-Create a 12 soundtrack
for MSND. Explain why you included each song.
**The following project contains material that may result
disturbing to some people. **
**Discretion is advised. **
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy by William
Shakespeare and it can be interpreted in many ways where the point of view of
the audience changes as the point of view of the director who decides to
present it changes. On this project, I will present 12 songs that in my opinion
have a connection with the Shakespearean play and I will give a brief summary
of why I think they have a connection with the play, and where in the play they
have that connection. The languages of the songs may vary, but an English
translation will be provided.
Act 1, scene 1 (first half)
On Act1–scene1, Hermia feels helpless because of
her father’s decision. She doesn’t wants to marry Demetrius, but if she chooses
to disobey her father she will either get killed or she will be forced to
become a nun. Breathe me, has
a connection with the events on the play on the first part of act1–scene 1,
because Hermia’s feelings and thoughts can be interpreted by the lyrics of the
song. Some examples are when the song says “Hurt myself again today, and the
worst part is there in no one else to blame,” Hermia gets hurt from Egeus’s
decision because she feels like an object but “there is no one else to blame”
because society has shaped this kind of behavior among communities and women
are not allowed to decide for themselves. Another example may be when the
lyrics of the song says “I’ve lost myself again and I feel unsafe,” because as
I said before, Hermia feels like an object and when she express her thoughts
and desires, her father gets really upset and he reminds her the authority that
he has over her.
Act 1, scene 1 (second half)
On the second half of Act1–scene1,
the song Meet me half way, becomes
relevant when Hermia and Lysander plan to escape. When the lyric of the song
says, “I can’t go any further than this; I want you so badly it’s my biggest
wish” (on Fergie’s voice... Can also represent Hermia) express Hermia’s dream
to be with Lysander. Another example is when Fergie sings “Can you meet me half
way, right at the borderline? That’s where I’m gonna wait for you,” it can
illustrate the plan that Hermia and Lysander have to meet at the woods and go
somewhere else from there so they don’t have to follow the Athens law.
Act 1, scene 2
Since I
couldn’t find a video that contains the translation of the song, the
translation of the lyrics is below.
Cursed the day
that I found you eh
The hour when I
looked you eh eh eh
You came into
my life and now there is not exit
I made a
mistake eh eh
I didn’t want
to and I accepted eh
I kept you for
a little while eh eh
I am not
adorable
You are
unbearable eh eh eh
Insufferable
love, how could I fall in love?
The truth is
that I can’t stand you
Because you
annoy and stick like chewing gum
On my shoe when
I walk
We are a very
real case
But I love you
I love you
In politics and
faith eh
We don’t get
along I know eh eh
I eat red meat,
you just eat leaves
And thought eh…
Insufferable
love, how could I fall in love?
The truth is
that I can’t stand you
Because you
annoy and stick like chewing gum
On my shoes
when I walk
We are a very
real case
But I love you
I love you
Insufferable
love, how could I fall in love?
The truth is
that I can’t stand you
Because you
annoy and stick like chewing gum
On my shoes
when I walk
We are a very
real case
But I love you
I love you
I am crazier
every month eh
You
insufferable and at the same time eh eh
You are so
vulnerable, so tender so kissable
I will always
love you
To say the truth, I picked this song by Paty Cantu
because of Nick Bottom and the phrase of the song that says “The truth is that
I can’t stand you because you annoy and stick like chewing gum on my shoes when
I walk”. In my opinion, Bottom is really annoying for the other characters that
are trying to discover what role they will play for the play. Bottom is like chewing gum on their shoes, but the
other characters still love him as the song says “but I love you I love you”.
Nick is an interesting character, but he is really annoying and perseverant
like chewing gum.
Act 2, scene (first half)
This Celtic melody doesn’t have any lyrics, but
since the first half of the first scene of act 2 basically introduces the
fairies and the conflict of the story between Oberon, Titania and the Indian
boy(which is the reason of why Oberon and Titania can’t get into agreement), I
consider this melody as a proper piece to symbolize the vivid spirit of the
fairies and their lives.
5 5> Apocalyptica
featuring Adam Gontier (of Three Days Grace) - I don’t care (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqycFv5hJk0)
Act 2, scene1 (second half)
In my opinion, I don’t care, is a good fit for the second half of Act2–scene1 if
we interpret the lyrics with Demetrius’s voice talking to Helena. An example of
this is when Demetrius tells Helena that he doesn’t love her and he doesn’t
care about her, and the song says “If you were dead or still alive, I don’t
care; just go and leave this all behind, ‘cause I swear (I swear) I don’t
care.” Demetrius just wants Helena to tell him where is Hermia and then leave,
but Helena is hoping to find love in Demetrius from her actions. Another part
of the lyrics that can be linked with the play is when it says “I try to make
you see my side, I always try to stay in line,” because Demetrius wants Helena
to understand that he wants to be with Hermia, not with her.
