Literature

Allegory was an established feature of Elizabethan life, and was mentioned by a range of contemporary literary commentators. As Sir John Harington emphasized in the introduction to his translation of Orlando Furioso (1591), the honeyed sweetness of the verse is not where the underlying meaning of an Elizabethan text is to be found, and those of stronger stomachs should look beneath the surface to digest the allegory.

Traces of allegories being employed on the English Renaissance stage include the plays of John Lyly, personified figures such as Rumour in the plays of Shakespeare, the stage directions in Wilsons plays, the administrative papers that describe the symbolism of Gorbudoc, and occasional accounts of audience reactions to plays like The Cradle of Security or the political allegory in The Game at Chess (qtd. In Hudson 3)

A Midsummer Nights Dream is a comic play penned by Shakespeare in the Elizabethan era when allegorical plays were used to amuse the spectators as well as provide a commentary on any situation in indirect and subtle meanings. A Midsummer Nights Dream is a play that is an allegorical discussion of the Roman and Jewish war of 66-73 C.E.

In1998, Patricia Parker, an expert on the play presented to the world that the play contained religious allegory. She debated that every character in the play is inter linked and a part of the complete bigger picture. Titania(Titus Caesar) is fighting Oberon (Yahweh) , god of Jews who  has come from India. Titania has stolen the Indian changeling boy (the Messiah) from the Jews and his mother Virgin Mary (votaress). The flower of love-in-idleness is an allegorical implication to the Gospel which has made people love BottomPyramus, an indication towards Jesus. Oberon decides to take revenge and with the assistance of Puck or Robin Goodfellow, both words which are understood in English literature to mean a mischievous spirit or in this case the devil (Parker n.p), Oberon (Yahweh) gives the flower (Gospel) to Titania so that she falls in love with Jesus (BottomPyramus), an implication that the Jews did not want to be considered as a sect that followed Jesus but also wanted its spread in the entire Roman Empire. The Romans persecuted European Christians after the Great Fire of Rome since Nero had blamed the fire on Christians to avoid blame and responsibility (Tacitus 44)

As in the war, Titania (Titus) orders cutting of the limbs of the bees (Macabees, a Jewish family whicg rebelled against the Romans). The later part of the play where the Mechanicals decide to present a play between BottomPyramus and Thiesbe(Church) which is again an indication in medieval allegory as Jesus and his wish to unite with the Church. The play also mentions that Pyramus and Thiesbe met through a hole in the wall which is an allegorical implication to the partition between the Earth and the Heavens which will finally come down on the Last day or the Apocalypse.

As for the lovers in the play namely Helena, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius the difficulty in forming correct unions can be an allegory of the lovers as the four elements of the planet, Water, Air, Fire and Earth. Hermia is Fire since her eyes are fiery stars. Helena is allegorically Water since her eyes are always filled with tears, Lysander is Air and Demetrius is Earth, adamant like a stone (qtd in Hudson 8)
Oberon is allegorically portrayed as a jealous God . Oberon is the Indian king from whom Titania has stolen the boy which is another point in the direction of the Roman-Jewish war which Titania (Titus) fought against Oberon (Yahweh) upon Jewish insistence on monotheism and their insistence upon refusing Caesar as divine.

In order to release the fairy queen, Oberon recites the charm Dians bud over Cupids flower (IV,i,72). Dians bud is also known as Wormwood and in the Gospel of Matthew (2734) the figure on the cross is offered gall or Wormwood to drink which is a convulsive poison. Having been tricked into falling in love with BottomJesus, the identity of this herb suggests that Titania is now killed and resurrected as a compliant soul. In the death scene of Pyramus he is stabbed in his side and there is reference to dice playing die,die,die. This scene is between two mentions of the word Passion, pointing to the Passion Story which is the term used by the Church to notify the death of Jesus. Just as Jesus dies for the love of Church, Pyramus dies for the love of Theisbe (qtd in Hudson 26)

Another allegorical mention is that when Titania (Titus) stole the boy (Messiah) from Oberon(Yahweh), she dotes over him and makes a wreath of flowers for him symbolizing the crown of thorn worn by Jesus which was placed over Jesus head before crucifixion.

Thus the above paragraphs mention the several allegories which are used in Shakespeares comedy play titled A Midsummer Nights Dream and their interpretation in modern times as a religious allegory.