essay questions on a midsummer night's dream

86 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay Topics & Examples

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• William Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” This paper examines romantic love as the source of joy and fulfillment in “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Love is the source of pain and suffering in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
• Marriage in A Midsummer Night’s Dream The main theme of the play revolves around the marriage between Thesus, the Duke of Athens, and the Queen of Amazons called Hippolyta, as well as the events that surround the married couple.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Character Analysis of Helena Through My Eyes She narrates how being in the forest to sway his love is more of a drama and effect that she needs to beg him to love her.
• Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Psychological View As a fact, based on the way the author strategically presents various characters, psychological critics have suggested that some characters in the A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be seen as representations of the ego, the […]
• The Feminine Power in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Considering the Elizabethan times much was expected from women in terms of respect and submissiveness to the men in that society, such that a daughter going to an extent of going against a fathers choice […]
• Puck’s Character in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare The essay delves on the power of Puck to change the love interests of the two parties. In the timeless Shakespearean masterpiece, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Puck is the most important and dynamic character in […]
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Play and 1999 Reproduction The film A Midsummer Night’s Dream, although based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare, adopts a different approach to the storyline.
• Parental Issues in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Reading the Science of Law Into a Cautious Tale About the Return Into the Lapse of Nature When Literature Meets Jurisdiction: The Mother, the Father and the Child As it has been mentioned above, the play incorporates the elements of a moral dilemma concerning who the parent of a child should be […]
• Ovid as a Source for Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” Not only the figures of Pyramus and Thisbe were borrowed by Shakespeare from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” to create protagonists for his famous “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, but the English genius was also parodying both manner and […]
• Carnival in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the carnival elements in the play are widely discussed topics in the literary world. When analyzing the gradual development of the plot of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream […]
• “Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Felix Mendelssohn The Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream is a seminal piece composed by Felix Mendelssohn in the 19th century. This term refers to a format in which the composition itself is not designed to be […]
• The Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Play: A Midsummer Night’s Dream In spite of the fact that the film is based on the play appropriately, and Shakespeare’s words are followed strictly, there are some details which are added to adapt the play to the director’s vision […]
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare: Act II, Scene I Analysis Act II, Scene I opens with Puck and the Fairy discussing the schism recently erupted between the power couple of Shakespeare’s fantasy world: Oberon, the king of the fairies and Titania, the queen of the […]
• Shakespeare’s Play A Midsummer Night’s Dream The synthesis of old and new traditions in play writing contributes to the development of new genres that Shakespeare makes use of to reflect the historic and cultural context of his epoch.
• A Midsummer’s Night Dream Theseus- He is the Duke of Athens and is getting ready to marry Hippolyta at the beginning of the play. Lysander- He is Hermia’s lover and in the end of the play, the two marry.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare One of the brightest examples of such change among all the characters is Helena, one of the four young lovers of the story.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Shakespeare’s Play of Dreaming The author of the discussed article analyzes the role and meaning of dreams in one of the most prominent Shakespeare’s plays by referring to the psychological theories of dreaming.
• Ritual Performances in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare uses this dream theme to bring out the comic nature of his play and ensure that the unusual happenings in the comedy serve to entertain the audience as opposed to depressing it.
• Exploring Irony in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Trifles’ That is, it is the application of a character’s image in one line to represent another. Wright’s instability, which is evident through her sewing, leads the women and the audience to believe that Mrs.
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare The actors created compelling and relatable portrayals of the characters and their motivations for the audience, which made the play simpler to comprehend during the performance. The portrayal of Puck as a cunning and naughty […]
• The Play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” William Shakespeare These cases explicate the fact that the institution of marriage is one of the contexts in which the rights of women are gravely abused in patriarchal societies. Women in patriarchal societies are also deprived of […]
• Magic in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare What fascinated me about A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the Shakespeare’s portrayal of life on the verge of the real world and the world of magic and dreams in the forest with fairies.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Play by William Shakespeare The scene divulges the heightened parody presented by Shakespeare where there is bafflement and confusion among the young lovers. The scene sets the stage for confusion in and bickering among the young friends.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Angels in America Hence, the similarities and differences depicted in the two plays in terms of plot, general structure and the way the issues are brought up.
• Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Even though a person is considered to be a rational creature, everything is directed by feelings and the greater the feeling is, the more rational pull there is to the object of affection.
• Athenian Woods in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Comparison of the Theme of Female Conformity in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Othello”
• True Love and Unrequited Love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Social Disruption and the Supernatural in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Setting the Stage for Comedy in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Masculine and Feminine in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Image of the Forest in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Customs of Marriage and the Rights of Women in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Supernatural Element in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Destabilizing the Social Norms Between Men and Women in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Reason and Love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Men of Rule in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Music as an Important Feature of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Theme of Love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare
• The Supernatural in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• An Ecological Interpretation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Shakespeare’s Presentation of Relationships in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• What Makes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” a Comedy
• Passion in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare
• The Grim Side of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Transition of Reality Into Ideality in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Two Critical Perspectives of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Power of Magic in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Jealousy, Desperation, and Intervention
• Love Is Evil: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Williams Shakespeare
• Differences and Similarities in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Winter’s Tale”
• The Relation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to “Romeo and Juliet”
• Elizabethan Love and Marriage Customs Reflected in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Imagination and Transformation in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Romanticism and Realism in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: How Concepts and Values Are Destabilized
• Examples of Inversion in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Role of Theseus and Hippolyta in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Comedy and Tragedy in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Parallel Plots in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a Means of Holding Four Very Different Groups Together
• The Oddly Dreamlike Quality of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Puck and Bottom: The Artist as Interpreter in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Gender Stereotypes in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Analysis of the “Happy Ending” of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Major Comedic Elements of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Place Between Human and Fey in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Moon as a Symbol in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Puck’s Motivation and Depiction in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Internal Danger and the External Perils Which Afflict Shakespeare’s Lovers In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Exposition in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Themes and Supporting Images in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Male Dominance and Female Oppression in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Hyperbole and Illusion in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• William Shakespeare’s Comic Technique in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Embodiment of Humanism in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Themes of Uncertainty and Doubt in “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Multiple Marriages
• Problem-Solving in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Changeling”
• Staging a Historically Accurate Production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Patriarchy and Gender Roles in King Lear and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Women Powerless in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Comparison and Contrast Between Helena and Hermia in a “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Influence of Ovid’s Tale of Pyramus and Thisbe on Presentation of Young Lovers in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Melodic Tune In Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
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A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Discussion Questions

