Bears

I was reminded again last week of a quote that entered my life almost 30 years ago.

Or in the night, imagining some fear,
How easy is a bush supposed a bear!

The “bear quote”, as it is now known, is from Act V, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It first arrived during a lesson from the late Gerard Campbell, the source of much other wisdom that has served me well over the years. On that day, he spoke with some passion about why it was one of his favourites, focusing on the imagery, and the sense of quiet, late-night unease that it makes tangible. It has become one of my favourites as well, but for slightly different reasons.

It reminds me that circumstance and surroundings can lead us to perceive threats where there are none. They will still feel real enough at the time, but things that might seem daunting at first glance often take on a much more ordinary shape when the daylight returns.

I also think about it from the perspective of the bush. One-sided conflict can sometimes arrive without warning, and typically at moments of fear or high stress. Once someone has heard a plainly meant statement as meaning its exact opposite, they might never again trust that the speaker was only ever harmless shrubbery.

In the play, the line belongs to the rationalist Theseus, who is confidently explaining away other people’s experiences as being mere tricks of the imagination. He never stops to wonder whether he might have been the one calling a bear a bush. Our own frameworks naturally shape what we see in others, and the quote helps to remind me not to be similarly blinded by my own certainties.

If you are looking for a bear, then a bear you will find.