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Theseus, the ruler of Athens, is going to marry Hippolyta, the next day.

All of Athenian society is preparing for the wedding.

Hermia’s father wants her to marry Demetrius, but warns that if she refuses, he will have her put to death, according to the severe and harsh Athenian law.

However, Hermia is madly in love with Lysander.

They elope/ run away to the woods, planning to get married in secret.

Hermia (the short one) confides in her best friend, Helena (the tall one).

Helena, however, is upset because she is in love with Demetrius, but he wants nothing to do with her.

Helena tries to make him like her by telling him about Hermia’s plans to run away with Lysander.

Demetrius sets off into the woods to find Hermia, with Helena trailing along behind him.

[During Shakespeare’s time, girls had no rights and no say in who they could marry. They were their father’s property until they got married. And then they became their husband’s property.]

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act II Summary

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act II Summary

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Titania is the Queen of the fairies.

When her friend dies, she promises to look after her little boy.

Oberon, the King of the fairies, is jealous and wants the little boy for himself.

The couple also accuse each other of being unfaithful.

Titania refuses to give in to Oberon, so he comes up with a plan for revenge.

He will put a potion from a purple flower called Love-in-Idleness on Titania’s eyes. When she wakes up, she will fall in love with the first creature that she sees. Oberon hopes it will be a bear, a bull or a monkey. He sends his servant, Puck to find the magic flower.

[Shakespeare’s audience were a superstitious and most ordinary folk believed that fairies lived in the woods and worked their magic at night.]

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act III Summary

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act III Summary

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Puck finally anoints the love potion in the right place.

Titania is asleep in her bower with Oberon’s potion in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Bottom and his friends are in the woods trying to rehearse a really bad play.

Puck who is invisible, watches them and thinks they are hilarious.

Mischievously, he transforms Bottom’s head into an ass’ head.

Terrified, Bottom’s friends run away. Bottom sings to stop himself from being scared.

He wakes up Titania, who instantly falls in love with him.

She takes him to her fairy bower where she pampers him and attends to his every need.

Titania is breathlessly besotted with Bottom.

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act III Summary

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act III Summary

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Oberon sees Demetrius being horrible and harsh to Helena by deriding her and treating her in a condescending manner.

Empathising with Helena, he orders Puck to anoint an Athenian man's eyes [Demetrius’ eyes] with some of the love potion so that he will love Helena.

Puck finds a young couple asleep, Lysander and Hermia, but it is the wrong couple.

He puts the potion in Lysander’s eyes.

Helena loses Demetrius in the wood and trips over Lysander. When he wakes up, Helena is the first person he sees, so he instantly falls in love with her while, suddenly, hating Hermia.

When Oberon finds out, he orders Puck to put the potion into Demetrius’ eyes, so Demetrius falls in love with Helena too. Helena thinks it’s a cruel joke with Helena and Hermia have a a huge disagreement and argument with Hermia threatening to become violent.

Demetrius provokes Lysander who challenges him to a duel.

Hermia is left alone, heartbroken, distraught, speechless and confused.

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Oberon orders Puck to bring down a fog and separate the lovers.

He puts the potion into Lysander’s eyes so that he will fall in love with Hermia again.

Demetrius will remain in love with Helena.

Oberon puts a spell on the lovers so that they will fall asleep and think it has all been a strange dream.

Titania is so in love with Bottom that she gives the little boy to Oberon.

Oberon now sympathises with Titania and decides to release her from the spell.

Moreover, since he has won the Changeling boy from her, Oberon releases Titania from the spell.

Titania thinks that she dreamt that she fell in love with an ass and is repulsed to see a mortal, Bottom, sleeping next to her.

Titania and Oberon seem to be in love with each other again.

Bottom thinks that he has woken up from a strange dream.

The spell on him is broken too.

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act IV Summary

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A Midsummer Night's Dream Act IV Summary

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Oberon orders Puck to bring down a fog and separate the lovers.