A Midsummer Night’s Dream questions the relationship between dreams and reality. To what extent do the characters willfully embrace the idea that everything is a dream? Why do they do so?

Bottom’s arrogance and self-importance make him a prime target for Puck’s mischief. How does Bottom’s physical transformation act as a reflection of his character?

Oberon uses his magical powers to entertain himself and win an argument against his wife. To what extent does Oberon act in a moral fashion? To what extent does he care about morality?

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

William shakespeare, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Midsummer: Introduction

Midsummer: plot summary, midsummer: detailed summary & analysis, midsummer: themes, midsummer: quotes, midsummer: characters, midsummer: symbols, midsummer: literary devices, midsummer: quizzes, midsummer: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Other Books Related to A Midsummer Night's Dream

• Full Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream
• When Written: Early to mid 1590s
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1600 (though it was first performed earlier, probably between 1594-96).
• Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500 - 1660)
• Genre: Comic drama
• Setting: The city of Athens and the forest just outside, in some distant, ancient time when it was ruled by the mythological hero Theseus.

Extra Credit for A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare or Not? There are some who believe Shakespeare wasn't educated enough to write the plays attributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrats were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supporting Shakespeare's authorship far outweighs any evidence against. So until further notice, Shakespeare is still the most influential writer in the English language.

A Midsummer Night's Parallel. Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet around the same time he wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream . In A Midsummer Night's Dream , Shakespeare mocks tragic love stories through the escapades of the lovers in the forests and the ridiculous version of Pyramus and Thisbe (a tragic romance from Ovid's Metamorphoses ) that Bottom and his company perform. So at the same time Shakespeare was writing the greatest love story ever told, he was also mocking the conventions of such love stories. It's almost as if Shakespeare was saying, "Yeah, it's tired, it's old, and I can still do it better than anyone else ever could."