Act 2, scene2 (first half)
I choose this song for the first part of Act2,
scene2 (where Oberon cast the spell over Titania) because the lyrics of this
song can be used as Oberon’s voice on the parts of the song that say “I love
you though you hurt me so,” “Love is to pray, but I’m sorry I don’t pray that
way” and “The love we share seems to go nowhere”. Oberon is upset because of
the position that Titania takes about the Indian boy and even though he loves
her, he thinks that their love started to deteriorate because of the Indian
boy.
Act 2, scene 2 (second half)
The last part of act 2, scene 2 introduces the
love potion and with this the chain effects that it produces. Oberon wants
Titania to see that love is driven by “magic” and that it will defeat all the
problems and everything will always get fixed, but when Puck cast the spell
over Demetrius and Lysander as well, the comedy begins. None of the characters
have anything secure and they all are on the wheel of fortune. As this song
says “No matter how many times you flounder and oppose it, no one can escape;
the wheel of fortune,” Oberon and Puck cast spells over Titania, Bottom,
Lysander and Demetrius, affecting everybody’s life in the play, and no one can
escape from the destiny.
Act 4, scene 1
In my opinion the song of wheel of fortune by Eiko
Shimamiya is a great song to represent the mess that happen on the play,
because at some point it says “It was a dream that I had somewhere, a déjà vu
that I recall,” and this is the way Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius feel
when Puck undo the spell on Lysander and they all fall asleep in the woods.
Also, they all agree that there is something mysterious and gloomy about the
things that happened that night and as the lyrics of the song says “let me
pass; going is fine, fine. Yet returning on this road is scary”. It seems to be
just a dream for the characters.
Act 3
On act 3, scene 1, William Shakespeare turn all the
roles around, making everybody get confused and affected by the spells of the
fairies. The song Mademoiselle Juliette makes
a reference to Romeo and Juliet, but the insights of William Shakespeare likes
to cruelly play with all the characters. This song also makes reference to
that. When Alizée says “Shakespeare plays with his muse, the heroin thinks he
abuses… the great writer likes playing tricks on her” it is exactly what
Shakespeare does over a lot of the character on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The
fascinating thing about this play is that as the song says “This comedy of art
is not insane enough,” and Shakespeare doesn’t stop surprising the reader as
the story goes.
Act
3
Since I
couldn’t find a video that contains the translation of the song, the
translation of the lyrics is below.
Often dreaming
But lost so
often
Deep inside of
me
Something
shouts out loud for you
Don’t you hear
it?
Imploring I
call you
I burn to hold
it
I live to love
you
Just for you
Don’t you see
it?
My heart waits
for you
It comes to
love you
But now I am
burning
Don’t you see?
Here inside of
me
Night shines
above you
And the sound
breaks
As so often
light does
Don’t you hear
it?
Imploring I
call you
I burn to hold
it
I live to love
you
Just for you
Don’t you see
it?
My heart waits
for you
It comes to
love you
But now I am
burning
Don’t you see?
I think I am
afraid
Of you
Of me
Of us
Don’t you hear
it?
Imploring I
call you
I burn to hold
it
I live to love
you
Just for you
Don’t you see
it?
My heart waits
for you
It comes to
love you
But now I am
burning
Don’t you see?
Don’t you hear
it?
Imploring I
call you
I burn to hold
it
I live to love
you
Just for you
On act 3, all the characters express
their love and the way they feel towards each other. Malina is a song that can express those feelings, especially
because some of them are not corresponded. For example Lysander falling in love
with Helena because of the spell… Lysander tells Helena how much he loves her
and that he doesn’t care about Hermia anymore, but Helena thinks that he is
playing and she doesn’t correspond his love. Also with Hermia, when she tells
Lysander that she doesn’t understand what is going on and why did he changed
his mind about loving her. As the song say, the characters are burning from
love and their hearts are waiting for the person they love.
ACT 3
Hermia, Helena,
Lysander and Demetrius are confused because of their feelings, and the pain
that they hold because they are not loved by their loved one and that feeling
turns into loneliness for the fourth of them. Even though weird, this song
holds that feeling when it says “I wanted to build a paradise with you… to
smile by your side forever… The future was always leading towards you”. The
fourth of them feel that their loved one was the perfect one and that they
wanted to have a bright future with them, but at the end of the night they get
nothing from each other.
Act 4
This song makes a reference to the
things that a teenager says happened last
Friday night. On A Midsummer Night’s Dream, not Hippolyta, nor Theseus
believe the things that the young couples say. They all think that it was a
dream, and even though they have a similar vision of the things that happened
during the night, they don’t remember what happened exactly.
Act 5
The young
couples get married on the fifth act, and the most important thing: with the
person they love. It’s my life have a
connection with the play because at the end the characters feel powerful and
full of joy. The characters have the satisfaction to say what the song says “It’s
my life, it’s now or never, I ain’t gonna live forever… I just want to love
while I’m alive”. This is not just for the couples that get married, but for
Oberon, Titania, Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout and Starveling as well.
Even though in the middle of the story the relationships got a little messy,
the play had a happy ending.
No comments:
Post a Comment