There are two main themes that Shakespeare covers in the scene that feature’s Bottom’s dream. The first theme that is addressed in this scene is the transformation. Notably, through Bottom’s narration, it is clear that he had experience a form of transformation, either real or imagined, that made him think he was superior to others and as such, even his dream could be translated but rather could only be transformed into a ballad. Note that rather than approaching in direct manner, the play uses an indirect approach to indicate that Bottom had been transformed. Apart from the theme of transformation, another critical theme that Shakespeare covers in his work is the theme of dreams. Notably, Bottom’s narration after waking up is portrayed a dream that could not be interpreted (Jacobson 52). Importantly, through the use of the theme of dreams, Shakespeare manages to create a platform to gain insights into the attributes of some of the characters. In particular, rather than skirting around the theme of dreams, he employs a straightforward approach, thus making it crystal clear that dreams play a central role in this play. For instance, in this case, Bottom’s narration of his dream portrays him as an overambitious person. Furthermore, dreams and sleep as a theme in this section of the play helps Shakespeare to create a foundation for portraying the blurred lines between reality and fantasy, as well as express his arguments that man vulnerable in different ways. For example, when Bottom notes that he has had an unexplainable dream, he quotes Bible verses in a wrong order, showing how he was vulnerable to aspects such as confusion.
莎士比亚在《波顿的梦》中讲述了两个主题。本场景中涉及的个主题是变换。值得注意的是，通过巴顿的叙述，很明显，他经历了一种形式的转变，无论是真实的还是想象的，这使他认为自己比别人优越，因此，即使他的梦想也可以被翻译，但只能转化为民谣。请注意，该剧不是以直接的方式接近，而是使用间接的方式来表示底部已经被改变。除了转型主题外，莎士比亚在其作品中所涵盖的另一个关键主题是梦的主题。值得注意的是，波顿醒来后的叙述描绘了一个无法解释的梦（雅各布森52）。重要的是，通过使用梦的主题，莎士比亚成功地创造了一个平台，以获得对一些人物属性的见解。特别是，他没有回避梦的主题，而是采用了一种直截了当的方法，从而清楚地表明梦在这出戏中起着核心作用。例如，在本例中，波顿对自己梦想的叙述将他描绘成一个雄心勃勃的人。此外，梦和睡眠作为戏剧的这一部分的主题帮助莎士比亚为描绘现实与幻想之间模糊的线条创造了一个基础，同时也表达了他以不同方式表达人类脆弱性的论点。例如，当巴顿注意到他做了一个无法解释的梦时，他错误地引用了圣经中的经文，表明他是如何容易受到困惑等方面的影响的。
In this section of the play, Shakespeare uses prose to highlight the thoughts of Bottom using a natural rather than poetic language. For example, he says, “I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream past the wit of man to say what dream it was” (Noble 150). In this case, his language does not sound poetic in any way. One of the reasons that Shakespeare uses prose rather than a blank verse is to portray Bottom as a simple person who has a low status in society. Thus, from his soliloquy, one can deduce that Bottom is a person without nobility, but rather an ordinary person. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s use of prose creates a platform to show Bottom’s defiance. Note that whereas he was no longer acting, Bottom wakes up and begin behaving as if he was still in acting with his friend. For example, he notes, “When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer. My next is “Most fair Pyramus.” Thus, despite the fact that the actors and the audience know that Bottom is a “nobody”, this does not deter him from seeking relevance with his dream that has no “bottom.” For example, through the use of prose, it is easier to establish that Bottom was not the best actor as he claimed to be. On the contrary, he was prone to making melodramatic rhetorical mistakes that undermined his acting roles. For example, he says, “The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was” (Pressly 110). Note that even from common sense, the eyes of man does not hear but rather see. Furthermore, since he was quoting St. Paul in 1st Corinthians, Bottom’s failure to correctly quote him is an indication of his weakness in acting.
在该剧的这一部分中，莎士比亚使用散文，用自然而非诗意的语言来突出底层的思想。例如，他说，“我有一个非常罕见的幻觉。我有一个超越人类智慧的梦，可以说出那是什么梦”（Noble 150）。在这种情况下，他的语言听起来并没有任何诗意。莎士比亚使用散文而不是空白诗句的原因之一是将波顿描绘成一个社会地位低下的简单人。因此，从他的自言自语中，我们可以推断，巴顿是一个没有贵族气质的人，而是一个普通人。此外，莎士比亚对散文的运用创造了一个平台来展示波顿的反抗。注意，尽管他不再演戏，巴顿醒了，开始表现得好像他还在和他的朋友演戏。例如，他指出，“当我的提示到来时，打电话给我，我会回答。我的下一个问题是“最公平的皮拉摩斯。”因此，尽管演员和观众都知道波顿是一个“无名小卒”，但这并不能阻止他寻求与他没有“波顿”的梦想的关联例如，通过使用散文，可以更容易地确定巴顿并不像他声称的那样是更佳演员。相反，他容易犯戏剧性的修辞错误，这损害了他的表演角色。例如，他说，“人的眼睛没有听见，人的耳朵没有看见，人的手不能品尝，他的舌头不能怀孕，他的心也不能报告我的梦是什么”（Pressly 110）。注意，即使根据常识，人类的眼睛也不是听而是看。此外，由于他在《哥林多前书》中引用了圣保罗的名言，巴顿未能正确引用他的名言表明了他在表演方面的弱点。
Importantly, Shakespeare uses symbolism to show reveals a number of things about Bottom as well as humanity. Note that Bottom notes, “Man is but an ass if he go about to expound this dream” (Ray 152). In this regard, comparing man and an ass, Shakespeare compares man to an ass to symbolise stupidity. By using symbolism, Shakespeare manages to portray the element that Bottom often contradicted himself. Arguably, whereas it is expected that his dream was so profound and as such, no man could interpret it on one hand, any attempt to interpret it will render one stupid. Note that by linking this symbolism with Bottom’s statement that his dream has no bottom, the audience can comfortably conclude that his dream had no significant meaning despite the fact he presents it as an important dream. Moreover, symbolism also helps to unravel what Bottom thought about Peter Quince. In this case, he perceived Quince as a stupid person since he wanted him to expound his dream.
重要的是，莎士比亚用象征主义展示了许多关于底层和人性的东西。注意下面的注释，“如果一个人要解释这个梦，他就是一头驴”（雷152）。在这方面，莎士比亚将人与驴进行比较，将人与驴进行比较，以象征愚蠢。通过使用象征手法，莎士比亚成功地描绘了波顿经常自相矛盾的因素。可以说，虽然人们认为他的梦想是如此深刻，因此，没有人能够一方面解释它，但任何试图解释它的尝试都会使人变得愚蠢。请注意，通过将这种象征与波顿的梦没有底的说法联系起来，观众可以轻松地得出结论，他的梦没有任何意义，尽管他把它作为一个重要的梦来呈现。此外，象征主义也有助于解开巴顿对彼得·昆斯的看法。在这种情况下，他认为昆斯是一个愚蠢的人，因为他想让他阐述他的梦想。