The Inclusion of Homosexuality in Shakespeare: A Comparison between "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Were the World Mine"

Details

Supervisors

Latre, Guido

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en langues et lettres modernes, orientation générale

Abstract

enWritten by William Shakespeare at the end of the 16th century, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is one of the playwright’s most popular plays. The magical universe of this comedy has fascinated generations of theatregoers around the globe for centuries, and its story has been adapted into numerous art forms. Among these adaptations is the American independent movie "Were the World Mine" which was written by Tom Gustafson and Cory James Krueckeberg. Released in 2008, the movie has the particularity of including homosexuality into the originally heterosexual plot of Shakespeare. This dissertation provides a comparison between "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and "Were the World Mine" based on a number of topics. The aim of this essay is to determine whether or not it makes sense to incorporate queer elements into the narrative, to look at the consequences that it might have and to see if the general ideas and messages transmitted through the story remain unchanged. The themes that are tackled include, without being limited to, love, marriage, violence, sex and setting.