He puts the potion into Lysander’s eyes so that he will fall in love with Hermia again.

Demetrius will remain in love with Helena.

Oberon casts a spell on the lovers so that they will fall asleep and think it has all been a strange dream.

Titania is so in love with Bottom that she gives the little Changeling boy to Oberon.

Now that he has won, Oberon releases Titania from the spell. Titania thinks that she dreamt that she fell in love with an ass and is repulsed to find herself sleeping next to a mortal, Bottom.

Titania and Oberon seem to be in love with each other again.

Bottom thinks that he has woken up from a strange dream. The spell on him is broken too.

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The lovers get married in a joint ceremony with the Duke of Athens and his new bride. Bottom and his friends put on their terrible play, a love story about Pyramus and Thisbe.

It is hilarious, but the actors mean it to be a serious tragedy.

The wedding guests enjoy laughing at the play as much as the actors enjoy performing it.

At the end, everyone is happy and Oberon and Titania bless each of the couples on their wedding night.

Puck has the last word. He hopes the audience have enjoyed the play - if not, to pretend it was all a dream.

He asks for the audience’s applause.

[It is believed that Shakespeare may well have written this play as a celebration for a noble's wedding, however, the identity is unknown.]

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-Robin Goodfellow (Puck)

A fairy called a ‘Puck,’

Puck is Oberon's faithful servant and a comic character

mischievous and enjoys nothing more than playing tricks and causing trouble

not human and his tricks and jokes though funny are not controlled by human feelings

takes great delight in the mayhem caused by him, whether by conscious design or by accident

gives account of some of his activities supporting the Fairy description of him as 'a shrewd and knavish spirite' (II:I)

discovers his mistake in putting the love-juice on Lysander's eyes rather than Demetrius, happily admits:

'And those things do best please me

That befalls preposterously.' (III: 2)

his comment on the confusion, chaos and potential distress caused by him is rather detached:

'Lord, what fools these mortals be!'

his practical jokes kept in check both by their comic outcome and knowledge that Oberon will always put things right again

Rude Mechanicals

a group of Athenian workers referred to as the “rude mechanicals”

workers/ craftsmen/ artisans_ not as refined as the upper-class people

speak in prose

1. Peter Quince, the carpenter: a nervous noticeably when comes to perform the Prologue

2. Snug, the joiner worries over whether he can learn his part

3. Francis Flute, the bellows-mender: worried about his beard

4. Tom Snout, the tinker: concerned about the ladies getting frightened by the sight of a lion

5. Robin Starveling, the tailor shows signs of bad-temper

6. Nick Bottom, the weaver

all decided to practice a play in the hope that it will be chosen for the entertainment at the wedding celebration for Theseus and Hippolyta

meeting to decide on the casting for a play called “The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe.”

a play about two lovers who die a tragic death

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Full Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream

When  and Where written: Early to mid 1590s / 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.

[During Shakespeare’s time, girls had no rights and no say in who they could marry. They were their father’s property until they got married. And then they became their husband’s property.]
Narrator: None

Introduction: Demetrius and Lysander are both in love with Hermia.

Climax: As the conflicts of the play are all resolved swiftly by magical means in Act IV; the moment of greatest tension is probably the quarrel between the lovers in Act III, scene ii.

Protagonist: Three main groups of characters with no single protagonist in the play; however, Puck is generally considered the most important character.

Antagonist: Demetrius; the play’s tensions are mostly the result of circumstances, accidents, and mistakes.

Settings (Time): Combines elements of Ancient Greece with elements of Renaissance England

Settings:  (Place)Athens and the forest outside its walls

Point Of View: Varies from scene to scene

Falling Action: Act V, scene i, which centres on the craftsmen’s play

Tense: Present

Foreshadowing: Comments made in Act I, scene i about the difficulties that lovers face

Tones: Romantic; comedic; fantastic; satirical; dreamlike; joyful; farcical

Symbols: Theseus and Hippolyta represent order, stability, and wakefulness; Theseus’s hounds represent the coming of morning; Oberon’s love potion represents the power and instability of love.