A Midsummer Night's Dream

By william shakespeare, a midsummer night's dream study guide.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is first mentioned by Francis Meres in 1598, leading many scholars to date the play between 1594 and 1596. It is likely to have been written around the same period Romeo and Juliet was created. Indeed, many similarities exist between the two plays, so much that A Midsummer Night's Dream at times seems likely to degenerate into the same tragic ending that befalls Romeo and Juliet.

The play was first printed in quarto in 1600, following its entry into the Stationer's Register on October 8, 1600. This quarto is almost surely taken directly from a manuscript written by Shakespeare. A second quarto was printed in 1619 (and falsely backdated to 1600) and attempted to correct some of the errors in the first printing, but also introduced several new errors. It is the second quarto which served as the basis for the First Folio in 1623.

There is a myth that A Midsummer Night's Dream was first performed for a private audience after an actual wedding had taken place. The play's three wedding and play-within-a-play Pyramus and Thisbe certainly would seem to fit the scene, with all the newlyweds retiring to their respective chambers at the end. However, no evidence of this imagined performance exists. Rather, A Midsummer Night's Dream was definitely performed on the London stage by the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and the title page of the first Quarto indicates it was written by William Shakespeare .

The title draws on the summer solstice, Midsummer Eve, occurring June 23 and marked by holiday partying and tales of fairies and temporary insanity. Shakespeare cleverly weaves together not only fairies and lovers, but also social hierarchies with the aristocratic Theseus and the "rude mechanicals," or the artisans and working men. This allows the play to become infinitely more lyrical, since it is able to draw on the more brutal language of the lower classes as well as the poetry of the noblemen.

One of the more interesting changes which Shakespeare introduces is the concept of small, kind fairies. Robin Goodfellow, the spirit known as Puck, is thought to have once been feared by villagers. History indicates the prior to Elizabethan times, fairies were considered evil spirits who stole children and sacrificed them to the devil. Shakespeare, along with other writers, redefined fairies during this time period, turning them into gentle, albeit mischievous, spirits.

The final act of the play, completely unnecessary in relation to the rest of the plot, brings to light a traditional fear of the Elizabethan theater, namely that of censorship. Throughout the play the lower artisans, who wish to perform Pyramus and Thisbe, try to corrupt the plot and assure the audience that the play is not real and that they need not fear the actions taking place. This culminates in the actual ending, in which Puck suggests that if we do not like the play, then we should merely consider it to have been a dream. One of the most remarkable features of A Midsummer Night's Dream is that at the end members of the audience are unsure whether what they have seen is real, or whether they have woken up after having shared the same dream. This is of course precisely what Shakespeare wants to make clear, namely that the theater is nothing more than a shared dream. Hence the constant interruption of that dream in the Pyramus and Thisbe production, which serves to highlight the artificial aspect of the theater. Bottom and his company offer us not only Pyramus and Thisbe as a product of our imagination, but the entire play as well.

Puck's suggestion hides a more serious aspect of the comic fun of the play. There is deep underlying sexual tension between the male and female characters, witnessed by Oberon 's attempts to humiliate Titania and Theseus' conquest of Hippolyta . This tension is rapidly dissipated by the sure solution which the play assumes, making it seem less real. However, the darker side of the play should not be ignored, nor the rapid mobility with which the actors transfer their amorous desires from one person to the other.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Why does Snout introduce himself first as Snout and then as a wall? act 5

Snout wants the audience to know that he is a person who represents a wall: stating the obvious. Snout introduces himself as a Wall, who will help the lovers talk to each other through a little gap. (To be help the audience, he points out all the...

what is The anomisity between hermia and helena

Hermia and Helena have been close friends friend since they were young, but recently their friendship has come under strain because of the men they are courting.

Doubling--Pyramus and Thisbe vs. Lysander and Hermia; Oberon and Titania vs. Theseus and Hippolyta (often played by the same actors in stage productions). In what ways are the couples similar?

