Shakespearean cinema — adapting “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Low comedy for literature snobs
Like many high schoolers before me, I too have had the “pleasure” of studying Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for English literature. Naturally, as a cinephile, I wondered how this world-famous, layered story would be adapted to the screen. So I’m dissecting Micheal Hoffman’s 1999 take on the Shakespearean classic in comparison to its source material (which may or may not be done in the interest of maintaining my blog while studying for my upcoming exam on the subject… Two birds with one stone right?). Let’s get started.
The biggest challenge in adapting Shakespeare must be translating it to a modern audience without losing the brilliance of the work. Shakespeare wrote for a loud audience, uneducated and unimpressed. This is of course far from today’s readers of Shakespeare and the audience of this movie. Still, Hoffman doesn’t attempt to drastically change the target audience back to its original crowd, but instead indulges the highly educated elite literature snobs in all of Shakespeare’s original low-humor glory, complete with dick jokes and all. So how does Hoffman manage to stay true to the story’s comedic roots while entertaining a more elite(ish) crowd?
This lightheartedness is first of all achieved by literally keeping things light. While much of the play is set at night, the screen is ever filled with vibrant colors and light tones. This is actualized through something as simple as having the characters wear white or lighting up the set, yet it adds so much to the tone of the film. As Shakespeare’s plays were performed in an open air theater, there was no way of controlling the lighting on stage. The bright sets honor these origins, giving the story an open character and relieving dramatic tension.
The next thing Hoffman does to make his adaptation humorous is go over the top. While the dialogue is an exact replica of Shakespeare’s work, its execution is far from the same. The script was originally written in rhyme so it could easily be remembered and the actors could recite their lines word by word. It would then be those words that would make the audience laugh. When Hermia stumbles onto the scene to see Lysander and Demetrius fighting over Helena, Helena makes the following remark: “Lo, she is one of this confederacy.” (Act 3, scene 2)While a Shakespearean audience would grin at Helena’s false perception of the situation, a modern audience would just be puzzled by the use of the word “confederacy”. As the dialogue is no longer perceived as light and humorous, the film has to rely on more than words for its comedic effect. In this way actors use over the top intonation in their speech and characters respond to each other in grand manners. Hermia and Helena getting into a mud fight is the perfect example. This instantly makes the situation ridiculous and defuses the heavy Shakespearean language.
Finally, the film does stay true to the original script. Shakespeare’s language may no longer be considered lighthearted, but it’s still not to be trifled with. After all, it has lasted throughout the ages for a reason. Changes were made only in appearance, such as the invention of the bike. This unexpected addition makes the visuals looks just a bit off, which again makes the situation ridiculous. Though aside from some cutting necessary to put the story to film, the words remain untouched. This choice ensures the people drawn to this films are those that do appreciate the classic work. Next to drawing the right audience, it also makes for a true adaptation that respects the original artist.
In conclusion, Micheal Hoffman adapted William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as true as possible by not leaving everything as it was. By playing with visuals and exaggerating execution he sets the appropriate tone for a new audience, yet he ultimately lets the master at work by leaving the script intact. However, whether a true adaptation is the best adaptation is still much discussed, especially after BBC’s daring 2016 version which kills Theseus and makes Titania and Hippolyta lesbian? All I know is Hoffman’s adaptation achieves what it set out do to: tell the same story to a new audience with the original comedic tone.