Themes: The difficulties of love; magic; the nature of dreams; the relationships between fantasy and reality and between environment and experience

Background:

Shakespeare mocks tragic love stories through the escapades of the lovers in the forests and the ridiculous version of Pyramus and Thisbe that Bottom and his company perform.

The plot hinges on two lovers fighting to marry according to their will and in defiance of their fathers was standard in both Greek and Roman drama.

Four Main Plots:

Four main plots with four groups of characters interlinked and woven into harmonious and artistic unity to form an interesting play.

1.The Nobles: Wedding of Duke of Athens, Theseus and Queen of Amazon, Hippolyta

2.The Love Triangle: Relationships and misadventure of the four lovers Helena, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius

3.The conflict and quarrel between Oberon and Titania the King and Queen of the Fairies over the changeling

4.The RUDE MECHANICALS and their struggles with staging ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’

Theseus and Hippolyta

The sub-plot of the Duke and his Amazon Queen suggests rationality and reality

Unlike the dream state of the play, Theseus and Hippolyta, are the only ones who seem to be in control during this entire charade

plot involves no suspense or intrigue

always at harmony as shown in the opening conversation 'Four happy days' (I:I: 2)

past differences alluded very quickly

Hippolyta, a mature contented character, always subservient to Theseus her essentially feminine nature stressed on throughout the play

Theseus slightly complex though not inconsistent

role is of an important character noble ruler in the Renaissance sense

his former liaisons are attributed to Titania's influence or discounted altogether as 'forgeries of jealousy' by Titania

Theseus is quick to overturn the former judgement that Egeus demands, the fulfillment of the law

his speech concerning the lover, the lunatic and the poet puts him even more firmly on the side of reason

his description of the powers of poets renders him to have great admiration for them

he establishes harmony on a political level by showing his real feelings for his people and the magnanimously accepts their play in the spirit in which it is given (V:I:)

Love, therefore and tongue-tied simplicity
In least speak most, to my capacity

In short, Theseus is always the wise-hearted and wise-minded statesman though may be inconsistent at time as he has to balance the humane side of his nature with his responsibilities as a head of the state.

Love Potion

the love potion causes most of the mischief

represents the fickle nature of love. We can fall in and out of love -just as quick as the drink can make us love and then take love away

Fairy love can be influenced by the same absurd forces as human love

there is common bond of irrationality between the four lovers and the fairies

Demetrius distraught at not finding Hermia exclaims:

'A nd here I am, and wood within this wood'  (II: II)

The 'wood' especially at night, is a place where love, is at odds with common sense and reason can most readily effect its strange transformations on human beings and fairies alike

Similarly, wood night and power which transcend those of the ordinary beings belong naturally to the fairies

Pyramus and Thisbe

This play within a play is highly ironic

Pyramus and Thisbe contains many of the same elements as A Midsummer Night’s Dream but is tragic

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Foreshadowing: Comments made in Act I, scene i about the difficulties that lovers face

Tones: Romantic; comedic; fantastic; satirical; dreamlike; joyful; farcical

Symbols: Theseus and Hippolyta represent order, stability, and wakefulness; Theseus’s hounds represent the coming of morning; Oberon’s love potion represents the power and instability of love.

Themes: The difficulties of love; magic; the nature of dreams; the relationships between fantasy and reality and between environment and experience

Background:

Shakespeare mocks tragic love stories through the escapades of the lovers in the forests and the ridiculous version of Pyramus and Thisbe that Bottom and his company perform.

The plot hinges on two lovers fighting to marry according to their will and in defiance of their fathers was standard in both Greek and Roman drama.

Four Main Plots:

Four main plots with four groups of characters interlinked and woven into harmonious and artistic unity to form an interesting play.