Many of the marriages in the play parallel one another, as love and its tribulations is the central theme of the performance. The marriage between Theseus and Hippolyta represents order and control, while that between Hermia and Lysander showcases...

Study Guide for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About A Midsummer Night's Dream
• A Midsummer Night's Dream Summary
• A Midsummer Night's Dream Video
• Character List

Essays for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Midsummer Night's Dream.

• Doubt and Uncertainty in Relation to Theatricality in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream
• To See or Not To See: Vision, Night and Day in A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Character Analysis of Puck
• Phases in the Play
• Dream Within a Dream: Freud, Phonics, and Fathomlessness in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Lesson Plan for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• A Midsummer Night's Dream Bibliography

E-Text of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Midsummer Night's Dream E-Text contains the full text of Midsummer Night's Dream

• List of Characters

Wikipedia Entries for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

• Introduction
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Easy A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay Questions & Topics

• Athenian Forest in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Othello: Correlation of the Subject of Female Congruity
• True Love And Solitary Love In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Social Disturbance and the Supernatural
• Music as a Significant Element of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Establishing the Scene for Comedy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Masculine and Feminine
• Supernatural Component in a Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Shakespeare’s Presentation of the Wood in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Traditions of Marriage and the Women’s Rights in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Changing the Social Conventions Between Men and Women in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Love and Reason
• William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: The Men Who Rule
• Love as a Theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
• Essay About the Supernatural in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Ecological Analysis of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Theme of Magic
• How Shakespeare Depicts Relationships in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• What Characterizes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a Comedy
• The Theme of Passion in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
• The Dark Side of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• How Reality Shifts Into Ideality In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Two Basic Points of view of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• Themes of Intervention, Jealousy, and Desperation in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Connection Of A Midsummer Night’s Dream To Romeo And Juliet
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Love Is Evil
• Comparison Between A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Winter’s Tale

 Fascinating A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay Topics to Write about

• Elizabethan Love and Marriage Traditions Represented in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Imagination and Change
• Romanticism and Realism in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Instances Of Inversion In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Comedy and Tragedy
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: How Ideas and Values are Undermined
• Nature and the Extraordinary in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Puck and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Artist as Interpreter
• Stereotypical Views Regarding Gender In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• A Study of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Happy Ending
• The Major Comedic Components of a Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Symbolism of the Moon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Place Between Human And Fey
• Puck’s Inspiration and Portrayal in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Exposition In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Themes and Imagery in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Male Dominance and Female Oppression
• William Shakespeare’s Comic Method in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Encapsulation of Humanism in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Themes of Uncertainty and Doubt in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Multiple Marriages in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• “The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth” Critical Thinking in a Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Changeling
• A Correlation Between Acts Among Romeo And Juliet And A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Portraying a Historically Accurate Production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Gender Roles and Patriarchy
• Women’s Struggle in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Comparison Between Helena and Hermia in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• The Impact Of Ovid’s Story Of Pyramus And Thisbe From His Transformations On Shakespeare’s Presentation Of Young Lovers In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Comparison Between A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Melodic Tune
• The Strangely Illusory Nature of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Shakespeare’s Use of Hyperbole And Illusion In A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Reading Questions for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Act One, Scene One: Generations in conflict, and a wedding in waiting

• Who is Theseus, and whom is he marrying? (I.i.1-19; pp. 3-4)
• Who is Egeus, and why is he angry? What is the “ancient privilege of Athens ”? (I.i.21-82; pp. 4-6)
• What is Hermia and Lysander’s plan? (I.i.156-8; pp. 8-9)
• Who is Helena , and whom does she love? What is her plan? (I.i.180-251; pp. 9-12)

Act One, Scene Two: Meeting the rude Mechanicals (working men of Athens )

• What jobs in the city do each of these working class characters hold? What parts do they play in the drama they are putting on for the Athenian court? Use the notes to explain their names and professions. You may also want to refer to the brief essay on this scene in the HCC Handbook, “Analyzing Drama”, pp. 105-111. NB: This scene will be the focus of Paper #4.
•   What is the purpose of their gathering? Who is in charge?
• What play do they plan to perform, and what is it about?

