1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
An Introduction

2. Today’s Goals Focus Questions Goals
What type of play is this and what should we pay attention to?
What do we need to know to understand the play?
What is this story ultimately about?
What is the “play within a Play”?
Who are the characters and what are their conflicts?
Why does Shakespeare include mythology in his plays?
To examine and clarify background information about the play
To explore major themes, characters, topics related to the play
To read and analyze the “play within a play”
Expand our knowledge on Greek references in mnd
Read the “Pyramus and Thisbe”
Analyze the poem
Watch a student-made video clip of the text

3. What’s in a Name? The title: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
It tells us all we need to know:
Magic
Romance
Madness!

4. EQ’s (reminder) What factors create and influence our perceptions?
How do the writings of Shakespeare provide us with a glimpse into the past but still connect us to the present?​
How do the conventions of the theater reinforce the meaning of the play?
These are the things we need to think about as we explore the story.

5. Shakespeare is Confusing
Use the 3 things you need: Language, Meter, Vocab.
The play is about people in love.
There are FOUR intertwined plots in the play
There are two settings for the play
There are a TON of characters. Keep characters together with their plot lines and the play will fall into place! (more on this later)

6. Need to know points:
The play was first performed between 1595 and 1596
Like R&J it explores love, but is a comedy, not a tragedy
Tragedy= ends in death, comedy= ends in happiness (usually marriage)
Shakespeare explores the complex nature of the human heart
Midsummer mocks many aspects of human behavior
i.e.- This play and its actions are not meant to be taken seriously- however the message/theme of the play should be.

7. Was Shakespeare really funny?
Yes.
His humor appealed to people of all tastes and classes
Shakespeare’s plays were written for the poor class (6th grade education) but he made sure to appeal to the upper class to make more $$$$
Midsummer contains all kinds of humor – slapstick, wit, sight gags, puns…

8. More about Shakespeare’s humor
Shakespeare uses humor, satire, and parody to express his ideas about our universal human experiences.
Indeed, sometimes he is just being funny, but sometimes he’s making a point with his humor.
Also… he likes dirty jokes.

9. Under Construction The characters are set in a given space and time.
Shakespeare draws his material from a large body of social background, historical facts and myth
In order to understand the play, the characters, and the production of this play, it is important to review how and what Shakespeare used to create the final product.
“We are the sum of our parts”

10. CLEVER… Setting Background The play is set in early Greece, in Athens.
It is unexpected as so much of the play seems so typically England.
The Greek setting is a serious frame of reference, which the educated audience would immediately recognize.
It also provides a warranty of seriousness and sets a distance from 16th century England
it enables Shakespeare to contemplate his society while distancing it in the past, which was important because playwrights were very dependent on sponsors and political power.
In other words: Shakespeare wrote about distant lands and places in order to be able to present his plays to an English audience, and critique human nature without causing riots.
CLEVER…

11. What is a Midsummer Night’s eve?
Midsummer's Eve has been celebrated since ancient times.
It occurs on the summer solstice – around June 24.
Plants that bloom at this time were believed to have miraculous healing powers.
Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits.

12. Fairies and Magic
The Fairies are part of the Elizabethan folk culture. Many people believed that they did exist (especially lower classes).
In Midsummer, fairies and magic have a huge hand in the events in the play.
Because it was believed their powers controlled the human world, we, the audience, get to see exactly how the mishaps and devious nature of fairies change what happen in the human world.

13. The Big Questions
This is a tale of frustrated love and mistaken identity
Lovers change the object of their affection, while still believing that their feelings are completely sincere?!
the play poses some profound and difficult questions: What is love? (“Baby don’t hurt me…”) How and why do people fall in and out of love? How is love related to questions of identity—both of the lover and the beloved? Are lovers in control of themselves and their destinies? Which is more real, the “daylight” world of reason and law or the “nighttime” world of passion and chaos?
Shakespeare leaves these questions for the audience to answer!

14. Characters, Characters, Characters, Oh my!
Know your characters to understand the play!!

15. The Main Characters and their Plots
The Lovers
The Royals
The Fairies
The Mechanicals

16. Characters: The Lovers
The Lovers include four characters, Helena, Demetrius, Lysander and Hermia.
They are called The Lovers because they are all in love.
Helena loves Demetrius, Demetrius loves Hermia, Hermia loves Lysander and Lysander loves Hermia.
Hermia’s Father Egeus does not approve of Lysander, although he does approve of Demetrius.
Unfortunately, Hermia does not like Demetrius, and actually detests him.

17. Characters: The Lovers
They used to date but D$ was like, suh, my homeboy Egeus got a hot daughter and she needs to be wed, so I volunteer as tribute (also, I hate Lys)
Characters: The Lovers
Helena
OBSESSIVELY
Demetrius
Hermia
Lysander
Egeus (father)

18. Characters: The Royal
The Royals include Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus and Philostrate (the wedding planner).
Theseus is the king of Athens.
The play opens up with Theseus and Hippolyta talking about their nuptial day (wedding) but something is off about these two love birds…
Egeus is Hermia’s father and is Theseus’ go to man.
Philostrate is planning Theseus’ and Hippolyta’s wedding. Theseus also always agrees with Egeus since he trusts him.

