An Analysis of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Based on Greimas’s Actantial Model

Abstract

The study of narrative structure in dramatic texts, particularly classical plays, constitutes an effective approach for uncovering their internal logic and semantic mechanisms. The present research aims to analyze the actantial structure of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, employing Algirdas Julien Greimas’s actantial model. This study was conducted using a descriptive–analytical method and qualitative content analysis based on library sources. In the analytical process, the six actantial roles proposed by Greimas—Subject, Object of value, Sender, Receiver, Helper, and Opponent—were identified within the narrative, and the position of each character in various narrative situations was examined. The findings indicate that despite the apparent complexities and multilayered structure of the narrative, the overall structure of the play corresponds effectively with the actantial model. The character of Hermia functions as the principal Subject, confronting obstacles such as paternal opposition and a romantic rival, and ultimately attains her objective with the assistance of magical elements. This model not only clarifies the relationships among characters but also facilitates the discovery of the semantic structure and actantial system of the work. The results of the study demonstrate that Greimas’s model constitutes an efficient analytical tool for examining narrative structures in classical dramatic texts.