1. Introduction to Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s dream, Week 1

2. Assessments this term
Task
Date implemented
Due date
Dramatic performance, annotation & critical reflection
Week 3
Week 6

3. Who was William Shakespeare?
What do we already know about William Shakespeare? Class discussion, sharing points.
*Let’s read pages 1, 2 and 4 in the Booklet about William Shakespeare and an overview of the play. Highlight important points in your booklet.

4. Let’s consider the title…
What do you think the play is going to be about based on the title alone?
The title suggests an atmosphere of fantasy, whimsy, and imagination, which is a pretty accurate description of the magical wood where characters experience events that seem more like a dream than reality. t was an excuse to party outdoors and the holiday involved dancing, drinking, and collecting medicinal herbs. For a lot of partiers, Midsummer's Eve was also supposed to be a time of mystery and magic, when spirits ran around causing mischief and teenage girls had dreams about the guys they'd eventually fall in love with and marry.

5. Brief summary of the play

6. Genres- Comedy and Fantasy
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ can be classified as within the comedy and fantasy genre. Below are common features of a Shakespearean comedy:
Comedy
Fantasy
Comedy through language (clever word play, metaphors, insults)
Love – as a central theme to comedy – often young lovers who overcome obstacles to their relationship
Complex plots – twists and turns
The ‘climax’ or turning point of the play occurs in the third act
The final scene has a celebratory feel
Mistaken identities: Comedies most often drive by this (some characters are disguised
The plot could not happen in real life
Plot involves magic or witchcraft
Often takes place on another planet or in another dimension
Setting is medieval in tone usually
Mythical creatures or talking animals
Witches/Sorcerers
Unlimited boundaries within the realm

7. Dramatic structure

8. London in the 1590s was a vibrant and expanding town
London in the 1590s was a vibrant and expanding town. It was most famous for theatre, as many composers like Shakespeare broke free of England’s past style of theatre.
The Elizabethan Era,

9. Interesting facts !
Shakespeare introduced nearly 2000 words into the English language!
He was writing during what is considered the ‘golden age’ in English history
Queen Elizabeth 1 was the daughter of the murderous King Henry VIII (daughter of Anne Boleyn)
Elizabethan society was divided into a strict social order that included six classes, and law dictated what colour and kind of clothes each class would wear so they would be identifiable.
Nobody drank water – it was contaminated, unsafe to drink so many drank alcohol instead
Witch hysteria was prevalent
Superstitions ran high during this era
Fairies were thought of as bad spirits who played tricks on people. They caused misfortune and illness. They were thought to be the same size of humans.

10. Key values, concerns and beliefs
Women were raised to believe they were inferior to men. Women of nobility were allowed an education. Women were mostly confined to domestic duties and to the household.
Men were responsible for working for the family and they generally held all of the power. Women were their ‘property’.
The Protestant religion was regarded very highly and had strict regulations.
Hierarchy of social classes ensured less rights for peasants in particular.
Punishment: Torture, exile and violent forms of punishment were most common for an assortment of crimes.
Fate: Life is predestined and controlled by God or other forces. This contrasts to Humanism, and was a popular belief by religious thinkers.
Love was an afterthought to marriage. Marriages were arranged by parents for the prosperity of shared households.

11. Gender roles and expectations
Perception of females:
Women were emotional, and not capable of logical thought
They were to be beautiful and for others to enjoy
They were submissive to their husband’s or father’s rule.
Perception of males:
Leaders in society (patriarchal society)
Natural capacity for rational thought
Should be ‘manly’, dominant, strong, a defender of honour

12. Shakespeare’s plays are all about one great general theme: disorder.
Key Themes
Shakespeare’s plays are all about one great general theme: disorder.
Other key themes:
Romantic love
Friendship
Appearance vs. reality
Marriage
Gender
Power
Man and the natural world

13. So why study Shakespeare in the 21st century?
Jot down some points in your book by reflecting with a partner.
Consider why Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant to us today – i.e. why are you studying one this term?
Class discussion.

