1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by:
William Shakespeare

2. Midsummer Festival
Pagan festivities for the summer solstice, June 21, merged with the Christian holiday St. John’s Day, June 24 and the Midsummer Night and Day celebrations were born
Customs—light large bonfires to ward off evil spirits. This was called “setting the watch”
Most young people stay up the whole night
Deck the house—decorate with plants that were thought to have special magical properties on this night

3. Setting Midsummer Night was when fairies were especially powerful
Flowers gathered on Midsummer Night could work magic
Shakespeare combines aspects of Ancient Athens and Renaissance England
The first act takes place in Athens and then moves to the woods outside of Athens

4. Fairy Lore Belief in fairies during Shakespeare’s time was common
People used charms to protect themselves from harm (objects of iron) but in general people liked them
Mischievous pranksters

5. Pay attention to Shakespeare’s use of :
Moon—its connection to lunacy presides
over the escapades in the woods
Dreams—explain bizarre events in which the characters are involved
Plants/Herbs—Elizabethans were knowledgeable of their use as flavorful seasonings and also their medicinal use

6. Marriage A woman had very little choice in who her husband might be
Female disobedience was seen as a crime
Marriages were arranged so that both families would benefit by bringing prestige or wealth to the family
Many couples would meet for the very first time on their wedding day

7. Main Characters
Theseus, Duke of Athens
Hippolyta, engaged to Theseus
Egeus, father to Hermia
Hermia, in love with Lysander
Lysander, in love with Hermia
Demetrius, in love with Hermia,
Helena, in love with Demetrius
Quince, Bottom, Snug, Snout, Flute, Starveling – Actors
Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the Faries
Puck, Oberon’s main servant

8. 4 Plots The Marriage of Duke Theseus to Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta
2. The Mixed up affairs of lovers
(Lysander & Hermia/Demitrius & Helena)
3. A Play (Pyramus & Thisby) and its preparation by the mechanics (tradesmen)
4. A Quarrel between King Oberon & Queen Titania (the fairies)

9. “The course of true love never did run smooth”
Themes
Difficulties of Love
Friendship
Illusion vs. Reality
(Dreams)
“The course of true love never did run smooth”

10. Pyramus and Thisbe (the play within the play)
Two young lovers that wanted to marry but were forbidden by their parents
They plan a secret meeting at night
Thisbe is waiting at the destination when approached by a lion who had just killed an animal. She is afraid, runs to hide, and drops her veil which the lion bites with his bloody mouth
Pyramus comes, sees the lion’s footprint and the bloody veil, thinks Thisbe is dead, and kills himself
Thisbe returns, sees Pyramus dead, and kills herself