The Sandman - Issue 19 - A Midsummer Night's Dream

RECAP: I'm going to be honest. I've never read William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. I've tried to over the years but could never get through it. For this recap, I read a summary of the play to do some justice to this issue whose literary weight I've always had trouble with. I apologise to those who love this issue. It's not to say that it isn't a great piece of work, it just isn't for me. That being said, if anyone cares to enlighten me on why they admire it, I'll be delighted.

Issue 19 of The Sandman, A Midsummer Night's Dream originates from a subplot in Issue 13 - Men of Good Fortune, in which Morpheus encounters William Shaxberd, an unsuccessful playwright. It is assumed the two reached some kind of agreement though at the time, we can only guess what that might be.

Five years after the fact, Shaxberd is on his way to becoming William Shakespeare, the Immortal Bard, but before he becomes history's greatest playwright, he has accounts to pay.

A Midsummer Night's Dream opens on June 23rd, 1593, on the titular night at Wendel's Mound. Will leads his company of performers through the English countryside to debut his latest play for a private audience. Joining Will is his young son Hamnet, who is accustomed to being relegated to background player as his father tolerates story ideas from lesser peers.

Waiting for Will at Wendel's Mound is Morpheus, dressed for the period. Upon meeting his patron, Will questions the odd venue for their performance until Morpheus reveals Wendel's Mound was a stage long before humankind. His actors find the choice just as perplexing. Nevertheless, they adhere to the request of the Bard since they carried out rehearsals in the fields and glades. With the night approaching, the company takes advantage of the evening's warmth and lingering daylight to begin the performance within the hour.

As the company prepares for their debut with actors wearing dresses to play female roles (hmmm...seems like this is something we should be used to by now). Morpheus instructs Will to prepare his company as he fetches his guests. At Morpheus's command, Wendel, who in my headcanon is similar to Fiddler's Green, opens a portal on the side of the hill.

Emerging from it are Queen Titania and King Oberon, along with a whole host of faerie folk, including the famous Puck, Robin Goodfellow. Oberon warns Puck to be on his best behaviour while Will offers similar warnings to his actors, reminding them to perform the play as written (no Ryan Reynolds mugging Will Kemp!). Naturally, when Will steps onto the mound... uh stage, he is a little thrown by the audience, who are obviously not human but recovers quickly like any good thespian.

The faeriefolk are captivated. For me, the highlight of the issue has to be the discussion between Troll, Skarrow, and Peaseblossom. Hearing Troll trying to explain a love story to Skarrow, who thinks this whole performance ought to be a buffet, still makes me smile when I reread it. Meanwhile, Queen Titania compliments Morpheus on Will's skill as a playwright.

Backstage (so to speak), the actors continue to rehearse their parts while Tommy, playing Hermia, points out to Will that their audience are boggarts, trolls and nixies. Will reminds him they are still the audience and to calm down. Elsewhere, Puck is chafing at his inability to bedevil the cast, and Oberon warns him again to behave. This is especially difficult when Puck realises his alter-ego is on stage and has been described as a 'Merry Wanderer of the Night'. This amuses Peaseblossom to no end, who thinks a more appropriate description might be 'totally bloody, psychotic menace'. Seriously, I'm loving their banter.

Titania seems to hit too close to home when she reminds Morpheus that she's heard this plot once before in Greece; only then it was being performed by a boy with a lyre. Morpheus's avoidance of the subject implies she was undoubtedly alluding to Orpheus, his son. While discussing Morpheus's propensity to barter with mortals, Hamnet catches Titania's eye, and she expresses her desire to meet the child.

Meanwhile, the hijinks of Peaseblossom, Troll (whom I'm guessing is a serious theatre patron) and Skarrow continue.

Amidst the performances and reactions of actors and audience, we also get a real human moment when Hamnet expresses his sadness at the lack of a relationship with his father. While Morpheus may have unlocked Will Shaxberd's potential, it has come at a cost to his family. Since their fortuitous meeting five years earlier, Will appears to have lost interest in his family, more focused on his writing. Hamnet's twin sister jokes that if he died, it's more likely their father would write a play than mourn his death. Considering the name of Shakespeare's most famous play, she wasn't far wrong.

Intermission arrives just after Bottom's discovery. He has a head of an ass, which everyone in the audience except Skarrow finds hilarious. This also leads to a macabre discussion about the dietary properties of male and female flesh.

The interlude allows the actors and the audience to interact. Oberon informs Will that even though the portrayal of the fairy folk should offend him, it does not and instead complements the work. Richard Burbage, the lead actor, takes the opportunity to solicit payment from the faerie king, who is clearly not amused, even though Oberon does reward Richard with a pouch of gold. While his master is distracted, in typical hobgoblin fashion, Puck decides to have some fun with the actor playing his character.

Will's pride in Morpheus's assurances his plays will stand the test of time is soured upon learning of Kit Marlowe's death. Despite being rivals, the playwright is understandably bitter and lashes out at Morpheus, who suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune without response, understanding the man's grief. Proving Hamnet's assertion of his father's disinterest, Will misses entirely Titania's efforts to cajole his son into the fairy realm. Even when Hamnet tries to tell him, WIll brushes the child away. The play's the thing, after all.

As the performance resumes, King Oberon reveals Faerie's withdrawal from this plane because it no longer welcomes them, a thing Morpheus regrets. This play is an effort to ensure Faerie is never forgotten, and in appreciation, Titania tells Morpheus he is always welcome in her kingdom. Still, Morpheus wonders if he did Will a poor turn by unlocking his mind to unleash his passion. Morpheus adds another layer to Hamnet's observations that the price for boundless creativity can be hefty and one not even the playwright understands.

Meanwhile, Puck is being performed superbly by....well, Puck since he left Dick Cowley snoozing under a wagon. Peaseblossom objects to the artistic licence taken at his expense. His complaints result in Troll behaving like the audience member we all wished we could be when he silences Peaseblossom so everyone can enjoy the performance without further distractions.

As the play nears its end, Morpheus reveals to Oberon and Titania the performance is his gift for the entertainment they provided him over the years. Thanks to Midsummer's Night Dream, the names of Oberon and Titania will never be forgotten. The truth of their existence will give way to legend, and legends do not die. While the couple are dubious if this will be the case, they thank him nevertheless.

The play ends with Puck revealing himself, much to Will's shock. However, before explanations can be made, the portal opens at Oberon's request, and the fairy folk bid Morpheus farewell. All except Robin Goodfellow. Puck is unprepared to leave this plane or the fun he can have at the expense of mortals. He steps into an unknown fate with fitting words of farewell.

"Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, We will make amends ere long; Else the Puck a liar call; So, good night unto you all."

The morning finds the company on Wendel's Mound, wondering if they had awakened from a dream. Perhaps they did. Unfortunately for Richard, Oberon's gold is a collection of dried yellow leaves, but Will isn't upset. They played to a hell of an audience. Once again, Hamnet tries to tell his father about Titania's offer, which is quickly dismissed as foolish fancies.

It's time for the company to move on to their next show in Lewes. After all, the world's a stage.

Postscript. We learn Hamnet died at eleven, and Robin Goodfellow, aka Puck, is still at large.

And that's it for Midsummer's Night Dream. I hope you enjoyed it. Next week, Facades!

Next - Issue 20 - Facade

Previous - Issue 18 - A Dream of a Thousand Cats