The time in which the play is set is on Midsummer. Midsummer, the summer solstice, is 21 June, but tradition throughout Europe reckons 24 June as Midsummer Day, and calls the night of 23/4 Midsummer Eve, Midsummer Night, or St John's Eve. Midsummer is a time of celebration. In folklore, it is the time of bonfires, processions, and divination. The earliest descriptions of the celebrations on Midsummer, were in the 14th century by monk John Mirk. He describes the setting of the bonfires, the community aspect of the celebrations and the sharing of bread and wine. Along with the bonfires, the night was also a night of love divination, the belief that if you do something in a certain way at a certain time you will discover or influence the future of your love-life. The Midsummer also speaks of the idea of dreams and love within the dream.
Work Cited:
"midsummer (23/4 June)" A Dictionary of English Folklore. Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Central Washington University. 10 March 2011 <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t71.e683>
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