Rackham's Illustration in A Midsummer Night's Dream
How the illustration corresponds to the playwright
In doing research, the people depicted in the illustration are Bottom, a half donkey half man, and Titania, the queen of the fairies. The mastermind behind this unconventional love is Puck, a fairy who likes to play jokes on others. One of these jokes was turning Bottom’s head into that of a donkey. She also places Titania under a spell by placing juice from a magical flower in the eyes of Titania. This juice causes whoever is affected to fall in love with the first creature they see. So, when Titania awakens she is met with the sight of Bottom. She then falls in love with him because of the spell. Keeping in mind this moment in the play, the illustration I have chosen to fit this scenario. The way the fairy is looking at Bottom is with a look of adoration; the look Titania would have because she is in love with him.
The two characters and their influence to the playwright
Titania and Bottom play key roles in the play, contributing to its themes of love. Their unlikely romance, engineered by the mischievous Puck, shows the irrational and unpredictable nature of love, which is a central theme of the play.
Titania, the powerful queen of the fairies, represents the enchanting, supernatural world. Her infatuation with Bottom serves to humble her, giving a twist to the fairy queen. The love Titania has for Bottom shows the power of unconventional love.
Bottom is a simple, overly confident, and funny character in the play. He’s a weaver by trade and part of a group of amateur actors, known as the "mechanicals," who are preparing a play for the Duke’s wedding. Bottom is full of enthusiasm and loves being the center of attention. Transformed by Puck to have the head of a donkey, he becomes the object of Titania’s affection. His oblivious personality contrasts with the fairy’s, giving the play a balance of reality and fantasy/fairytales.
Together, Titania and Bottom encapsulate the play’s comedic and fantastical elements. Their pairing is both unusual and magical, showing the audience that love can make "fools" of anyone and that the boundaries between reality and illusion can blur in surprising ways. Their story contributes to the broader theme that love and life itself is often unpredictable and filled with wonder.
How the mood/colors Rackham chose contributes to the overall illustration
The basis of this illustration is dark, muted earthy tones. The watercolor helps to provide a soft and realistic background for an enchanted forest type setting. The characters have a certain aura that depicts love and adoration for one another. The illustration suggests a mood that is centered around whimsical fairytales. A viewer can easily distinguish that this illustration was made for an alternate fairytale-like reality, undetermined whether good or bad. I was drawn to this illustration because without even reading the play, I knew this illustration had significance. Rackham does a fantastic job of showing how two unlikely characters play such a large role in this play. He does so by creating a powerful image of Bottom and Titania that catch the attention of viewers initially before reading the playwright.