This article will do a quick analysis of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ characters, themes, quotes, techniques, and pretty much everything else you need to write a Band 6 essay.
Why should you trust me? Having scored Band 6 results in 4 units of HSC English, I want to give you the exact strategies that worked for me so you can boost your marks without wasting time on unnecessary details.
Let’s get into it! 💪
1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Summary
2. Main Characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
3. Character Relationships
4. Historical Context
5. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Themes
6. Nail Essay Analysis of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 3 Steps
7. What You Need from the HSC Module B Syllabus
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Summary
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a Shakespearean comedy written by, you guessed it – Shakespeare, around 1595-96.
The drama, set in Athens, features multiple story lines centring around four Athenian lovers and including stories involving fairies, a play-within-a-play and a wedding!
Act I: Love and Rebellion
The play starts off with an introduction to Theseus and Hippolyta, who are preparing for their wedding. Athens is an image of civilised society — until the events of play ensues.
An angry Egeus enters the scene, lamenting his fury with his daughter Hermia who does not want to marry Demetrius as told so by her father. The scene ends with Hermia and Lysander planning to run away together.
The second scene of Act I features one of the subplots of the play in which some local craftsmen plan to put on a play – ‘Pyramus and Thisby’ for Theseus and Hippolyta on their wedding day.
Act II: Fairy Mischief
In Act 2 Scene 1, we are introduced to the ‘fairy world’. A clear rift is seen between Oberon and Titania – the King and Queen of the fairies, which Oberon plans to fix by asking his servant Puck to put lovejuice on Titania’s eyes.
After witnessing the plight of a miserable Helena, Oberon asks Puck to put lovejuice on Demetrius’s eyes too so that he would love Helena.
Puck does as he is told and places lovejuice on Titania’s eyes in Act 2 Scene 2.
However, Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius, putting the potion into his eyes instead. At that moment, Helena comes, waking Lysander up, making him fall in love with her.
Act III: Chaos in the Woods
We are taken back to the rehearsals of the play by the town craftsmen in Act 3 Scene 1. Puck stumbles upon preparations, and turns Nick Bottom’s head into one of a donkey. Titania wakes to see Bottom, falling in love with him instantly.
Act 3 Scene 2 begins. Things start getting heated as Puck tried to fix his previous mistake. He puts the lovejuice into Demetrius’s eyes, making him fall in love with Helena.
Now, Lysander and Demetrius love Helena, no one loves Hermia and Helena becomes angry with all three of the other characters as she thinks they are merely playing a wicked game on her.
Oberon orders Puck to fix the mess he’s made by putting the antidote to the love potion into Lysander’s eyes.
Act IV: Dream’s End
In Act 4 Scene 1, Oberon arrives, giving Titania the antidote to the lovejuice potion.
Theseus, Hippolyta and Egeus find the four Athenian lovers asleep in the middle of the woods.
We return to a dialogue between the craftsmen in the short Act 4 Scene 2, who discuss the play they will be performing for Theseus and Hippolyta.
Act V: Happily Ever After
The play finishes off with Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding and an epilogue by Puck!
Characters in Midsummer Night’s Dream
There are quite a few key characters in the play who serve to drive the plot and reveal interesting aspects of the key themes that we just discussed! These characters include:
Puck
A mischievous fairy and loyal servant to King Oberon, whose main job is to “jest to Oberon, and make him smile,” (Act 2, Scene 1) but he also plays a crucial part in carrying out the King’s orders.
Tasked with assisting the four lovers, Puck’s actions, both intentional and accidental, drive much of the confusion and comedy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
His love of mischief leads to amusing mistakes, yet he ultimately helps restore order by the end of the play.
Oberon
The King of the fairies, Oberon is characterised as wise and authoritative, but also proud and vengeful.
These qualities are shown in Oberon’s quarrel with his queen, Titania, over a changeling boy who she is determined to raise as her own, whilst he wishes to take him as a servant.
