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ACT I : PROLOGUE

In Athens, Duke Theseus prepares to marry Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Meanwhile, Egeus, an Athenian nobleman, brings his daughter Hermia to court, intending to force her to marry Demetrius, a young man of good family. But Hermia loves Lysander, another young Athenian. Theseus orders Hermia to obey her father, or she will have to become a nun or die. Hermia and Lysander decide to escape into the forest at night to marry in secret. Hermia confides everything to her friend Helena, who, however, is in love with Demetrius. Hoping to win her love back, Helena reveals the plan to Demetrius, and the two also set off into the forest to pursue them. Meanwhile, a group of Athenian artisans (including Bottom, the exuberant weaver) gather to prepare a play to perform at the duke's wedding. They want to stage a comic tragedy entitled Pyramus and Thisbe, and decide to rehearse it in the woods as well.

ACT II : MOONLIGHT MAGIC

Fairies live in the forest. The fairy king, Oberon, and his wife Titania are fighting over the possession of a human child. To get revenge, Oberon orders his servant Puck, a prankster spirit, to pick a magical flower whose juice makes the recipient fall in love with the first being they see upon awakening. He wants Titania to fall in love with something ridiculous. Oberon also witnesses Helena's desperation, as she is mistreated by Demetrius. He decides to help the girl by using magic to make Demetrius fall in love with her. But Puck mistakes the potion and applies the love potion to Lysander, who upon awakening sees Helena and falls in love with her, abandoning Hermia. In the forest, therefore, a chaotic love story begins: a girl loved by two boys, a girl rejected by both, and a love broken by mistake.

ACT III : FROM FUN TO CHAOS

The group of craftsmen begins rehearsing their play in the woods. Puck, for amusement, transforms Bottom's head into that of a donkey. Titania, struck by the magic potion, awakens and falls madly in love with Bottom, showering him with ridiculous attentions. Meanwhile, the situation between the four young people becomes complicated: Demetrius also receives the spell by mistake, and now both he and Lysander love Helena, leaving Hermia desperate and humiliated. The two girls quarrel, the two boys challenge each other. Oberon discovers Puck's mistakes and decides it's time to set everything right.

ACT IV : AWAKENINGS

During the night, Puck separates the young people and puts them to sleep. He applies the antidote to Lysander, so that upon awakening, he returns to loving Hermia. Demetrius, however, remains under the spell, but now truly loves Helena. The amorous confusion is over, and the couples are finally reunited. Titania is also freed from the spell: she awakens disgusted that she ever loved a man with a donkey's head. Oberon and Titania reconcile. Puck restores Bottom's human form. The next morning, Duke Theseus, while hunting, finds the four young people sleeping in the woods. He listens to their stories and, seeing that their loves are resolved, announces that there will be three marriages together: he to Hippolyta, Lysander to Hermia, and Demetrius to Helena.

ACT V : DREAMS AND EPILOGUE

Back in Athens, the three couples marry. During the wedding feast, the craftsmen perform their comical tragedy, Pyramus and Thisbe, which is comically disastrous but highly entertaining for the audience. At the end of the play, Puck addresses the audience and, breaking the fourth wall, says that if anything seemed absurd or disturbing, just think it was only a dream.

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Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Author: William Shakespeare

Date of composition: 1594-1596, published in 1600

Genre: Romantic comedy

Structure: 5 acts, written in both verse (Iambic Pentameter) and prose

Time of the action: A magical night in midsummer

Setting:

Athens: Represents civilization, law, and societal expectations. It is where the conflicts begin.

The forest: A magical, dreamlike space where normal rules don’t apply. It symbolizes chaos, transformation, and emotional freedom.

The fairy world: An invisible realm influencing the human world. It reflects subconscious forces like desire and instinct.

The Duke’s palace (Act V): The return to order. A place where the various plots are resolved through marriage and theatrical performance.

Why did Shakespeare choose Athens as the setting?

It gives it cultural prestige thanks to its references to the classical world.

It uses Athens as a symbol of law and authority, contrasting with the freedom of the forest.

It draws inspiration from Greek characters and myths.

It creates a poetic and "abstract" context where ancient culture and fairytale imagery coexist.

Themes:

1. Love: Irrational, unstable but transformative. The magic flower represents blind and manipulable love.

2. Dream vs Reality: Blurred boundaries between truth and imagination, dreams represent the unconscious, desire, and the freedom to explore emotions that are hidden in daily life.

3. Order vs Chaos: Characters move from strict society into magical confusion. Athens: ruled by law, reason, and social rules. The forest: full of chaos, magic, and freedom.

