Here are som e of the remarks we made:
When realising Puck mistook Lysander for Demetrius / made a mistake / anointed the wrong Athenian Oberon is very angry and wants to right the wrong. He gives Puck the order to fetch lure Helena / lure her to come while he anoints Demetrius.
What is emphasised in the renditions.
(chasing/bickering/quarrelling/fight/arguing)
96’ RSC: the violence (lunges, shouts)), physical threats (through exaggerated movements/a choreography), Hermia seems enraged rather than at a loss, it is slapstick
99 Hoffman: The relationship between the women is emphasised/ actual violence / they all end up in the mud (cliché = stereotype) / voyeuristic aspect suggested by Puck’s facial expression (He’s enjoying the show!) / unrefined / crude / vulgar
Cuts help render the scene more dynamic, pacey
1981 BBC production:
The closeness between the girls is emphasised
The fact they all speak at the same time emphasises the chaos / the confusion of the situation. Also they don’t seem to understand each other.
The boys seem to care for Helena a lot: the stroke her, kiss her. They are bewildered by Helena’s beauty. They seem s to adulate her.
Hermia kneels down, which makes her appear even shorter.
Most of the text is kept.
It’s more comical because the characters are smiling, and at one point the boys join in with Helena who is crying. There’s a lot of slapstick comedy.
1935: Puck is enjoying the chaos he has created / he’s playing with them as if they were puppets / he plays a part in the dramatic irony (reminds us that what we are seeing is the result of using the love juice…)
As in the other renditions the ridiculous=preposterous=silly behaviour of the men is put forward
Chaos = disorder = mess is at its height = climax = maximum, which is a result of Puck’s (genuine) mistake and of his trick/ he is the culprit
By today’s standards the way they address each other is racist (or politically incorrect)
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