19. Characters: The Fairies
The fairies include Oberon, Titania, Puck, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed and Peaseblossom (and a Changling)
Oberon’s servant fairy is Puck.
Puck has a tendency to always make mistakes (sometimes on purpose!). 
Titania’s fairy servants are Cobweb, Moth, Musterdseed and Peaseblossom.
They are perfect fairy’s and do everything correctly.
Oberon and Titania are fighting over the Changling (human child taken into the fairy world).

20. Characters: The Fairies
Oberon
Titania
Changling
Puck
Peasblossom
Cobweb
Moth
Mustardseed

21. Characters: The Mechanics
The Mechanicals include Quince, Bottom, Flute, Starveling, Snout and Snug.
They are named after the “roles” they play
The Mechanicals are trying to put on a play for Theseus’ wedding.
Quince is the man in charge of the group and is the smartest one there.
Surprisingly, everyone thinks Bottom is actually the smartest of them all.
Bottom suggests the stupidest ideas and everyone but Quince thinks he is a genius.
Simba…

22. Characters: The Mechanics
The Mechanics bring about a rather strange thing in the play:
A play within a play- they do a performance of a play during a Midsummer Night’s Dream
Now Shakespeare does this in another play as well
Historians use this information to study perception of plays during the time period
They conclude that actors (only male during this time period) were not glorified.
The popular thing to do was bear bating, get drunk, or watch a play (and plays could only be during the day time, no electricity)
So although “simple-minded” folks are acting out the play within a play, Shakespeare was making commentary on both plays during his lifetime, and the perception that people had of plays.
Simba…

23. A Play within a Play & Greek References
Theseus
Pyramus and Thisbe
And more!

24. Greek Myths
A Midsummer Night's Dream is loaded with references to Greek mythology, gods, and goddesses.
Shakespeare was writing in a time and for an audience that was very familiar with this mythology.
The audience would be able to understand the characters and follow the play easily because of their knowledge of the subjects.
Whereas, you guys, and Ms. B. will not be as familiar (No, I’m not an expert at Greek myth)
Shakespeare does this for the same reason any TV show uses references: for a joke, for being relevant, to make connections between the characters and real humans, and to make the work feel larger than what it is.

25. Greek Mythology
Greek influence is also seen in the characters Oberon and Titania, the elvish rulers of fairy world.
They are said to have the characteristics of the Greek divine rulers Zeus and Hera.
As Shakespeare gave these characters such traits, the audience would be easily able to follow along their story and understand how they functioned in the play.

26. Oberon and Titania
Zeus, the king of the gods of Mount Olympus, had many relationships but it was his sister, Hera, whom he wanted to rule by his side as his wife.
Hera, the goddess of marriage and childbirth and the ruler of the sky, said no every time Zeus proposed marriage.
She was all too aware of Zeus’ past (he was bit of a playa’) and had no interest in the proposition.
Zeus continued to propose for hundreds of years, each time getting a “no” from Hera.
Zeus was persistent and finally came up with a plan that would trick Hera into finally becoming his wife. Zeus was able to transform himself and turned himself into a helpless, rain-soaked bird. Hera found the poor bird and brought it to shelter and took care of it. Zeus turned himself back and Hera couldn’t help but fall in love with him. She finally agreed to be his wife.

27. Puck
Puck is another character of mythological background, although more common to English folklore.
A puck refers to a mischievous sprite of the woodland who enjoys causing trouble.
The audience would be especially familiar with the mythology of their own country, which is why Puck is such an easy character for the audience to understand and identify. 
It would be the modern equivalent of having a character named Troublemaker.

28. Theseus and Hippolyta
 The royal court is that of Theseus, a well known Greek hero.
He is most known for defeating Minotaur in the Labyrinth of Crete and later becoming ruler of Athens.
Theseus is also credited with defeating the Amazons, a tribe of fierce warrior women, and capturing and marrying their queen Hippolyta.
A Midsummer Night's Dream opens with the preparations for their wedding. 

29. Pyramus and Thisbe

30. The Play within a Play
During MSND, the “actors” put on a play- Pyramus and Thisbe.
It is important to know the original play in order to understand how Shakespeare transforms it.
Shakespeare makes some of these actors absolutely ridiculous stupid (slap-stick humor) to add fun into the play, make fun at himself/ his profession, and force his actors to act stupidly (so cruel…)

31. Pyramus and Thisbe
This is a narrative poem (a poem that tells a story like “Exile” or “The Odyssey”).
It was written by Ovid in his Metamorphoses, (collection of short tales).
In order for us to understand WHAT and WHY Shakespeare used previous material and transformed it, we are going to first start with this poem.

32. Directions Read the play Answer the questions

33. sources
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