This dispute creates discord between them, leading Oberon to reassert dominance by humiliating Titania and forcing her to relinquish the child.
Hence, Oberon instructs Puck to use a magical flower that causes Titania to fall in love with the first creature she sees upon waking: “The next thing then she waking looks upon, / Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, / On meddling monkey, or on busy ape, / She shall pursue it with the soul of love” (Act 2, Scene 1).
Despite his trickery, Oberon ultimately seeks to restore harmony, ensuring that both the fairy and human worlds reach a happy resolution.
Titania
The Queen of the fairies, Titania is strong-willed and refuses to submit to Oberon’s demands, particularly in their dispute over a changeling boy, whom she wishes to raise out of loyalty to the child’s deceased mother.
Her defiance leads to conflict with Oberon, who seeks to undermine her authority by using magic to enchant her. This causes her to fall into a comical infatuation with Bottom, a mortal transformed by Puck to have a donkey’s head.
While under the enchantment, she lavishes Bottom with affection, proclaiming “While I thy amiable cheeks do coy, / And stick musk roses in thy sleek, smooth head, / And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy” (Act 4, Scene 1).
Despite this temporary humiliation, Titania remains a dignified and compassionate figure and, once freed from the enchantment, she reconciles with Oberon, restoring harmony to the fairy world.
Demetrius
A young Athenian nobleman who is in love with Hermia and pursues her despite her expressing disinterest: “O! why rebuke you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe” (Act 3, Scene 2).
He is favored by Hermia’s father, Egeus, who insists she marry him, creating tension between the lovers.
However, Demetrius has a complicated romantic past, as he once wooed and won the love of Helena before abandoning her for Hermia. His treatment of Helena is cruel and dismissive, as he repeatedly rejects her desperate affections.
Under the influence of Puck’s magic, Demetrius’ love shifts entirely to Helena and, unlike Lysander’s temporary enchantment, Demetrius remains under the spell permanently.
By the end of the play, he fully embraces his love for Helena, allowing for a peaceful resolution to the romantic entanglements.
Lysander
A passionate and devoted young Athenian nobleman who is deeply in love with Hermia.
Unlike Demetrius, he reciprocates Hermia’s feelings and is determined to defy her father’s wishes, reassuring her “Ay me, for aught that I could ever read, / Could ever hear by tale or history, / The course of true love never did run smooth” (Act 1, Scene 1).
When Egeus invokes Athenian law to force Hermia into marriage or a life of chastity, Lysander devises a plan for them to escape to the forest, where they can marry freely.
However, his love is briefly disrupted when Puck mistakenly enchants him, causing him to fall in love with Helena instead. Under the spell, he cruelly rejects Hermia and showers Helena with exaggerated affections, creating chaos among the lovers.
Once the enchantment is reversed, Lysander’s love for Hermia is restored, securing a happy ending for their romance.
Helena
A lovesick young Athenian noblewoman who remains deeply devoted to Demetrius, despite his rejection of her.
Once promised his love, she is heartbroken when he abandons her in favour of Hermia, yet she continues to pursue him with unwavering determination.
Helena follows him into the forest, enduring his harsh words and mistreatment, believing that any attention from him is better than none. She also asserts that his love for Hermia is shallow and based solely on physical appearances, proclaiming “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind” (Act 1, Scene 1).
When Puck’s magic causes both Lysander and Demetrius to fall madly in love with her, Helena becomes bewildered and convinced that she is being mocked. Her insecurity and lack of self-confidence make her reluctant to believe in her sudden good fortune.
However, when the spell leaves Demetrius permanently in love with her, Helena accepts his affections and they get married.
Hermia
A strong-willed and passionate young Athenian noblewoman who is deeply in love with Lysander. She defies her father, Egeus, who insists she marry Demetrius,
Despite being threatened with death or a life of chastity in a convent, boldly refuses to yield to his demands: “So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, / Ere I will yield my virgin patent up / Unto his Lordship, whose unwished yoke / My soul consents not to give sovereignty” (Act 1, Scene 1).