Act Two, Scene One: The fairies are fighting!

• Who are Titania and Oberon, and why are they fighting? (II.i.18-31; p. 18)
• Who is Puck (also called “Robin Goodfellow”)? What kind of mischief does he do in the human world?
• What are the properties of the flower called “love-in-idlenss” and how did it get them? What does Oberon intend to do with it? (II.i.146-187; pp. 22-23)
• Who enters the wood at the end of the scene, and what is going on between them? (II.i.189-243; pp. 24-5)

Act Two, Scene Two: Mixing things up!

1.       Whom does Lysander love when this scene begins? Whom does he love when it ends? Why?

Act Three, Scene One: A rude rehearsal

1.       What are the actors’ main concerns about the play they are preparing to put on? How do they resolve these problems? How are we meant to feel about both the problems and their solutions? (III.i.9-77; pp. 33-35)

2.       What event interrupts their rehearsal? (III.i.105-120; p. 37)

3.       With whom does Titania fall in love, and why? (III.i.138-64; p. 30)

Act Three, Scene Two: Increasing the mix-up!

1.       Who loves whom at the beginning of the scene? What is the arrangement of affections by the end of the scene? Why? Consider the relationships among the romantic couples, but also between the two young women.

2.       What is Oberon’s plan? (III.ii.354-77; pp. 53-54)

Act Four, Scene One: Waking Up

• What changes in Titania’s relationship to Bottom? Why? What about her relationship with Oberon?
• What is the arrangement among the young lovers at the end of the scene? Why? How do the young people explain their experiences to each other?
• What are Bottom’s thoughts and feelings at the end of the scene (IV.i.203-222; pp. 66-67)?

Act Five, Scene One: Three Weddings and a Performance

• What is Theseus’ attitude towards the story told by the young people? How about Hippolyta? (V.i.1-27; pp. 70-71)
• Most of this scene is comprised of the performance of the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe? What makes this tragedy “comic” – for the noble audience on stage? For us as the audience for all of them?

Discussion questions

A. Love, Marriage, and Remarriage

• The generational conflict set up in Act One, Scene I concerns the right of fathers to determine the marriage partners of their daughters, versus the right of young women to consent to marriage. Does this conflict remain a living one in your household, community, or tradition? Did a version of this problem play a role in Jane Austen’s Persuasion ? Reconstruct the scenario in Austen, and compare it to the scenario here.
• Comedies   traditionally end in marriage. (Review Jane Austen’s Persuasion as a model of this paradigm.) This play ends with three marriages, plus a re-marriage (the reconciliation of Titania and Oberon). How is the generational conflict resolved in Act Five, Scene One? How transparent, straight-forward, or free is each consent to marriage / re-marriage at the end of the play? In your view, which of these unions is most likely to be a happy one? Why? In any of these cases, does marriage appear to occur at a cost? (These costs might include other forms or objects of affection and attachment as well as subjective autonomy or freedom.) Consider this question in relation to the following couples:

> Lysander and Hermia

> Demetrius and Helena

> Theseus and Hippolyta

> Titania and Oberon

B. Theatre, Imagination, and Forms of Making

• The various scenes in which the “rude mechanicals” (= working men of Athens ) cast, rehearse, and then perform their play constitute some of Shakespeare’s most explicit representations of the process of creating a theatrical experience. (Literary critics call this “metatheater,” or “theater about   theater.”) Are there other instances or moments of metatheater in the play? (They will be less explicit.) In each instance, who is the audience,who is the stage director, and who are the players?
• If you were going to adapt this play to a modern setting with naturalistic explanations (no fairies!), how would you make the lovers fall in and out of love with each other?
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream , along with The Tempest , is Shakespeare’s most fanciful or fantastic play, involving supernatural creatures and a bodily metamorphosis from one species to another. The play also includes Shakespeare’s most explicit, if ambivalent, discourse on the imagination, the famous speech by Theseus at the beginning of Act Five, Scene One (pp. 70-71).

a.       What, according to Theseus, do the lunatic, the lover, and the poet have in common? Explain the comparison.   Give an example from the play that demonstrates the connection.

b.       Compare Theseus’ theory of the imagination to Descartes’.

c.        Theseus does not like the imagination. Do you think Shakespeare fully agrees with the opinion of the character he has created? Why or why not?

d.       Explain Hippolyta’s response to Theseus. Does she agree with Theseus? Why or why not?

