1. William Shakespeare and A Midsummer Night’s Dream

2. What do you already know about Shakespeare?

3. The Bard, His World and The Globe 1564-16161564-1616 MSND 1590-1596MSND 1590-1596 “professional poet”“professional poet” Tudor England 1485-1603Tudor England 1485-1603 Henry VIII 1509-1547Henry VIII 1509-1547 Religious & Political ConflictReligious & Political Conflict Elizabeth I 1558-1603Elizabeth I 1558-1603 Elizabethan Era/RenaissanceElizabethan Era/Renaissance Stuart England 1603- 1707Stuart England 1603- 1707 Scotland + BritainScotland + Britain Middle EnglishMiddle English The Globe Theater/GroundlingsThe Globe Theater/Groundlings VernacularVernacular

4. Themes LoveLove ValorValor HonorHonor FriendshipFriendship DespairDespair MotivationMotivation PersuasionPersuasion HumanityHumanity FearFear ShameShame ProprietyPropriety GratitudeGratitude

5. Things to ponder… roles of men vs roles of womenroles of men vs roles of women allusionsallusions allegoryallegory reading a play vs seeing a playreading a play vs seeing a play fantasy genrefantasy genre Plot and sub-plotPlot and sub-plot

6. Characters Court Characters TheseusTheseus HippolytaHippolyta EgeusEgeus HermiaHermia LysanderLysander HelenaHelena DemetriusDemetrius Mystical Characters OberonOberon TitaniaTitania PuckPuck Fairy AttendantsFairy Attendants The Rustics (actors) Quince (director/Prologue)Quince (director/Prologue) Flute (Thisbe)Flute (Thisbe) Bottom (Pyramus)Bottom (Pyramus) Starveling (Lion)Starveling (Lion) Snout (Moonshine)Snout (Moonshine) Snug (Wall)Snug (Wall)

7. Historical Context colonizationcolonization corrupt power of the courtcorrupt power of the court Family structureFamily structure Role of womenRole of women What is Shakespeare’s opinion on each of these issues? How can you tell based on this play? Hint: you will find out as we read!

8. Literary Terms iambic pentameteriambic pentameter prose vs verseprose vs verse subplotsubplot AllusionAllusion AllegoryAllegory blank verseblank verse comedycomedy CoupletCouplet SoliloquySoliloquy exeuntexeunt(“eg-ZOONT”)

9. Rhythm and Meter Rhythm: pattern of stresses in a line of verse Meters: established rhythmic patterns Feet: individual building blocks of meter The most common feet: –Anapest: duh-duh- DUH, as in but of course! –Dactyl: DUH -duh-duh, as in honestly –Iamb: duh- DUH, as in collapse –Trochee: DUH -duh, as in pizza Repetitions of feet are named as follows: –1 foot: monometer –2 feet: dimeter –3 feet: trimeter –4 feet: tetrameter –5 feet: pentameter –6 feet: hexameter The famous iambic pentameter is a string of five iambs

10. Set the Scene Act I, Scene 1 AthensAthens Court of Duke TheseusCourt of Duke Theseus 4 days before the Duke’s wedding to Princess Hippolyta (Amazon)4 days before the Duke’s wedding to Princess Hippolyta (Amazon) Egeus comes to court with his daughter, Hermia, with a requestEgeus comes to court with his daughter, Hermia, with a request Love triangle/quadrilateralLove triangle/quadrilateral

11. Let’s read!

13. Anticipation Before reading anything, it’s smart to familiarize yourself with the overarching concepts and essentials ideas that you will meet up with throughout the text.Before reading anything, it’s smart to familiarize yourself with the overarching concepts and essentials ideas that you will meet up with throughout the text. This is a “before reading” strategy and it will help you develop a deeper understanding of the text.This is a “before reading” strategy and it will help you develop a deeper understanding of the text.

14. Anticipation Before reading anything, it’s smart to familiarize yourself with the overarching concepts and essentials ideas that you will meet up with throughout the text.Before reading anything, it’s smart to familiarize yourself with the overarching concepts and essentials ideas that you will meet up with throughout the text. This is a “before reading” strategy and it will help you develop a deeper understanding of the text.This is a “before reading” strategy and it will help you develop a deeper understanding of the text.