1.The Nobles: Wedding of Duke of Athens, Theseus and Queen of Amazon, Hippolyta

2.The Love Triangle: Relationships and misadventure of the four lovers Helena, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius

3.The conflict and quarrel between Oberon and Titania the King and Queen of the Fairies over the changeling

4.The RUDE MECHANICALS and their struggles with staging ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’

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Theseus and Hippolyta

The sub-plot of the Duke and his Amazon Queen suggests rationality and reality

Unlike the dream state of the play, Theseus and Hippolyta, are the only ones who seem to be in control during this entire charade

plot involves no suspense or intrigue

always at harmony as shown in the opening conversation 'Four happy days' (I:I: 2)

past differences alluded very quickly

Hippolyta, a mature contented character, always subservient to Theseus her essentially feminine nature stressed on throughout the play

Theseus slightly complex though not inconsistent

role is of an important character noble ruler in the Renaissance sense

his former liaisons are attributed to Titania's influence or discounted altogether as 'forgeries of jealousy' by Titania

Theseus is quick to overturn the former judgement that Egeus demands, the fulfillment of the law

his speech concerning the lover, the lunatic and the poet puts him even more firmly on the side of reason

his description of the powers of poets renders him to have great admiration for them

he establishes harmony on a political level by showing his real feelings for his people and the magnanimously accepts their play in the spirit in which it is given (V:I:)

Love, therefore and tongue-tied simplicity
In least speak most, to my capacity

In short, Theseus is always the wise-hearted and wise-minded statesman though may be inconsistent at time as he has to balance the humane side of his nature with his responsibilities as a head of the state.

Love Potion

the love potion causes most of the mischief

represents the fickle nature of love. We can fall in and out of love -just as quick as the drink can make us love and then take love away

Fairy love can be influenced by the same absurd forces as human love

there is common bond of irrationality between the four lovers and the fairies

Demetrius distraught at not finding Hermia exclaims:

'And here I am, and wood within this wood'  (II: II)

The 'wood' especially at night, is a place where love, is at odds with common sense and reason can most readily effect its strange transformations on human beings and fairies alike

Similarly, wood night and power which transcend those of the ordinary beings belong naturally to the fairies

Pyramus and Thisbe

This play within a play is highly ironic

Pyramus and Thisbe contains many of the same elements as A Midsummer Night’s Dream but is tragic

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Hermia

daughter of Egeus and the beloved of Lysander and Demetrius

inwardly is strong-willed, daring, defiant, bold, fair, wilful, independent romantic, passionate, loving, believes in her right to choose her husband based on love, and is fiercely loyal

Outwardly is obedient, articulate, fair, intelligent, diplomatic

When crossed, Hermia can become a downright vixen.

is beautiful and has dark hair, small-statured and sensitive about it

Helena

loves Demetrius, and at one time he returned her love

before the play begins, he fell in love with Hermia but abandonment her, left Helena in despair

Helena lacks self-confidence, suffers from low-self-esteem and self- respect

tell Demetrius that she will love and follow him even if he treats her like his dog

Lysander

An Athenian nobleman who loves Hermia

he is the model of a constant lover

risks death under Athenian law by coming up with the plan to elope into the woods with Hermia

only strays from his loyalty to Hermia under the influence of the love juice

When the effect of the spell is removed, he returns to his true love

Demetrius

An Athenian nobleman

also loves Hermia

Unlike Lysander, is an inconstant fickle lover

Before the events of the play, he wooed Helena

then rejected her and pursued Hermia

Contrast of Lysander and Demetrius
Lysander and Demetrius are very similar in many ways

I am my lord, as well derived as he,
As well possessed. My lover is more than his;
My fortunes every way as fairly ranked,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius'.