7. In Act Three, Scene One, the troupe of working-class performers is concerned that the violent subject matter of their play will frighten the ladies in the audience. How are we in the audience meant to evaluate this discussion? Do similar fears continue to shape discussions of entertainment and media today?     

C. Making connections: rhetoric and causality

• rhetoric review: Lysander calls Hermia’s speech at I.i.150-55 (p. 8) “a good persuasion.” Analyze her speech in terms of ethos, logos, and pathos. Can you identify any paradigms? Enthymemes? Compare and contrast Lysander’s use of the word “persuasion” and Jane Austen’s.

Other speeches for rhetorical analysis:

> Lysander on “reason,” II.ii.111-123 (pp. 30-31) (see Handbook , p. 49)

> Theseus on the imagination, V.i.2-22 (pp. 70-71; see Handbook 98-102)

> The epilogue delivered by Puck at the very end of the play, V.i.425-440 (p. 86)

• causality review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play filled with transformations and metamorphoses, whether it’s the shift from one object of love to another, or from one bodily shape to another.   Analyze Lysander’s falling in love with Helena using Aristotle’s causal categories. What are the efficient, material, formal, and final causes of this change or transformation? What role if any does chance play? How are we as the audience supposed to understand and evaluate these changes? (You can review Aristotle’s causes, HCC Handbook , p. 29.)

Other scenes for causal analysis:

Ø       Demetrius falls in love with Helena (III.ii.123-177, pp. 45-47)

Ø       the transformation of Bottom into an ass (III.i.104-125, p. 37)

Ø       Titania falls in love with Bottom (III.i.126-201; pp. 38-40)

Ø       Lysander falls back in love with Hermia (III.ii.354-369 [pp. 53-54]; IV.i.149-202 [pp. 66-67])

D. Research fun

1)       Search for a key word from A Midsummer Night’s Dream   in the on-line works of Shakespeare, http://www.it.usyd.edu.au/~matty/Shakespeare/test.html

2)       How many times does he use the word throughout his writing career? In which play or plays does this word occur most often?

3)       Look up the word in the OED. What meanings did it carry in Shakespeare’s day? How, if at all, have its meanings changed?

Possible words : fancy, fantasy, feign, imagination, toy, dream, conceit, consent, interlude, history, fairy, bottom, joiner, tinker, interlude, ass, preposterous, translate, transport

4)       Do you find reading Shakespeare dry or tedious? Take a break and check out the Shakespeare Insult Generator: http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/index.html ?

Want to generate your own insults? Check out the http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html

How would you find out if any of these insults comes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream ?

Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay Questions And Answers

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare around 1595, is about the events that take place in the woods near Athens on midsummers night. The story consists of four different plots th at are all intertwined with each other throug hout the play. These include two love stories between Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, as well as a pair of noblemen who wish to marry Titania.

1. What does Shakespeare accomplish by setting most of the action at night and in the wood?

Shakespeare accomplishes the setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at night and in the wood because it is more comedic. The confusion adds to the comedy, as well as all the time spent finding each other, running away from one another, etc… A lot of it can relate to Shakespeare’s life after he got married and had kids. A lot of his plays are about love, which he later became very good at playing the loving husband and father.

2. What role does Bottom play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Bottom is a weaver who gets turned into a donkey while A Midsummer Night’s Dream is playing in the woods. A donkey isn’t a specific animal, but rather means it is an ass, which means stupid and dumb. Bottom puts on a play to Shakespeare’s friends at their house in A Midsummer Night’s Dream after they decide not to use his play. A donkey wearing a lion’s skin is played by Quince, who is one of the guys putting on A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the woods with Shakespeare, who plays Lion King.

