A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is a journey through the three phases of a Shakespearean festive comedy. The audience goes from unhappiness to confusion to finally finding themselves. Anything is possible in this story and the reader must engage with the verisimilitude in order to fully appreciate this story. Verisimilitude is a voluntary suspension of disbelief. For example, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, fairies interact with humans on the same level. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe first phase of a Shakespearean festive comedy exudes feelings of doom and frustration. It can be caused by anything from separation from loved ones to unrequited love to being controlled by cruel people. At the end of the first phase, a feeling of escape invades the characters and the audience. It's time to come out of the cloud of doom that has settled over the country and sit back and have some fun. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the opening act shows many signs of frustration and leaves the characters feeling upset, nervous, and impatient. Helena experiences unrequited love from Demetrius, Titania does not grant Oberon's request, and Theseus becomes increasingly impatient as he must wait to enjoy his future wife until their wedding in a few days. The transition that takes place begins after Helena chases Demetrius into the forest. In the forest, Puck gets his hands on the young lovers and the journey enters the second phase. The second mood that reigns in a Shakespearean festive comedy is confusion in a comic way. It is at this point that readers must exercise plausibility. Anything goes and anything is possible, including disguises, strange love triangles or pranks. At the end of the confusion, real lessons are learned and there comes a time when enough is enough. Things go too far and it stops being funny. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, love potions are responsible for phase two. Puck, the Fairy King's personal assistant, tries to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena, but instead he sprinkles the love potion on the wrong man's eyes, making "true love become, not a false become true.” He potions Lysander who is truly in love with Hermia, but not after the potion. He also coaxes Oberon's wife at her request because they are angry with each other and makes her fall in love with a man who Puck turned into a donkey. At first, the whole scenario is quite funny as the audience watches Helena become more and more confused while Titania cuddles Bottom's big furry ears. However, the tension quickly builds and the reader experiences an overwhelming sense of complacency, just as "an excess of the sweetest things brings the deepest disgust to the stomach." This is becoming too much of a good thing and the game needs to progress to the third phase which will sort out all the madness. This point is mainly reached when Helena and Hermia confront each other. The final phase of a Shakespearean festive comedy is one of relief and settling of scores. There is the creation of a new and better world when the play is finished. Things that take place in the third phase include reunions, a feeling of healing, blossoming love, or cruel people changing their minds or leaving. This is the best phase because the world is happier and everything is back to normal. This happens in A Midsummer Night's Dream when Puck corrects his mistake with the potion and restores true love between Hermia and Lysander. It also creates love between Helena and Demetrius. Furthermore, at the.