A Bush Supposed a Bear

As the chaos of A Midsummer's Night Dream draws to a close, Theseus and Hippolyta reflect on the absurdity of the lovers' story of what happened that night in the woods. Although Theseus is in a state of disbelief and is remarking on the madness that love drives people to, he makes a statement that I found to be extremely relatable: "How easy is a bush supposed a bear!" (A Midsummer's Night Dream, 5.1.23). My mind first turned to when I was a little kid (and still sometimes as an adult) and my imagination would make monsters out of clothing hanging in my closet or terrifying creatures out of shadows on the wall. Without even trying or wanting to, my mind would transform my safe environment into a fear-filled space that felt anything but secure. Although I can look back on these childhood experiences and recognize the silliness in my believing these imaginations, I realized when I read this line that this is still something I do all. the. time. Particularly in social situations, I blow up every little mistake, every little failure of mine, to become something so much greater and more horrible than it really is. Perhaps it would be wise to take a step back and realize that many of the bears in my life are truly just bushes, blown up by my imagination to trick me into believing that I am a failure when really, they are just bushes.

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