As with every person, each work of art has its own fate. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an extraordinary example, with numerous reincarnations both musical and dramatic which, like a mirror, have reflected the tastes and aspirations of different eras. from the abridged versions of the 17th and 18th centuries to the daring stagings of the 20th, from the musical interpretations of the Baroque era to modern musical theatre, each manifestation has uncovered new, previously hidden meanings in Shakespeare’s play.

Oscar Wilde said, “Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event.” Based as it is on a notional figure, the 225th anniversary of the mariinsky theatre would probably have appealed even to the great poet and dramatist himself. 

Compared to fantastic tales of buried treasure that excite the imagination with accounts of lives transformed by unbelievable riches found lying just below the surface of the earth, archaeological discoveries are most valuable when helping us to understand and explain the origins and development of human cultures.