4. Authority vs Freedom: Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, disobeying her father. Oberon uses magic to control Titania, then releases her. The lovers eventually choose who they want to marry.

5. Nature and Magic: Nature isn't just a backdrop, but a true character: The forest is filled with mysterious forces. Fairies represent invisible powers that influence humans. Magic affects emotions and wreaks havoc, but ultimately restores harmony.

Dramatic Techniques:

Play within the play (Pyramus and Thisbe)

Comedy of errors and mistaken identities

Use of enchantment and fantasy as plot devices

Alternation of high and low registers (noble vs common characters)

Breaking the fourth wall (Puck addresses the audience directly)

Style: Poetic, Simple, rich in metaphors, rhymes, wordplay and natural imagery

Meaning of the title: Refers to Midsummer Night (June 21–24), a night associated with dreams, love, and supernatural happenings. Dream reflects both the actual events of the play and the theme of illusion.

Considerations:

The "dream" isn't just nocturnal or tied to sleep: it's a metaphor for youth, irrationality, and the power of emotions.

Puck represents the author himself: he manipulates the plot, breaks the fourth wall ("If you liked us shadows..."), and mocks the audience.

Love is never overly idealized: it's comical, fragile, yet real. Shakespeare shows it in all its forms.

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Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream. Brüggen, Orchestra of the 18th Century

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Language: It is not Shakespeare’s Elizabethan English, but a simplified translation/adaptation (probably an educational graphic novel).

Form: Instead of poetic verse, we find colloquial prose, though the concepts are the same.

Tone: More direct, less solemn, but faithful in substance love, modesty, respect for social conventions.

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It is a play‐within‐a‐play, meaning a show inside the main play. The “mechanicals” (craftsmen) stage Pyramus and Thisbe in Act V, Scene I. It is deliberately poorly acted: the performers are not professionals. Scenery like the wall with a hole, little lanterns for the moon, etc., are simple and clumsy. The comic effect comes from the gap between the tragic content and their lack of skill. Despite the silliness, there is a moment when the illusion is partly suspended: Pyramus’s death and Thisbe’s reaction can still stir emotion, even though it is filtered through comedy. Parallel themes: the love story, separations, obstacles, illusion versus reality, comedy “healing” tragedy. The play‐within‐a‐play also mirrors the main lovers’ plot (Hermia, Lysander, etc.). Sometimes the visual style makes the parody look more tragic, emphasizing emotion instead of pure comedy. But Shakespeare’s intention is not to make the audience cry: it is to show how thin the line is between the tragic and the ridiculous.

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Sam Rockwell as Thisbe in Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)

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A Midsummer Night's Dream | Puck & Titania | National Theatre Live

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Theseus: The Duke of Athens, represents order, authority, and reason. As a ruler preparing for his wedding to Hippolyta, he embodies the stability and social structure that contrasts with the chaotic magic of the forest. His presence grounds the play’s fantastical events in the reality of law and tradition.

Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons and girlfriend to Theseus, is a strong, dignified woman who symbolizes both power and grace. Her transition from warrior queen to bride highlights themes of harmony and union, balancing strength with submission.

Egeus: Father to Hermia. His insistence that Hermia marry Demetrius triggers much of the plot’s conflict.

Hermia: Daughter of Egeus, is a passionate and determined young woman who defies her father’s wishes to follow her heart. Her courage and loyalty to Lysander illustrate the power of true love challenging social conventions.

Lysander: Is Ermia’s devoted lover, embodying romantic idealism and rebellion. He is willing to risk everything to be with Hermia, representing love’s triumph over societal obstacles.

Demetrius: Initially pursues Hermia, but his feelings shift towards Helena. His fickle nature captures love’s unpredictability and the confusion it can cause.

Helena: Hopelessly in love with Demetrius, is vulnerable and insecure, yet persistent. Her unrequited love and devotion highlight themes of longing and self-worth.

Oberon: The fairy king, wields magical power to manipulate events. His complex mix of jealousy, control, and eventual forgiveness reflects the unpredictable and transformative nature of love.

Titania: The fairy queen, is proud and independent but becomes enchanted to fall in love with Bottom, who has been given a donkey’s head. Her experience illustrates love’s irrationality and the blurring between reality and fantasy.

Puck: Oberon’s mischievous servant, is the playful trickster who stirs chaos with his magical interventions. He symbolizes the unpredictable, whimsical forces that govern dreams and folly. He is the one who transforms Nick Bottom giving him a donkey’s head, which leads to one of the funniest and most surreal moments in the play.

Nick Bottom: Is a confident, comical craftsman whose transformation into an ass-headed figure and enchantment by Titania make him a symbol of theatrical absurdity and the power of imagination.

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Details - Kahoot!

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