April 26, 1564 (Baptized) in Stratford-on-Avon Married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and had

three children The Lord Chamberlain’s Men first performed in the

Theatre as women were not permitted on the stage The Globe Theatre was the first theatre built and

run by actors Died in Stratford on April 23, 1616 Most famous playwright in history 38 plays, 154 sonnets

Shakespeare

The Globe

Divided into three categories: Comedy, history, tragedy

Comedies are usually characterized by: A light-hearted tone A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty Separation Mistaken identities A clever servant Heightened tensions, often within family Multiple, intertwining plots Frequent punning A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy

Plays

Plays continued

Histories

Any of Shakespeare’s plays that retell the story of lives or specific events within their lives.

Examples: King John, Henry V, Richard II

Tragedies

Characterized by a tragic hero whose flaw usually leads to their downfall and a lot of people dying.

Examples: Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Othello

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

"Midsummer Night" is traditionally June 23/24, a festival of partying and dancing and superstitions regarding enchantment and witchcraft, when midsummer madness, probably associated with the heat, brings about an alternate state of mind "when people are most apt to imagine fantastic experiences"

Midsummer is celebrated between June 21-June 25.

Centered upon the summer solstice

http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/mnd1.html

Athens, Greece

Setting

Plots

Main Plot

Fairies drug Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, four young people, to make them fall in and out of love with each other and back into love with each other again

Subplot

The wedding of Duke Theseus and Hippolyta (an Amazon queen who the Duke defeated) is coming up. To celebrate the wedding, the Mechanicals, a group of working class people turned actors, is practicing to perform a play for the wedding.

Son of Aegeus, A King of Athens Greek for "institution“ Reformer and social order Strength

Theseus

Slayed Minotaur with his bare hands

Theseus and Minotaur

Theseus and Hippolyta

• Queen of the Amazons (island)• Kidnapped to marry• Powerful• Girdle (power belt)

Pyramus and Thisbe - pair of ill-fated lovers

These are topics the play covers. To make a theme, answer what message the play is sending about each topic below:

Love Art and culture Transformation Gender Versions of reality Foolishness and folly Humans and the natural world The supernatural

Themes

A sprite Mischievous Either plays tricks on people or helps them

with chores depending on his mood Brags about the trouble he has caused the

villagers such as ruining kegs of ale or butter that housewives spend their mornings churning

Puck (Robin Goodfellow)

Bottom – A weaver,

one of the “Mechanicals

Peter Quince -One of the “Mechanicals”

Gives the prologue for the play performed for the wedding

Flute - One of the “Mechanicals”

Plays the role of “Thisbe” in the play they perform called “Pyramus and Thisbe”

Starveling - One of the “Mechanicals”

Plays the role of Moonshine in “Pyramus and Thisbe”

Snug - One of the

Mechanicals While performing in the

play, he tells the ladies in the audience not to worry because he’s only pretending to be a lion

Snout - One of the “Mechanicals”

Plays the role of a wall in their play

Philostrate - Party planner for Duke Theseus

Official title is “Master for the Revels” which was a job in the court during Shakespeare’s time. Duties were to organize the entertainment for the monarch and decide what could be performed. The job was basically a censor

Philostrate doesn’t think the Mechanical’s play is good enough for the Duke to see

Duke Theseus insists on seeing it to which Philostrate replies, “No, my noble lord / It is not for you: I have heard it over / And it is nothing, nothing in the world" (5.1.4).

Theseus Duke of Athens,

most powerful His wedding to

Hippolyta is the subject of the beginning and the end of the play

Hippolyta Amazon Queen Marries the Duke of

Athens The Amazons are a

mythological group of warrior women

Oberon

King of the Fairies Master of Puck Husband of Titania

Titania

Queen of the Fairies Oberon’s wife Expert in magic Gracious, yet sassy Raising a little boy from India

and refuses to give him up Worries about the natural

order that gets upset when her and Oberon have a quarrel

Stands up for what she believes in

The Changling

The Indian boy Titania is caring for

Causes problems in Titania’s relationship with Oberon because she spends all her time with the boy and Oberon wants the boy to perform errands for him.

Does not have any lines

In some performances of the play, he doesn’t even appear on stage

Still important because of his role in Titantia and Oberon’s relationship

Lysander

Hermia’s boyfriend Wants to get married Hermia’s father is against

the marriage Runs off with Hermia to

elope Puck drugs him in the

woods by mistake and he falls in love with Helena

Puck gives him an antidote later

Hermia

Daughter of Egeus Betrothed to Demetrius by

her father but loves Lysander Her father wants her killed

for disobeying him (which is allowed under Athenian law)

Is brought before Duke Theseus for disobeying her father’s wishes and stands up for herself

Demetrius

Betrothed to Hermia Hermia doesn’t love

him and wants to marry Lysander

The fairies drug him so he falls in love with Helena and marries her in the end

Helena

In the beginning of the play, no one is in love with Helena

She spends her time thinking about love and dismisses it

In the end though, she becomes a fool for love

Pities herself often

April 26, 1564 (Baptized) in Stratford-on-Avon Married ____________________________when he was 18

and had three children The Lord Chamberlain’s Men first performed in the

Theatre as ____________________ were not permitted on the __________________

The ________________________________was the first theatre built and run by actors

Died in Stratford on ____________________________ Most famous playwright in history __________ plays, ________________ sonnets

Shakespeare

The Globe

Divided into three categories: _________________, history, tragedy

Comedies are usually characterized by: A _______________________________________ A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty _________________________________________ Mistaken identities ______________________________________________________ Heightened tensions, often within family Multiple, intertwining plots _______________________________________________________ A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy

Plays

Plays continued

_____________________

Any of Shakespeare’s plays that retell the story of lives or _______________ events within their lives.

