you enjoyed it. But if you have not watched it, it is exciting and definitely worth watching.