Love Story of Bottom and Titania in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

This illustration is derived from the French version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Le Songe D'une Nuit D'été. “Dors pendant que je fenlacerai dans mes bras” is the description of this illustration. This saying is interpreted as “Sleep while I hold you in my arms.”  It is a statement referring to the illustration of Bottom and Titania. This play revolves around love, emphasizing that love comes in all forms, which is why this illustration highlights the message of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The two characters in the illustration are Bottom and Titania. There is a play within the literature story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Bottom is one of the actors. The description of Bottom portrays the idea that he is overly confident of his poor acting. Titania is the King of the fairies’ wife, giving her the queen role. The two characters are on two very diverse levels within their hierarchy in this story. A third-party character, who is not in the illustration, causes chaos. Puck, a fairy, morphed Bottom’s head into a donkey head. At the same time, Titania takes a love potion unknowingly. The two events coincide because Titania lays eyes on Bottom first, falling in love with him due to the potion. While Bottom is oblivious to the donkey head, he basks in the attention of the fairy queen.

The illustration follows this act of love in the play. It shows Bottom lying against the tree while Titania is curled against him. The placement of both characters exemplifies how close Titania is to Bottom, almost as if she is trying to burrow herself into his skin. The background of this illustration is vital for the mood of the play. There is an eerie sky filled with clouds in the darkness. The combination of clouds and darkness upsets the reader due to all the dark shades surrounding the two characters.

Along with the surroundings, Titania’s clothes are necessary to look at. She is wearing a blue dress when curled into the Bottom. Blue is mainly known as a representation of sadness and gloom. Titania is unaware of the potion and who she is committing all her attention to. This portion of the story exemplifies a concept of literary sentimentalism. This play is a comedy, albeit it is still upsetting to know that the characters are being used as puppets by others. The darkness and shading in the background, the color of the clothes, and the position of each character in the illustration sets the dreary mood for the play.