Examples: King John, Henry V, Richard II

______________________

Characterized by a __________________ hero whose flaw usually leads to their downfall and a lot of people dying.

Examples: Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Othello

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

"Midsummer Night" is traditionally June 23/24, a festival of partying and dancing and superstitions regarding enchantment and witchcraft, when midsummer madness, probably associated with the heat, brings about an alternate state of mind "when people are most apt to imagine _______________________ experiences"

____________________ is celebrated between June 21-June 25.

Centered upon the _____________________

http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/mnd1.html

_____________________

Setting

Plots

Main Plot

Fairies drug Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, four young people, to make them fall in and out of love with each other and back into love with each other again

Subplot

The wedding of Duke Theseus and Hippolyta (an Amazon queen who the Duke defeated) is coming up. To celebrate the wedding, the Mechanicals, a group of working class people turned actors, is practicing to perform a play for the wedding.

Son of Aegeus, A King of Athens Greek for "institution“ Reformer and social order Strength

Theseus

Slayed Minotaur with his bare hands

Theseus and Minotaur

Theseus and Hippolyta

• Queen of the Amazons (island)• Kidnapped to marry• Powerful• Girdle (power belt)

Pyramus and Thisbe - pair of ill-fated lovers

These are topics the play covers. To make a theme, answer what message the play is sending about each topic below:

Love Art and culture Transformation Gender Versions of reality Foolishness and folly Humans and the natural world The supernatural

Themes

A sprite Mischievous Either plays tricks on people or helps them

with chores depending on his mood Brags about the trouble he has caused the

villagers such as ruining kegs of ale or butter that housewives spend their mornings churning

Puck (Robin Goodfellow)

Bottom – A weaver,

one of the “Mechanicals

Peter Quince -One of the “Mechanicals”

Gives the prologue for the play performed for the wedding

Flute - One of the “Mechanicals”

Plays the role of “Thisbe” in the play they perform called “Pyramus and Thisbe”

Starveling - One of the “Mechanicals”

Plays the role of Moonshine in “Pyramus and Thisbe”

Snug - One of the

Mechanicals While performing in the

play, he tells the ladies in the audience not to worry because he’s only pretending to be a lion

Snout - One of the “Mechanicals”

Plays the role of a wall in their play

Philostrate - Party planner for Duke Theseus

Official title is “Master for the Revels” which was a job in the court during Shakespeare’s time. Duties were to organize the entertainment for the monarch and decide what could be performed. The job was basically a censor

Philostrate doesn’t think the Mechanical’s play is good enough for the Duke to see

Duke Theseus insists on seeing it to which Philostrate replies, “No, my noble lord / It is not for you: I have heard it over / And it is nothing, nothing in the world" (5.1.4).

Theseus Duke of Athens,

most powerful His wedding to

Hippolyta is the subject of the beginning and the end of the play

Hippolyta Amazon Queen Marries the Duke of

Athens The Amazons are a

mythological group of warrior women

Oberon

King of the Fairies Master of Puck Husband of Titania

Titania

Queen of the Fairies Oberon’s wife Expert in magic Gracious, yet sassy Raising a little boy from India

and refuses to give him up Worries about the natural

order that gets upset when her and Oberon have a quarrel

Stands up for what she believes in

The Changling

The Indian boy Titania is caring for

Causes problems in Titania’s relationship with Oberon because she spends all her time with the boy and Oberon wants the boy to perform errands for him.

Does not have any lines

In some performances of the play, he doesn’t even appear on stage

Still important because of his role in Titantia and Oberon’s relationship

Lysander

Hermia’s boyfriend Wants to get married Hermia’s father is against

the marriage Runs off with Hermia to

elope Puck drugs him in the

woods by mistake and he falls in love with Helena

Puck gives him an antidote later

Hermia

Daughter of Egeus Betrothed to Demetrius by

her father but loves Lysander Her father wants her killed

for disobeying him (which is allowed under Athenian law)

Is brought before Duke Theseus for disobeying her father’s wishes and stands up for herself

Demetrius

Betrothed to Hermia Hermia doesn’t love

him and wants to marry Lysander

The fairies drug him so he falls in love with Helena and marries her in the end

Helena

In the beginning of the play, no one is in love with Helena

She spends her time thinking about love and dismisses it

In the end though, she becomes a fool for love

Pities herself often