The Mockingbird Project: Midsummer Night’s Dream

I read A Midsummer night's dream when I was studying for my GCSEs. I also had the rather important part of the second fairy in my school play when I was 13. Both experiences were equally traumatizing. Hence my reluctance to dive back into the slightly crazy, hazy world of fairies, spells, crossed lovers, and a rather odd donkey.

But in fact, I rather enjoyed myself. It was rather comforting and pleasurable to sit and read the same story, this time, with an adult's perspective. When I was younger, I missed the lyrical beauty of Shakespeare's writing. I couldn't appreciate it for what it was; it was always something to be translated, analysed, and explained for a teacher. I definitely missed some of the slightly raunchier jokes the first time around too!

The fastest plot summary ever (almost)

King Theseus and Queen Hippolyta are planning to marry. As they chat about their upcoming wedding, Egeus enters with his daughter Hermia. He's angry with her because he wants her to marry Demetrius, but she refuses because she loves Lysander. Both men love her. Her bestie Helena is in love with Demetrius.

Hermia and Lysander decide to run away and marry in secret. Like all good secrets, it gets out. The two lovers try to run into the woods but are followed by Demetrius, who just won't take a hint, and Helena, who takes even less of a hint.

In the meantime, a group of actors is planning a play in the woods. They want to perform at the forthcoming royal wedding. Amongst the group is a guy called Bottom. He's important.

In yet another scene in the woods, the King and Queen of the fairies are arguing. The Queen refuses to give up a child under her protection so the king can make him one of the lads. The king is furious and asks Puck, a cheeky and mischievous fairy, to help him get revenge. At the king's command, Puck gets a flower whose nectar, if put on a sleeping person's eye's (creepy), will make them fall in love with the first thing they see when they wake. King Oberon wants to use the nectar on the Queen, she will fall in love with something ridiculous, and then he will only lift the spell when she gives him the child. He also tells Puck to use it on Demetrius to make him love Helena and solve the lovers' problems.

Puck gets the wrong person and puts the nectar on Lysander's eyes, making him fall in love with Helena. Hermia goes understandably nuts. Queen Titania, when she wakes, sees Bottom (told you he was important) and falls in love with him. But he has a donkey's head. Everything goes mental from that point on, and I won't spoil the ending.

Any play with a donkey is a good play to me!

The book

Like I said at the beginning, I really enjoyed diving back into a book I'd previously only studied in school. It was so much more enjoyable reading for fun. The Iambic Pentameter makes it easy to read, and I was able to read large chunks at a time without getting bored. My (French) partner thought I had gone mad because I actually found reading aloud made it easier to understand.

 The language can be complex, and it is very descriptive, so it's easy to get lost in a single sentence. However, it was written to be spoken, so reading aloud made it easier to understand the pauses and the cadence of the phrases.

Overall, the plot may be both silly and simple, and yet the play is, of course, a masterpiece. Shakespeare was a genius, and I confess that I'm glad I reread this play first. The humour and lightness was a perfect reintroduction to Shakespeare, and I can't wait to read more.

The cocktail

So, the bit we've all been waiting for, the drink. Midsummer Night's Beam requires the use of Jim Beam whiskey. However, as I live in the middle of nowhere, I had to make do with the best bourbon I could find. In this case, that means Quarter Horse Kentucky Bourbon.

The drink itself tasted like a whiskey mojito. The lime and mint went surprisingly well with the whiskey, and it felt strange to be drinking a whiskey instead of rum. The soda gave the drink a little sparkle reminiscent of Puck's cheekiness.

An interesting whiskey cocktail with a little sparkle

The only thing I think the drink lacked was a little more colour. I always imagine the play as a kaleidoscope of colour, and the drink didn't quite match that. So, very tasty, but not the best match to the play.

To round off each review, I'll be giving a score out of ten. The categories are: how much I enjoyed the book, the taste of the cocktail, and how well they pair.

Book: 8/10

Taste: 8/10

Pairing: 3/10

Up Next: Jane Eyre/Gin Eyre