3. What characteristics are particular to A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a comedy?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy because A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends happily, but there are always obstacles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream , so Shakespeare adds to the funny by making them fail at times. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has a lot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream have mistaken identities, which can be funny to Shakespeare and his audience. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also a comedy because Bottom has a donkey head for half A Midsummer Night’s Dream , so he is very clumsy looking, but Quince thinks he is a lion, which makes A Midsummer Night’s Dream even funnier.

4. Who are the main characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

The main characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are Theseus and Hippolyta, who are husband and wife; Hermia, Lysander, and Helena, who are friends but Hermia loves Lysander; Demetrius, who also loves Hermia; A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy because A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends happily. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has mistaken identities that can be funny to Shakespeare and his audience. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also a comedy because Bottom has a donkey head for half A Midsummer Night’s Dream , so he is very clumsy looking, but Quince thinks he is a lion, which makes A Midsummer Night’s Dream even funnier.

A final plot features mischievous fairy folk under the spell of Oberon’s magic flower. All four plots are resolved by dint of various characters disguising themselves or being disguised by others so as to gain an advantage. A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains many elements that were borrowed from other contemporary writers, including Christopher Marlowe and even the medieval epic poem, Arthur.

Summary of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, featuring character descriptions and analysis. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most enduringly popular plays. A comedy about young love, it features some of his best-known lyrical passages and has been translated into many languages. A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows the story of four lovers whose lives are complicated by magical forces beyond their control. Plot Summary

A group of people in Athens find themselves on a forested hillside near Athens on May night, where they witness the mischief caused by fairies under the rule of Oberon (King of Fairies) and Titania (Queen Fairies). A young man named Egeus, who has one daughter named Hermia, insists that she should marry Demetrius, whom she does not love. A man named Lysander is in love with Hermia and the two men end up competing for her hand in marriage. A quarrel breaks out between them when they are found by Egeus, who demands that his daughter marries Demetrius.

A group of artisans called “the mechanicals” are preparing to perform a play about Pyramus and Thisbe for the Duke’s wedding celebration. A group of amateur actors decide to join in their play: Theseus (Duke of Athens), Hippolyta (Queen of the Amazons), and other go off into the forest to rehearse their lines. A boy, Peter Quince, decides that this would be the perfect time for his troupe of amateur actors to perform their play “The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe” in honor of the Duke’s marriage.

The young lovers and the artisans get lost in a forest and stumble upon various magical creatures: A group of fairies who have been quarreling over a changeling child which Oberon and Titania each wish to adopt. Because Oberon has switched the human child with an ass-headed Bottom (one of the weavers), he is wearing an ass’ head while Titania is holding him captive until she agrees to give up the child.

A group of amateur actors are rehearsing their play when Bottom wakes up, causing them to run off in fear. They soon meet Titania, who is charmed by Bottom’s manner and looks and gives him a kiss of love (which results in his transformation back into human form). A group of fairies carrying torches dance around Titania and Bottom and spread magical fairy dust on them (with Puck) which makes people fall in love with whomever they see next.

Puck takes some of this magic liquid and puts it into Lysander’s eyes while he is sleeping; then places some on Demetrius’ eyelids; then hides underneath Hermia’s feet so that she will wake up madly in love with Lysander. A confused and upset Hermia starts to run off and is drawn in the same direction as Lysander and Demetrius, following her beloved into the woods. A group of fairies catches up with them and throws more magic dust on the young lovers so that no matter which way they turn or where they go, they will be drawn to each other.

Eventually, all four wander into the forest together but none of them realize it due to their enchanted state of mind. Meanwhile, Oberon discovers that Titania has not honored her promise that she would give up the changeling child if he sprinkled Puck’s magic flower juice on her eyelids while she slept; instead she did the opposite by sprinkling some on his eyelids so that he now finds himself madly in love with the ass-headed man, thinking that he is a beautiful woman.

A group of artisans enter with Bottom who has just woken up from his dream and discovers that the head of an ass is stuck to his shoulders; he rips it off, throws it aside and decides to go home. A group of amateur actors enters next; they are still dressed as fairies, carrying their torches and singing songs (they were practising for the Duke’s wedding celebration). A group of fairy spirits suddenly appear before them and chase away all except Lysander and Demetrius.

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