Only difference is Hermia loves Lysander and not Demetrius

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Duke Theseus and Hippolyta, Queen of Amazons/ Fairy King Oberon & Fairy Queen Titania

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Theseus

Duke of Athens, the fiancé and later husband to Hippolyta

a strong and responsible leader who tries to be fair and sensitive

his duty to uphold the law is paramount because of the needs of Egeus and Hermia situation [when both Lysander and Demetrius love Hermia]

as soon as the lovers sort themselves out, he overrules Egeus' demand that Hermia marry Demetrius

let the lovers decide for themselves whom to marry

treats the labourers decently, despite the fact that their play is atrocious

Though a fearsome warrior for he captured Hippolyta, an Amazon Queen, in battle, he is devoted to making her happy

however, is extremely literal-minded, and gives little credence to the ‘fantasies’ the lovers recount of their night in the forest

just kind understands the intricacies of love, mitigates the verdict to an exile/ banishment to a nunnery instead of execution by death

Theseus attempts to resolve the problem of Hermia's marriage by using reason

humane country gentleman his enthusiasm for his hounds at IV:1

duty-conscious head of state with touches of a sensitive romantic lover

Theseus makes contrast on the previous events after the lovers' return to Athens from their adventure in the woods, daylight and reason calls for a strong spokesman for those values

Theseus is sceptic appears to playdown the extravagances of imagination and judge reality in the light of 'cool reason'

While Hippolyta doubts the workmen's offerings, he defends them

his later remarks on the need for generosity in responding to the offerings of subjects whose goodwill exceeds their ability:

What poor duty cannot do, noble respect
takes it in might, not merit.

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Language & Mood, Love, Setting & Characters 

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Language & Mood, Love, Setting & Characters 

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Language & Mood

Lovers speak in rhymed lines, in an exaggeratedly poetic language displaying rhythmic flow

Oberon and Titania speaks in blank verse and at times shorter rhymed lines

Bottom and Friends speak in prose_ Shakespeare normally adopted this technique for the low-life ordinary people

Opening conversation between Theseus and Hippolyta was blank verse with gentle and stately rhythm with a mood of harmony, peace, love and tranquility

Egeus shatters this mood to create tension fear and suspense

Most noticeable example when Titania uses rhymed verse while talking to Bottom who in contrast is speaking in prose

creating comic contrast between the stately dainty Titania and the down-to- earth, unsophisticated, absurd and comical, Bottom

Quince's misuse of punctuation in the Prologue

Puck, Fairies, Oberon and Titania uses sing-song rhythm when singing the songs:

'Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire.' (II:1)

Love and Unrequited Love

Hermia and Lysander sincerely genuinely madly in love until he is wrongfully anointed with the love potion

it is only under the influence of the potion that he falls out of love with Hermia

Demetrius, an inconsistent lover, again falls in love with Helena and later proclaims his love for her before Theseus and Egeus

Helena after being continuously derided and rejected harshly by Demetrius wins her beloved back forever

Oberon manipulates and wins back Titania

Theseus and Hippolyta and epitome of true genuine love

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References made to:

the gods and goddesses of classical Greek Mythology

familiar world of nature, a world of beasts, birds, fruits and flowers

importance of love juice derived from the pansy or 'love-in-idleness'

transformation of Bottom by means of the ass's head

The creation of Fairy world:

exotic and voluptuous_ 'over canopied and luscious woodbine' vividly and closely linked to nature rural experience

Natural References

range of natural references is astonishing

Theseus warns Hermia of the unpleasantness of perpetual maidenhood in terms of a 'rose distill'd' as compared with those which withers 'on the virgin thorn' (I:I)

Oberon's speech mentioning the rose whose lap is filled with 'hoary-headed frosts' (II:I)

'The cowslips...cowslip's ear'. (II:1)

The lusciousness of Titania's fairy world inclusion of rare and delicate fruits and berries and birds (III:1)

Helena praises Hermia's voice in pastoral terms:

"and your tongue's sweet air...hawthorns buds appear."

