A MidSummer Night's Dream

Natural or Supernatural?

In A Midsummer Night's Dream- weather- seems to be a topic with in the characters. AMSND suggests that the horrible weather is a result of supernatural forces that punishes humans when they do not behave correctly. The Annals of England by John Stow in 1580 is a collection of chronological events that keeps a record of the weather within one year period. John Stow suggests that the weather is caused by supernatural and natural reasons, since AMSND argues that it is done by supernatural reasons that is what'll be the focus. John Stow mentions that a women was killed because of she killed her husband, a girl was poisoned by a witch, and that the prices of certain goods rose because they committed sins and deserved it. He states," In this time of dearth and scarcity of victuals, at London, an hen's egg was sold for a penny or three eggs for pence at the most , a pound of sweet butter for 7 d. and so the life of fish or flesh, exceeding measure in price, such our sins deserving it". He brings in the act of committing sins which typically is used to describe supernatural forces like God, in order to punish the "bad" people in the world. Back in the days weather was correlated to the way humans behaved in society and to the wrath of God. AMSND Act 2 Scene 2 Titania speaks to Oberon about the weather conditions and alludes to many biblical events like the plague, crop failure and Gods wrath in general. She personifies the wind and states " To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,/ But with thy brawls thou hast disturbed our sport./ Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain, As in revenge, have sucked up from the sea". The use of the world "revenge" makes the wind seem angry and creates a violent tone. We can conclude that Titania feels that there are supernatural forces controlling the weather. She also states " And this progeny of evils comes/From our debate, form our dissension. We are their parents and origins." In translation, Titania says that all the horrible events that have happened because of the bad weather is due to the actions of the humans, they are the parents to the "progeny of evils". She does not include any scientific explanations or data to support her claim, rather she explains that the weather is caused by the supernatural.