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Thinking about A Midsummer Night’s Dream Introduction Notes on the Text Sources Quizzes Quotations Characters Themes Audio Recordings Links to YouTube Videos Essays and Projects The Reconciliation of Titania and Oberon, Joseph Noel Paton, 1847

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Introduction Titania Embracing Bottom, Henry Fuseli (1793) It is unknown when MND was first written or performed, but it is usually dated between 1594 – 1596. May have been written for an aristocratic wedding or to celebrate the Feast of St. John Midsummer Eve, or St. John’s Eve, was celebrated on June 23. Categorized as a comedy, it is one of Shakespeare’s most popular works. Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream – The Text Title page of first quarto, 1600 First quarto edition published in 1600 by Thomas Fisher. Second quarto edition published in 1619 by William Jaggard, as part of “False Folio.” Included in First Folio of 1623. First documented performance occurred at Court on Jan. 1, 1605. Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Sources Thisbe, John Waterhouse (1909) MND has no single source. Unlike many of Shakespeare’s plays, it’s not an adaptation of another work. Pyramus and Thisbe comes from Ovid’s The Metamorphosis. Wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta comes from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Other aspects of the play are derived from Roman comedic tradition and English folk tales. Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Quizzes Act I Act II Act III Act IV Act V Main Menu A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Edwin Landseer (1848)

MND: Act I Quiz Click the  for an answer. Explain why Egeus has come to Theseus to complain about his daughter, Hermia.  Why do Hermia and Lysander plan to visit his aunt who lives outside of Athens? Who is Helena, and why does she decide to tell Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander’s plan? What part will Bottom play in “Pyramus and Thisbe,” and how does Peter Quince convince Bottom to accept the part? Why are the tradesmen worried about the lion’s part in their production? Quizzes Main Menu

Explain why Egeus has come to Theseus to complain about his daughter, Hermia. Click anywhere for the answer. Egeus has promised Hermia in marriage to Demetrius, who is in love with her. However, Hermia has fallen in love with Lysander and refuses to obey her father. Egeus demands that Hermia be punished if she refuses to obey his order to marry Demetrius. Quizzes Next Question Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Quotations Act I Act II Act III Act IV Act V Main Menu Titania Awakening, Henry Fuseli (1785-89)

MND: Act I Quotations Click the  for an answer. Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, And won thy love, doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph and with revelling.  Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter… The course of true love never did run smooth; I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you, as 'twere any nightingale. Quotations Main Menu

Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, And won thy love, doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph and with revelling. Click anywhere for the answer. Theseus explains that although he won Hippolyta’s love by conquering her in battle, their marriage will have a different tone, one of lavish celebration. Quotations Next Question Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Characters Theseus Hippolyta Demetrius Hermia Lysander Helena Puck Oberon Titania Egeus Nick Bottom The Tradesmen The Fairies Changelings Main Menu Titania, Henry Meynell Rheam, date unknown

Puck - 1 Vince Cardinale as Puck from the Carmel Shakespeare Festival production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sept., 2000 Also known as Robin Goodfellow, based on a figure from English mythology. A mischievous fairy or spirit who delights in causing trouble for humans. With Bottom, the only character in the play involved in all three plots. Oberon’s servant, sent to obtain the magic flower struck by Cupid’s arrows. Mistakenly doses the sleeping Lysander, instead of Demetrius, causing the comic confusion among the four Athenian lovers. Characters Next Main Menu

Puck - 2 Changes Bottom’s head to that of a donkey, causing Titania to fall in love with a beast and allowing Oberon to take the changeling boy from her. Puck later separates Demetrius and Lysander by imitating their voices, and corrects his earlier mistake by causing Lysander to fall back in love with Hermia. The four lovers awake believing the events of the previous night were a dream. Puck ends the play suggesting that if the audience was offended, they should just pretend it was all a dream. Puck, Joshua Reynolds, 1789 Characters Back Main Menu

Lily Fairy, Luis Ricardo Falero, 1888 The Fairies Lily Fairy, Luis Ricardo Falero, 1888 Fairies in medieval and Renaissance folklore were often described as having human form and magical powers. Fairies have also been depicted in folklore as tall angels, short wizened trolls, tiny figures with wings or even small children. Many stories revolve around humans protecting themselves from their malicious pranks or magic potions by avoiding locations they are known to inhabit. Fairies were thought to disguise their appearance in the presence of humans. Characters Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Themes Dreams Gender Relationships Love Magic Order and Disorder The Power of Theatre Main Menu A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act IV Scene I, Henry Fuseli, 1796

Love - 1 Love is the central theme of the play. Shakespeare examines many aspects of love by showing the behavior of six pairs of lovers: Theseus and Hippolyta Helena and Demetrius Hermia and Lysander Oberon and Titania Titania and Bottom Pyramus and Thisbe Although the Athenian lovers and Titania are under Puck’s magic spell, Shakespeare is making fun of the way lovers act in real life. Lovers are shown to be fickle and foolish. Passionate love is brief and often based on appearances. These themes have also been treated by Shakespeare in tragedies, such as Romeo and Juliet. Themes Next Main Menu

Love - 2 Lysander’s oft-quoted comment in the opening scene sets the tone for the lovers’ struggles: The course of true love never did run smooth; Although the play focuses on the foolishness of lovers, the tone is lighthearted, as is appropriate for comedy. Even the tragic story of the lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe, as performed by the tradesmen, is a source of humor and entertainment. The theme is resolved by the reconciliation of Oberon and Titania and by the triple wedding at the end of the play. Themes Back Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Audio Recordings Audio Files are not available in the preview version. Act I Click a Sound icon to play the entire act. Click into the bar to advance the recording. Act II Act III Cast All audio files are downloaded from LibriVox.org and are in the public domain. More info. Act IV Act V Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream – You Tube Videos Links to YouTube videos are not available in the preview version of this presentation. To purchase, visit www.ShakespeareHelp.com. Main Menu

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Essays & Projects Essays and Projects are not available in the preview version of this presentation. To purchase, visit www.ShakespeareHelp.com. Main Menu