Determined to be with Lysander, she agrees to elope with him into the forest. However, when Lysander is mistakenly enchanted by Puck and suddenly declares his love for Helena, Hermia is heartbroken and confused.
Her friendship with Helena is further strained when Helena, believing it to be a cruel joke, accuses her of conspiring against her.
Despite these hardships, Hermia remains steadfast and, once the enchantment is lifted, she is joyfully reunited with Lysander and they get married.
Hippolyta
The Queen of the Amazons, known for her strength and regal demeanour.
She is engaged to Theseus after being defeated by him in battle, though the nature of their relationship is left somewhat ambiguous. While Theseus eagerly anticipates their wedding, Hippolyta is more reserved, speaking sparingly throughout the play.
Unlike her future husband, she expresses skepticism about the strange events in the forest, and does not immediately pass them off as a dream: “But all the story of the night told over, / And all their minds transfigured so together, / More witnesseth than fancy’s images / And grows to something of great constancy” (Act 5, Scene 1).
Though she was once a warrior queen, her impending marriage signals her transition into Athenian society, where she takes on a more traditional role. Despite this shift, she maintains an air of dignity and wisdom, contrasting the chaos surrounding the young lovers and the magical world of the fairies.
Theseus
The Duke of Athens, known for his wisdom, leadership and sense of justice.
A celebrated warrior, he won his fiancée, Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, in battle, and eagerly anticipates their upcoming wedding.
As a ruler, he upholds the law and order of Athens, as seen when he enforces the strict Athenian law in response to Egeus’ demand that Hermia marry Demetrius and reasserts her father’s authority over her: “To you your father should be as a god, / One that composed your beauties, yea, and one / To whom you are but as a form in wax, / By him imprinted and within his power / To leave the figure or disfigure it” (Act 1, Scene 1).
Despite his stern adherence to the law, he also demonstrates mercy, ultimately allowing the young lovers to marry according to their own desires.
Egeus
A strict and authoritative Athenian nobleman and the father of Hermia.
He is deeply committed to upholding tradition and Athenian law, insisting that his daughter marry Demetrius, whom he has chosen for her, despite her love for Lysander.
Upon her refusal, he proclaims to Theseus: “I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: / As she is mine I may dispose of her – / Which shall be either to this gentleman / Or to her death” (Act 1, Scene 1).
Egeus’ uncompromising stance highlights the conflict between parental authority and individual choice in love.
However, after the magical interference of the fairies, Egeus’ objections are dismissed and he is forced to accept Hermia’s marriage to Lysander.
Nick Bottom
A comical and overconfident weaver who takes on the role of Pyramus in the play Pyramus and Thisbe, which the craftsmen are preparing for Hippolyta and Theseus’ wedding.
Enthusiastic about acting, Bottom believes himself to be a highly skilled performer and frequently offers unsolicited advice, even suggesting that he could play multiple roles at once.
His exaggerated confidence and lack of self-awareness make him a source of humour throughout the play.
Bottom’s obliviousness and pompous nature add to the absurdity of the situation as, when the other workers tell him about his transformation, he believes they are playing a prank: “I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of me, to fright me, if they could” (Act 3, Scene 1).
By the end of the play, his normal appearance is restored, and he rejoins his fellow actors to perform their play at the wedding.
Quince, Flute, Snout, Snug, & Starveling
A group of well-meaning but bumbling Athenian craftsmen, Quince, Flute, Snout, Snug, and Starveling are amateur actors preparing a performance of Pyramus and Thisbe for Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding.
- Peter Quince, a carpenter, serves as the play’s director, though his authority is often undermined by Bottom’s overconfidence.
- Francis Flute, a bellows-mender, reluctantly plays the female lead, Thisbe, despite his protests that his beard is coming in.
- Tom Snout, a tinker, is assigned the role of the Wall, humorously delivering lines to explain the story’s setting.
