Written by: William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare• He was the 3rd child born to John and

Mary Shakespeare.• Date of birth is not officially

documented, but believed to be April, 23, 1564.

• Born in Stratford-upon-Avon• He did not attend the university, but his

grammar school was superior.• Married at age 18 to Anne Hathaway,

26 years old.• Daughter born 6 months later• Had twins in 1585• Moved to London to become a

playwright and actor.• Became a member of “Lord

Chamberlain’s Men” in 1594• Died in 1616 on the same day of his

birth.

Midsummer Night’s Dream

• A comedy• Inspired characters such as

Tinkerbelle in “Peter Pan”• Sometimes seen as overly

erotic or sexual• Many debates over the

appropriateness of the play• The play-within-a play appears

to be a parody of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”

• Some inconsistencies within the play.

Act One

• Act One- Theseus and Hippolyta plan a wedding for 3 days later.

Egeus comes to Theseus to have him follow the Athenian law because he wants Hermia to marry Demetrius. She loves Lysander. Lysander and Hermia plan to run away together and meet in the woods.

The craftsmen meet to practice a play for Theseus’s wedding. They will perform “Pyramus and Thisbe.” Plan to rehearse in the woods later that night.

Act Two

• Titania and Oberon fight about the Indian boy. Oberon decides to anoint Titania with the magic potion from the flower to trick her. Oberon hears Demetrius and Helena fighting and hides. He tells Puck to also anoint Demetrius’s eyes to make him fall back in love with Helena.

Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and anoints him. He falls in love with Helena, but she thinks he is joking.

Act Three

• Puck changes Bottom’s head to that of an ass, because he is acting like one.

• Bottom doesn’t know he is transformed and thinks the others are trying to scare him.

• Bottom wakes up Titania who, under a spell, falls in love with him.

• Oberon, after watching Demetrius and Hermia, realizes the mistake and makes Puck fix it.

• Oberon fixes the mistake and the four lovers wake thinking it was all a dream.

Act Four

• Titania and Bottom enter and converse.• Titania is willing to give up the boy and Oberon has Puck

change Bottom back.• Titania thinks it was all a dream.• Theseus overrules Egeus and a triple wedding is

planned.• Bottom wakes up and thinks this was also a dream and

goes to find the other actors.• Actors prepare for the play.

Act Five

• Marriage of all the lovers is performed.• The play is performed for Theseus. It is very comical.• Puck describes the night.• Oberon blesses all the houses• Puck’s apology of the play (which one)

Themes

• Paradox – “wooed with a sword,” a deer chasing tigers, beauty of chaos, tragic comedy

• Love has no law but its own.• Fantasy vs. Reality – constant questioning of whether

what happened was really just a dream

We may experience these things when we fall in love, fall asleep, or just enter our own imagination. It happens when we “look beyond performance at intention.”

Symbols

• The title alone insinuates a dream.• Names– example Bottom• Ass head – Bottom’s personality matching his

appearance• “Pyramus and Thisbe” represents views of love and

marriage.• Moonlight representing a time of chaos.• Love=foolishness “what fools these mortals be”