s being loved for what he is, not looked to as something he can never be.In the adaptation of the text, most of the lines of the lovers were either cut, or moved to a different place. Most of Bottoms lines were not. Hoffman did this not only for a cinematic effect, but to shift the main focus away from the lovers romp in the woods, to Bottom, which isnt the normal interpretation of the bards words. He also uses the time of day as a major force in the film. All the scenes in Athene Italy, the films setting, are in the daylight, while the scenes in bottoms house, as well as those in the forest are in the dark. It further separates us from the actual and the fantasy, and places Bottom into both realms, like a small child in their daily innocence.In Act III scene I, we have the transformation of Bottom into an ass. Puck places the head of an ass onto bottom for his own sport, much like the children earlier who poured the wine all over Bottom. The underdog is always picked out. The costuming for Klein as an ass wasnt exactly what we would have expected. Instead of gruesome and frightening, he appears to us as quite the endearing donkey, not even worth of being labeled an ass. Hoffman wants us to understand Titanias love for him, even if it is only because of a spell from Oberon. He has a very sweet-faced Kline, still handsome and endearing, sharing the tender moments with our fairy queen. The forest setting is so lush and green, with vines and flowers. Like Bottom, it appears to us as Magical instead of real. This is where Hoffman brings in his second theme, that of the universal power of love. When you read the text, its difficult to imagine a handsome ass, or a fairy queen actually falling in love with one. It is a joke, brought about by Oberon and Puck, which is supposed to be vengeful towards Titania, and hurt the pride of Bottom. When watching Hoffmans adaptation, you actually begin to believe that these are two creatur...