- Snug, a joiner, plays the Lion but worries about remembering his lines, revealing his timid nature.
- Robin Starveling, a tailor, takes on the role of Moonshine, portraying the moon with deadpan seriousness.
Though they take their performance seriously, their lack of skill, misinterpretations of the text, and exaggerated earnestness turn their play into an unintentional comedy.
Their well-meaning but disastrous performance delights the noble audience, who find humour in their sincerity and clumsy execution.
Key Character Relationships
1️⃣ Oberon & Titania
- Their relationship is marked by manipulation and competition, with Oberon using magic to humiliate Titania.
- Their feud over the changeling boy symbolises power, control and gender dynamics in relationships.
- Despite their conflict, they ultimately reconcile, reinforcing the play’s exploration of transformation and fate.
2️⃣ Theseus & Hippolyta
- Their union begins as an imbalance of power, with Theseus claiming he “wooed” Hippolyta with his sword.
- Their relationship represents social hierarchy and patriarchy, with Hippolyta’s role as a conquered bride.
- There is no apparent conflict in their relationship, serving as a source of stability to contrast the chaotic events of the play.
3️⃣ Bottom & Titania
- Their relationship, driven by Oberon’s spell, is a parody of romantic love and serves as one of the key comedic moments in the play.
- Titania’s enchanted devotion to him highlights how love can be irrational and externally controlled.
4️⃣ Hermia & Lysander
- Their love is strong and mutual, but it defies Hermia’s father’s wishes, connecting to the theme of social hierarchy and patriarchy.
- They attempt to escape Athens to be together, but magic disrupts their bond, showing love’s instability.
5️⃣ Hermia & Demetrius
- Demetrius seeks to marry Hermia with Egeus’s approval, despite her rejection.
- Their dynamic reflects power imbalances in love and the way marriage is treated as a transactional exchange.
6️⃣ Hermia & Helena
- Once childhood friends, their bond is tested as love and jealousy intervene.
- The love potion’s effects on Lysander and Demetrius escalate their conflict, highlighting the fragility of trust.
- Their relationship reflects themes of love, identity and social hierarchy, as their self-worth is often measured by male desire.
7️⃣ Oberon & Puck
- Oberon, as the Fairy King, commands Puck to carry out his magical schemes, but Puck’s chaotic nature leads to unintended consequences.
- Their relationship embodies magic’s dual role as both a tool of control and a source of chaos.
8️⃣ Egeus & Hermia
- Egeus demands that Hermia marry Demetrius, believing he has the right to dictate her future.
- Their conflict represents patriarchy and social hierarchy, as women are treated as possessions rather than individuals.
- Hermia’s defiance connects to the tension between fate and free will in the play, as she resists a life chosen for her.
Historical Context
The drama was written by Shakespeare, in Elizabethan England which featured a variety of unique contextual events, circumstances and beliefs that may have served to inform the way that the text was written.
The Divine Right of Kings
The divine right of kings was a widespread belief, where monarchs were seen to be appointed by God. This supposed Godly appointment led to a highly classist social structure which was organised into what was known as the Great Chain of Being.
This chain featured the social status of everything in society, with women being below men.
In accordance with this, family structures were rigid, centred around patriarchy, with the father being the head of the household and daughters, being possessions of their fathers and once married, their husbands.
Patriarchy
Elizabethan society was highly patriarchal, shaping strict gender roles and expectations. As such, family structures were rigid with the father being the head of the household and daughters being possessions of their fathers and, once married, their husbands.
Elizabethan England in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Despite these beliefs, Renaissance humanist ideology was also flourishing at the time, causing people to move away from providentialism/pre-determinism (fate is set by God) and veering towards ideas of individualism.
There was widespread belief in magic, witchcraft and superstition which informed a lot of how people behaved, acted and what they would have accepted as normal and believable in the plays that they saw!
Classic Mythology
Mythology of the British Isles and Ancient Greece, as well as medieval English literature and Ovid’s Metamorphosis, are used in A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.
