‘A MID-SUMMER NIGHT’S

DREAM’ BY SHAKESPEARE

Emma Jury

110041189

PLOT

Theseus, the Duke of Athens, is preparing for his marriage to

Hippolyta during a 4-day festival whilst trying to marry his daughter,

Hermia, off to Demetrius. Hermia loves Lysander and does not want

to marry Demetrius and decides to run away into the woods with

Lysander in the hope to get married in the house of Lysander's.

Helena, Hermia's best friend, who is in love with Demetrius, tells

Demetrius of Hermia’s plans and follows Demetrius into the woods to

find Hermia and Lysander.

IN THE WOODS…Helena and Demetrius, meet Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies. Titania and Oberon

have been fighting about a young Indian prince Oberon and as revenge, Oberon asks his servant,

Puck, to acquire a magic flower that can make a person fall in love with the first thing he sees upon

waking.

Oberon wanted to sprinkle the juice over Titania so she would fall in love with him, but changes his

mind and asks Puck to spread the juice over Demetrius’ eyes so he will fall in love with Helena.

Puck accidently sprinkles the juice over Lysander’s eyes and as Lysander wakes he sees Helena

first, causing both men to fall in love with Helena and abandon Hermia. This causes a fight between

Lysander and Demetrius and they are lead apart in the forest to be later found by Titania and

Oberon.

AT THE END…

Theseus and Hippolyta find Lysander and Hermia sleeping and take

them back to Athens and somehow Demetrius now loves Helena and

Lysander now loves Hermia and they have a group wedding to

celebrate.

After the wedding, Puck and his craftsman perform a play and the

newly-weds go to bed where the fairy king and queen place a

protective charm on the sleeping couples. Only Puck remains and he

asks the audience to remember the play as though it all were a dream.

TEACHING APPROACH & ENGAGEMENT EXPERIENCES

Year level: Year 10

Engagement experiences would include:

-Students discussing themes love, friendship and their thoughts about the

nature of reality and the different ways illusion is part of our everyday lives).

- Looking at the cultural/historical aspects of Athenians and how this period of

time (1600s) has influenced Shakespeare's work.

-Researching/discussing how Elizabethans viewed marriage and the reasoning

for deciding whom young women would marry (i.e. in Royal families)

TEACHING APPROACHESL

ook at language features (i.e. blank verse, iambic pentameter) and having students work in pairs to create

examples of these poetic techniques.

S

tudents create a journal of plot details, settings and characterisations

S

tudents working in small groups, taking on a character each and answering questions in perspective of their

character, discussing ideas as a class and posting answers to Edmodo or Glogster class forum.

For example: “In Theseus' view, what is his main concern about Hermia as father and king of Athens?”

W

atching the movie and making further notes about plot, setting, characterisations and different ways 'dream'

and 'moon' have been used/its symbolic value within text.

S

tudents work in small groups to plan/record a news report or short movie based on a modern-day version of the

events occurring in a scene of their choice. Posting video to Edmodo or Glogster class forum.

REFERENCE LIST

D

avis, H. K., Date Unknown, 'A midsummer night's dream', Signet

Classic, Federal Hocking High School, pp. 2-25, 6 May 2013, <

http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/mids

ummer.pdf

>

'A midsummer night's dream: Entire play', 1993, MIT University,

6 May 2013, <http://shakespeare.mit.edu/>