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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM by: William Shakespeare

 Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England in 1564  40 official documents name Shakespeare himself, and 50 references are made to him by people living during his life  He most likely attended the free grammar school in Stratford and studied: Latin, mathematics, natural sciences, rhetoric, and literature WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

 In 1587, he married Anne Hathaway. They had three children.  No one knows why he left Stratford for London.  In 1592, the first reference to Shakespeare as an actor and playwright is made.  His first 8 published plays do not have his name on them.  18 plays were published during his lifetime WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

 He wrote 37 Plays: The Comedy of Errors Love’s Labor Lost Henry VI Richard III Titus Andronicus The Taming of the Shrew Romeo and Juliet A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Merchant of Venice Much Ado About Nothing Julius Caesar As You Like It Twelfth Night Hamlet All’s Well That End’s Well Othello King Lear Macbeth Antony and Cleopatra …to name a few…. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE  He wrote 4 collections of poetry: Venus and Adonis The Rape of Lucrece Sonnets The Phoenix and the Turtle

 He was a part of company called the Chamberlain’s Men, later called the King’s Men  This company primarily acted at the Globe Theatre  He died April 25, 1616 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

AUTHORSHIP AND COLLABORATION  Shakespeare was writing for the stage, a living breathing place.  A playwright sold a script to a theater company, and the script then belonged to the company.  No doubt, during rehearsals, the script was edited as the actors suggested alterations or as other forces of the times required it (i.e. governmental forces)  The “intended” play is one that the actors and society would help to construct.

 Yes! He gets a lot of technical and scientific details wrong! Not enough evidence to suggest that he didn’t write the plays! He didn’t personally put his name on his first plays because publishing wasn’t really important to playwrights. Getting your play on stage was! Acting companies didn’t want plays published because they didn’t want other play houses to use them! In 1623, after his death, two men, who had worked with him for 20 years, collected all his plays and published them in volume called a Folio. THE SHAKESPEARE DEBATE: DID HE REALLY WRITE THEM ALL?  No! The “simple, uneducated” man from Stratford couldn’t possibly have written all of these plays! He didn’t have enough knowledge of science, society, legal terms, medical terms, classical writing! He didn’t even go to university!

 Elizabeth I was in power during Shakespeare’s time. ( )  Returned English from Catholicism to Protestantism  Bubonic Plague persists ( ) 1/3 of European population died  Elizabeth’s stability and her love of humanities led to a transformation of English literature, especially plays and poetry. ELIZABETHAN ERA

 Written: 1595  Setting: Athens- Court of Theseus The woods- Fairy Realm of Oberon  When: Midsummer’s Night June 24 th - the summer solstice a night that suggested merrymaking, enchantment, and witchcraft “midsummer madness”- state of mind marked by the craziness associated with the summer heat A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

 4 Interwoven Plots: 1.Duke Theseus and Hippolyta are getting married! 2.Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius are caught in a weird and twisted love mess! 3.Oberon and Titania (fairies) are fighting and Oberon’s jester, Puck, is causing trouble! 4.A company of artisans is preparing to put on a play for Theseus’s wedding day A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

THESEUS AND HIPPOLYTA

HERMIA, LYSANDER, HELENA, AND DEMETRIUS

OBERON AND TITANIA

PUCK

TITANIA AND BOTTOM

WRITER’S NOTEBOOK: Why do parents and children disagree/argue? How do these issues get resolved? Who usually gives in? Who should give in?