The names and plot of Theseus and Hippolyta come from the story The Knight’s Tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Theseus is also a Greek mythological figure, who slayed the Cretan Minotaur.
The fairy characters, Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed, reflect to the mythology of fairies in British Isles — they are immortal, mischievous and awake during the night. However, instead of being mischievous and hostile to humans, they care about the humans.
Nick Bottom’s “transformation” follows Ovid’s Metamorphosis, where humans are carelessly transformed into plants or animal at the will of the gods.
Themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
There are a variety of key thematic concerns within the play that you can choose to discuss in your essays! Here are just some of them to give you a nice starting point!
Magic
Magic is something that is central to the plays plot and resolution – hence, is one of the key themes!
Magic is represented as both a force of chaos and resolution, with it being the source of good intentions and a symbol of love, but also one of mischief with the accidental use of the love potion causing a stir in the central love story of the play.
The use of magic adds a surreal and dreamlike nature to the play, which plays into the key theme of dreams that is also present.
👉 Relevant A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters:
- Oberon: He uses magic to regain control over Titania and to fix the conflicts in the relationships between the Athenian lovers.
- Puck: He uses magic primarily to play pranks, such as shapeshifting to confuse others for comedic effect.
- Lysander, Demetrius: Under the influence of magic, they are temporarily transformed, falling in love with Helena and creating confusion.
- Bottom: His transformation into a donkey is an example of magic’s comical and absurd effects.
Dreams
Dreams are a central theme as Shakespeare delves into a realm between reality and illusion, exploring the nature of time, uncertainty and perception.
The characters frequently experience events that feel dreamlike and their desires and actions are often manipulated by external forces. The blurred line between dreams and reality raises questions about the reliability of perception, suggesting that what appears real may be mere fantasy.
This theme is evident in the transformation of characters and relationships, creating a sense of confusion and disorientation that prevails throughout the play, as shown in the quote: “When they next wake, all this derision / Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision,” (Acr 3, Scene 2) representing how lived experience is not always logical and human perception is highly fallible.
👉 Relevant A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters:
- Lysander and Hermia and Helena: Their chaotic love triangle, marked by magic-induced confusion, makes them question whether their experiences of love are real or a dream.
- Demetrius and Helena: Their romance appears dreamlike due to the magic and transformation of feelings.
Love
The play presents love in its many forms, from romantic relationships to the dynamics of power and control.
However, love is not merely expressed extrinsically through interactions between characters, it is also the main driving force within them that influences all their decisions and actions.
The characters often find themselves entangled in complex emotions, where love appears as both a transformative and a disruptive force, likened to a mania: “That is the madman. / The lover, all as frantic” (Act 5, Scene 1). For example, the use of magic to manipulate love highlights its volatile and unpredictable nature, demonstrating how love can be both empowering and chaotic.
Furthermore, Shakespeare explores the darker sides of love, including the desire for power, as seen in Oberon’s manipulation of Titania and in the manipulative behaviour of characters like Demetrius, who knows Hermia will be put to death if she refuses his proposal.
👉 Relevant A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters:
- Lysander and Hermia: Their love is initially strong but is disrupted by magic, showing love’s vulnerability to external forces.
- Demetrius and Helena: Their relationship is complicated by Demetrius’ rejection and Helena’s unrequited love, only to be transformed by magic.
- Oberon and Titania: Their relationship is marked by conflict and manipulation, representing how love often leads to jealousy.
- Theseus and Hippolyta: Their relationship represents a more grounded and stable love, contrasting with the chaos in the younger lovers’ relationships.
Transformation and Identity
Transformation is a key theme as nearly every character undergoes some form of change, whether it be in their beliefs, behaviour or understanding of themselves and others.
This theme is most visibly represented by the magic that permeates the play, especially the love potion that alters romantic feelings and causes the characters to act out of character, such as when Lysander starts insulting Hermia, which causes her confusion: “Why are you grown so rude? What change is this, / Sweet love?” (Act 3, Scene 2).