14. Video Spark Notes – summary of the play
Watch summary of the play (Video Spark notes) -.
After you watch the summary, make dotpoints of the video in your book of what you can remember about the characters, plot, etc. The complete Activity 25, Review (page 10), ordering events British council: Video and Games
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Watch the 3 min video outlining the plot of the play. Now play two quick revision games on the site to cement your understanding of characters and the plot.

15. Characters Theseus Hippolyta Egeus Hermia Lysander Demetrius Helena
Setting: Athens in antiquity, in Midsummer. Most Elizabethans knew nothing about it; it was distant and mysterious – the perfect setting!
Characters
The Athenians (Court)
The Fairies
The Mechanicals
Theseus
Hippolyta
Egeus
Hermia
Lysander
Demetrius
Helena
Oberon (Fairy King)
Titania (Fairy Queen)
Puck (Oberon’s fairy)
Other Fairies: Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed
Nick Bottom
Peter Quince
Francis Flute
Robin Starveling
Tom Snout
Snug
Note: The Mechanicals refers to the 6 characters in the play above who perform a play within a play ‘Pyramis and Thisbe’. They are named for their occupations as skilled manual labourers, but they are a group of amateur actors around Athens, looking to make a name for themselves by staging their production at the royal wedding party of Theseus and Hippolyta.

16. Theseus loves Hippolyta (won her hand in battle). She may love him?
At the outset of the play:
Oberon is married to Titania – but they don’t love eachother because they have been unfaithful.
Theseus loves Hippolyta (won her hand in battle). She may love him?
Hermia loves Lysander. Lysander loves Hermia.
Demetrius loves Hermia. Helena loves Demetrius.

17. Characters – relationships (visual activity)
Have a look through the character web in your booklets on page 11. Discuss the relationships present, and first assumptions.
Task: Complete the next page (page 12), placing these into another character chart, expressing your understanding of these relationships.
Write a brief paragraph of this information, summarising the diagram including the relationships.

18. Myths: Pyramus and Thisbe
The play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ makes reference to the infamous parable of ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’; characters in the play seek to perform this play for the Athenian Duke and his new wife at their wedding.
The story goes…
Pyramus and Thisbe are a couple of young Babylonians in love. Unfortunately their families hate eachother.
They are lovers who share a wall between their houses, and speak their love for eachother through a crack.
They decide to elope and decide to meet under the Mulberry tree
When Thisbe shows up under the Mulberry tree, a lioness is there. Thisbe screams and runs, leaving her shawl behind. Pyramus arrives a little while later and finds the lioness ripping the shawl apart.
Assuming Thisbe is dead, he stabs himself with his sword.
Thisbe returns, figures out what has happened and stabs herself with Pyramus’ sword too.
To this day, the formerly white berries of the tree are stained red with the blood of these tragic lovers.

19. Importance: Pyramus and Thisbe
Pyramus and Thisbe’s love story has ties to the ‘real life’ couples in the play.
It provides a commentary on the main action of the play.
Their love story ends tragically, and serves to show the couples that they must always respect eachother and their love, cherish it and their time together.
It also shows the couples that true love cannot be denied and should not be hindered.
It focuses on irrational love and the dangers of making rash, sudden decisions
It also provides a warning for parents/those who seek to deny true love

20. Key Terms – turn to your drama glossary
Aside: Words spoken by an actor to the audience directly, not heard by other characters in the play.
Monologue: A speech given by a single person to an audience, or characters on stage.
Soliloquy: A speech that one gives to oneself (thinking aloud). This is so the audience understands what is happening to the character internally.
Dramatic irony: A character speaks in ignorance of a situation or event known to the audience or to the other characters.
Language activity, p 6 and 7 – making Shakespearean sentences
Shakespearean insults – p. 8 and 9

21. Let’s start reading Act 1!