(I:I)

Demetrius' profusely express love for Helena and praises her beauty as:

" O, how ripe in show...hold's up thy hand." (III:2)

flowers linked with lovers as well as Bottom ludicrously attempting a romantic comparison of Thisbe's breath to scent of flowers,stumbles on flowers of 'odious' instead of 'odorous' 'savours sweet', thus, converting her breath into a hateful smell

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Total Marks: 50

1. Passage-Based Questions

2. Quote Analysis

3. PEEAL Essay Questions

Analytical and Discursive Questions

[respond to the question in a 5-paragraph essay format as taught in class]

[All answers to be written in PEEAL Format]

Questions and Text Annotation is Compulsory

All quotes should be written in black if you are using a blue pen and vice versa

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Chief Characteristic of the Play

The play is unity in diversity, a very Elizabethan quality with

contrasting characters and events with wide range of references

the natural images and musical quality of the speech combine to create a vivid picture of rural bliss

The overall effect is to create a richly diversified yet essentially harmonious world

a unified whole which is more important than its components

it is the poetry that holds it all together

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Puck or Robin left alone on the stage, closes the play by addressing the audience, directly. He announces that if we as audience do not like the play, then the best remedy for the situation is to pretend it's only been a dream. instead of cursing the players for a terrible play, the audience should forgive them. Finally, he asks them for an applause if they as an audience accept his apologies. He assures that they will make amens before long, presumably with the performance of another play.

Explanation:

Think but this, and all is mended—
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.

In other words: ‘If these fairies making mischief on the stage have offended any of you, then I suggest looking at it this way: what you have just watched is nothing but a dream, which you have witnessed while you slept here.’

Puck’s speech is simple. It’s almost as if Puck is lulling us to sleep – or out of it, perhaps more accurately, since he’s claiming that we have been asleep and are now waking up at the end of the performance.

And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,

In other words, ‘This light and trivial story we have presented before you had no more power than a dream.’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play full of magic and the supernatural, as the very existence of Puck himself – a sprite or fairy – attests, as does the presence of a number of other characters, including Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies.

There’s potentially something mischievous about Puck’s claim that the play is ‘no more yielding than a dream’: dreams can be extraordinarily powerful and vivid when we experience them, and although they are not real, they can leave their mark on our minds.

Gentles, do not reprehend;
If you pardon, we will mend.

To paraphrase: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, do not blame me or get annoyed with me: if you are willing to forgive us, we will make everything all right again.’

And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearnèd luck
Now to ’scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long.

Puck now tells the audience that he means what he says, as he is honest. If the audience are more generous towards Puck and his fellows than they deserve, and agree not to kiss at the actors on the stage (like a snake), then he promises they will make up for the poor play soon.

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Duke Theseus and Hippolyta, Queen of Amazons/ Fairy King Oberon & Fairy Queen Titania

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Oberon

The King of the Fairies and Titania's husband, a dark elemental force whose power and influence is felt throughout the play

is imperious and peremptory figure, not vicious nor aloof from human sympathy for he takes pity on Helena while pursuing his vengeance on Titania through Puck

like a godly king, unaccustomed to having his wishes being challenged or debated, strong in knowledge for what he wants he has the power to exact

Oberon is responsible, wilful, jealous and demands obedience from his subjects, including his wife

When angry, he uses magic and plots to manipulate and humiliate in order to get his way

domineering, sharp and authoritative, manipulative spiteful as it is his will that he is not prepared to have thwarted

just kind but powerful as he understands both the mortal world and the Fairy realm

knows the force of herbs and can cast a spell on a new-born child that will protect the child from harm

is a dream figure, powerful in his influence on the human world not tied to its laws like Theseus

Oberon and Titania

Oberon and Titania rulers of the fairy world

control not only the love lives of human characters but also the elements

Oberon successfully uses magic to resolve the conflict between the four lovers

there are sinister potentialities in Oberon and Titania's power

Oberon is capable of making mistakes, the vague instruction to Puck of anointing the eyes of an 'Athenian man'

the vengeful, malicious and spiteful trick he plays on Titania has a hint of cruelty

however, all his actions stem from benevolent intentions

claims to 'torment' (II: I) Titania for her obsession with the Changeling boy simply to restore the harmony between them/ their relationship beautifully evoked in his speech:

Thou remembrest/ Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back,
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
To hear the sea-maid's music. (II:I)

Instructs Puck to anoint Demetrius' eyes with the love juices

'he may prove
More fond on her than she upon her love.' (II.I)

Disassociates himself from malevolent spirits when he tells Puck

'we are spirits of another "sort"'  (III.II)

Oberon's role shows that the imagination (disguised as love-juices) does not have a part to play in the course of true love.

rules over the profoundly illogical and irrational dream world where the young lovers come to resolve their romantic problems

Titania, also a dream figure, carries less direct influence on the lives of the human characters

is under Oberon's control as the young lovers

paying the price for her disobedience to her husband in refusing to handover the Changeling boy

Being divine creatures, their lack of harmony has far-reaching effects as it created disorder in the natural world

Their restored relationship heralded by music and dancing showing return of harmony

play ending with Fairies offering blessings, signify that the human and divine worlds are once again in harmony

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'. . .For aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth'

Lysander_ Act Scene 1

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

Helena, Act 1 Scene 1

'Over hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,

Over park, over pale,

Thorough flood, thorough fire;

I do wander everywhere,

Swifter than the moon’s sphere.'

Fairy_ Act 2 Scene 1

I must go seek some dewdrops here,

And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.

Fairy, Act 2 Scene 1

'Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.'

Oberon_ Act 2 Scene 1

'I’ll put a girdle round about the Earth

In forty minutes.'

Puck_ Act 2 Scene 1

'I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet muskroses, and with eglantine.'

Puck_ Act 2 Scene 1

'Bless thee, Bottom! Bless thee! Thou art translated.'

Quince, Act 3 Scene 1

'What angel wakes me from my flow’ry bed?'

Titania, Act 3 Scene 1

'To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays.'

Bottom, Act 3 Scene 1

'Lord, what fools these mortals be!'

Robin_ Act 3 Scene 1

'She was a vixen when she went to school,

And though she be but little, she is fierce.'

Helena_ Act 3 Scene 2

'Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor females mad.'

Puck, Act 3 Scene 2

J'ack shall have Jill,

Nought shall go ill,

The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.'

Puck, Act 3 Scene 2

'I was with Hercules and Cadmus once,

When in a wood of Crete they bayed the bear

With hounds of Sparta.'

Hippolyta_ Act 4 Scene 1

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'Methought I was enamoured of an ass.'

Titania, Act 4 Scene 1

'. . .The eye of

man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen,

man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to

conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream

was.'

Bottom_ Act 4 Scene 1

'I have had a most rare vision. I had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was… The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was.'

Bottom, Act 4 Scene 1

'...not a mouse

Shall disturb this hallowed house.

I am sent with broom before,

To sweep the dust behind the door.'

Puck, Act 5 Scene 1

'The poet’s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,

Doth glance from heaven to Earth, from Earth to

heaven,

And as imagination bodies forth

The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen

Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing

A local habitation and a name.'

Theseus_ Act 5 Scene 1

'But all the story of the night told over,

And all their minds transfigured so together,

More witnesseth than fancy’s images

And grows to something of great constancy,

But, howsoever, strange and admirable.'

Hippolyta_ Act 5 Scene 1

'The best in this kind are but shadows, and

the worst are no worse, if imagination amend

them.'

Theseus _ Act 5 Scene 1

'If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumbered here

While these visions did appear.'

Puck, Act 5 Scene 1

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"Ay me, for that I could ever read, / Could ever read by tale or history, / The course of true love never did run smooth."  Lysander 1:1

Lysander speaks these words to Hermia at the beginning of the play, as they are faced with the challenge of Hermia's father and his chosen suitor for his daughter. These words in many ways encompass one of the major themes of the play, which is that love is always tried and tested. Lysander here argues that in the history of the world, love has never been an easy enterprise.