Similarly, Titania’s transformation, due to Oberon’s spell, causes her to fall in love with the absurdly transformed Bottom, highlighting how extrinsic forces can make people behave in ways that defy their intrinsic nature.
Beyond magical transformations, the play also explores shifts in character development, such as the maturing of Hermia and Helena as they navigate the complexities of love and rivalry. These changes reflect the broader theme of personal growth, as characters learn to confront their insecurities, desires and limitations.
👉 Relevant A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters:
- Demetrius and Helena: Demetrius undergoes a transformation in his feelings, moving from disdain to passionate love for Helena due to magic, while Helena’s self-esteem is transformed by the attention.
- Oberon and Titania: Both undergo transformations in their relationship due to magic, with Oberon’s spell on Titania and Titania’s role in the reconciliation that follows.
- Puck: Puck’s playful transformations of others and his own role in the enchanted world show how he manipulates change, often for mischief.
Social Hierarchy
The play presents a fluid and sometimes satirical view of class divisions, as characters frequently shift positions within the social order, often through magic.
For instance, the transformation of Bottom into a donkey is a literal and symbolic inversion of his social status, as he temporarily assumes a position of dominance over Titania, the fairy queen.
Furthermore, the play questions the rigidity of social roles, highlighting how love, magic, and circumstance can disrupt the established order, offering a critique of the way society enforces hierarchy.
However, the patriarchal structures remain largely intact, with women like Hermia and Helena subjected to the authority of their fathers and whims of the men around them, with even the fairy queen, Titania, being brought under control by Oberon’s manipulation. Through this, the play critiques the power imbalances inherent in patriarchal systems, with women being viewed as possessions at the disposal of their father and husband: “And she is mine, and all my right of her / I do estate unto Demetrius” (Act 1, Scene 1).
👉 Relevant A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters:
- Lysander and Hermia: Their love challenges the expectations of their social class, as Hermia is expected to marry Demetrius, her social superior, while Lysander is of lower status.
- Demetrius and Helena: Helena being the one to pursue Demetrius subverts the patriarchal expectation that women are to be wooed by their male suitors.
- The Workers: These men embody the lower classes, but their attempt to perform a play for the Duke highlights their desire to transcend their status, even if their ambitions are comedic.
- Hippolyta and Theseus: Theseus’ conquest of Hippolyta in battle, reflects how women in Athenian society are treated as possessions. Though a queen, her marriage to Theseus underscores the hierarchical nature of relationships, where women are seen as objects to be won and controlled.
- Egeus and Hermia: Egeus’ demand that Hermia marry Demetrius illustrates the patriarchal control over women’s lives and choices in Athenian society.
Fate and Free Will
The tension between fate and free will is central to the narrative, as the characters often find themselves caught between destiny and personal choice.
The lovers are entangled in a web of romantic confusion largely driven by external forces, such as the mischievous interference of the fairies and the use of the love potion. Their actions appear to be dictated by fate, yet their personal desires and decisions also influence the outcomes of their relationships.
Shakespeare suggests that while external forces like magic and fate can steer individuals in certain directions, human agency, emotion and intention remain powerful and necessary for resolution. The complexity of this journey is reflected in Lysander’s remark: “The course of true love never did run smooth” (Act 1, Scene 1).
👉 Relevant A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters:
- Lysander and Hermia: Their initial decision to defy Egeus and run away together demonstrates their free will. Despite the forces of fate attempting to pull them apart (Egeus’ demands and the interference of magic), their own choices ultimately lead them to be together.
- Oberon and Titania: Oberon manipulates Titania with magic, bending her will to his desire. Her eventual forgiveness and the resolution of their conflict suggest that personal whims often have to be put aside to restore harmony.
