Psychological+Approach

Psychological Approach

The psychological approach addresses the motivation and reasoning to people’s actions. It moves away from asking “who done it”, to asking “why did he do it” by looking at the person’s unconscious motivation and behavior. A Midsummer Night's Dream is psychoanalyzed by looking into characters’ conflicts, dreams, and symbols.



According to Freud’s Psychodynamic theory, the mind is split into two parts, the conscious and the unconscious. The conscious part of the brain allows us to become aware of everything around us. Whereas the unconscious is hidden, in a form of wishes, desires, hopes and dreams, that continues to influence behavior. Freud believes that dreams are the unconscious’ attempts at wish fulfillment, since they cannot always be achieved in real life.



The story takes place in a dream world where fairies and magic exist. An example of dream fulfillment is Titania, queen of the fairies. Titania’s sexual desires are fulfilled with Nick Bottom when she is estranged from her husband, Oberon king of the fairies. Oberon and Titania separate when she refuses Oberon’s request of giving up her indian changeling so that Oberon could make him a knight. Oberon punishes Titania for disobeying him by sending his court jester, Puck, out to make Titania fall in love with the first thing she sees. Titania wakes up and attempts to make love with Nick Bottom, whose head is changed into a donkey’s head. This shows that Titania is deprived of love and sex from Oberon, and seeks to fulfill her sexual desires by trying to sleep with Nick Bottom.



In the dream state, the conflicts between Titania and Oberon, and the love entanglement of Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena are resolved. Oberon lifts the power of the love charm from everyone, and they resolve to love their partner as they did before. Dreams resolve the conflict between the id (instinct) and the superego (rationale) of the brain.