“A Midsummer Night's Dream”—A Structural Study

Abstract

Various recent studies have employed graph-theoretical methods to depict group structures and interpersonal relationships. In the play, “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” a particularly tangled skein of emotional involvement is clarified by graphical methods, and the generalization of previous results concerning three-act structures to the more complex situation of a five-act structure throws light on the relative status of major and minor plot sequences.