- Egeus and Hermia: Egeus insists on controlling Hermia’s fate, trying to force her into an arranged marriage with Demetrius. His inability to control Hermia’s defiance highlights the tension between fate and free will as her resistance to his wishes represents her own agency, challenging his authority.
How to Nail Essay Analysis of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 3 Steps
A lot of the time, students have a solid understanding of the plot, themes and characters within a text, but are unsure how to analyse the text as a whole.
Analysis is one of the most important components of practically all of your essays, and where a lot of your marks will come from! So if it’s that important, how do you analyse?
Step 1: Choose Your Example
Pick any example from your text! Ensure that the quote that you pick is a good length, has substance (i.e has a number of good techniques within it and links to a thematic concern).
Since A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play, you will also want to look for quotes that contain structural techniques that are unique to plays – these high level techniques can be scattered within your essay!
We have chosen the following quote
“Which shall be either to this gentleman/Or to her death—according to our law/Immediately provided in that case.”
Step 2: Identify Your Techniques
The next step in writing some great analysis is to identify some solid techniques in your quote.
Remember, techniques are just a vehicle for explaining how an author is using language to convey a certain idea within the text. Even if your technique is relatively common, the most important thing is that your analysis provides insight on a certain theme and has a strong connection to the author’s intention.
However, if you find that you’re just referring to metaphors and imagery over and over, it might be a good idea to familiarise yourself with some more techniques. Check out our list of 50 key literary techniques to get you started!
We identified 4 techniques in the above quote: Enjambment, visual imagery, high modality and diction.
Step 3: Write Your Analysis
Many students fall into the trap of ‘technique dropping’ where they drop in a bunch of techniques after their quote, don’t analyse any of them and move onto something else.
The crux of your analysis should really be about the effect of the technique within the context of the question you’re answering, the theme you’re discussing and the context of your actual text!
Instead of dropping in these techniques without elaborating upon them, each piece of analysis should work towards answering your question. Check out the before and after:
❌ Original Version:
✅ Adapted Version:
What to Know From the HSC Module B Rubric
When you are studying this text for Module B, you must keep a few extra things in the back of your mind when prepping for your exams. Let’s take a quick look at the syllabus:
As a module that is heavily focused on analysis and the construction of texts with textual integrity it is of utmost important that you take note of the following things whilst studying your text:
- How is the text constructed: this includes the literary and form techniques within the play – remember that the language, phrasing, placing of certain stage directions, all fall under how the text is constructed and in turn, how it affects us!
- The distinctive qualities of the text: this is a term in the mod B rubric that many students forget about, but is actually quite important! The distinctive qualities of a text is essentially what makes it unique, i.e when you’re reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream, what are the qualities that you use to identify it? Maybe it’s the distinct Shakespearean English…! Note that this is highly interconnected with how the text is constructed.
- The context: texts are not written in a vacuum, so it’s important to consider any possible external influences that have altered the way that the text was written, or the ideas that it portrayed.
- Your response as a contemporary audience: it is always important to note how texts last so long within time and how they are received by contemporary audiences. Just thinking about how your text relates to and is received by yourself and your peers can really help inform your opinion on the text!
Need some help with your essay analysis of other texts?
Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:
- The Truman Show
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- I Felt A Funeral, in My Brain
- Journey of the Magi
- Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History
We’ve also got articles specifically on plays by Shakespeare which you can have a read through below:
- Macbeth
- Othello
- Hamlet
- The Merchant of Venice
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Romeo and Juliet
- The Tempest
- King Richard III
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Christina Ugov is currently completing a double degree in International and Global Studies and Theatre and Performance at the University of Sydney. Outside of her studies, she enjoys exploring creative writing projects, analysing literature and playing with her cat. She spends her spare time reading, listening to music and drinking lots of tea.
Yasmin Hasan is a current first year psychology student at UNSW. She loves making art, playing piano or reading in her spare time. She graduated from high school in 2021 so her memories of her own high school experience are still quite fresh. She would love to use her own experiences to help other students build their confidence and improve in their academics!