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, / And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." Helena, 1.1

Here, Helena comments on the irrational nature of love. She notes that lovers do not see one another for how they truly are, but are instead "blinded" by their feelings of desire for each other. Helena's speech closely echoes themes from early modern English poetry and even Shakespeare's own poems, in which a speaker expresses desire for someone others may deem imperfect or undesirable.

"To you your father should be as a god; / One that composed your beauties, yea, and one / To whom you are but as form in wax / By him imprinted and within his power / To leave the figure or disfigure it." Theseus, 1.1

When Hermia protests against marrying Demetrius, Theseus says these words to her about obeying her father. He describes Hermia as a shape made in wax by her own father, suggesting that she is wholly dependent on him and at the mercy of his decisions. However, Hermia's decision to run into the woods with Lysander showcases her own sense of autonomy and serves as a challenge to this patriarchal way of thinking.

"Full often hath she gossip'd by my side, / And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, / Marking the embarked traders on the flood, / When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive / And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind." Titania, 2.1

Here, Titania describes to Oberon where the changeling child came from, attempting to explain why she deserves to have him. This memory of hers – in which she spent intimate time with the child's mother before her death – lends Titania a surprisingly human element to her otherwise supernatural character. Furthermore, this moment hints more deeply at the gender dynamics operative in the play, suggesting another instance of intimate love between two women.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" Puck, 3.2

This is perhaps one of the most famous quotations from A Midsummer Night's Dream, as it comments ironically on the events of the play and the broader culture of love and devotion that existed in early modern English literature. Puck describes the humans in the play as "fools," showcasing how their behavior is fundamentally illogical and even entertaining for the fairy world. This quotation subtly encourages the audience to reevaluate aspects of humanity that they deem important.

“Though she be but little, she is fierce!” Helena, 3.2

Helena speaks these words about her friend, Hermia, describing how quickly she can transform from a sweet and innocent girl to a strong and formidable opponent. This quotation underscores the friendship and trust between Helena and Hermia. It also raises questions about the gender dynamics in the play, as the patriarchal system of control that exists in Act One begins to disintegrate as the play unfolds.

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Else the Puck a liar call.
So good night unto you all.
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

Puck concludes his speech by saying, essentially: ‘If we don’t make it up to you, you can call me a liar. So, good night everyone. Show your appreciation by clapping your hands, and I, Robin Goodfellow, will make it up to you in return for your applause.’

So, there’s an element of false modesty to Puck’s (and Shakespeare’s) polite request for forgiveness from their audience, for having inflicted a potentially offensive spectacle upon them. Finally, also, there is probably an element of self-awareness: ‘shadows’ in ‘If we shadows have offended’ may principally refer to the fairies in the play, those airy spirits and shadowy creatures who are so central to A Midsummer Night’s Dream alongside the human participants; but ‘shadows’ was also often used for actors in the theatre too.

Indeed, in one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Sonnet 53, Shakespeare had potentially punned on this meaning of ‘shadows’

What is your substance, whereof are you made,
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
Since every one hath, every one, one shade,
And you but one, can every shadow lend …

Although that theory is not widely believed by scholars and critics, the idea of theatre as a place of ‘shadows’ – forms which are not real, yet reflect the realities of love and desire, as in A Midsummer Night’s Dream – is one with which Shakespeare was clearly familiar.

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"...I never heard / So musical a discord, such sweet thunder." Hippolyta, 4.1

This is one of the few lines in the poem spoken by Theseus's new wife, Hippolyta. Here, she reminisces about an event from her past involving hunting dogs and the sounds they made. Her oxymoronic description of the sounds as "musical discord" is emblematic of the play's interest in indulging whimsicality and chaos in its own plot.

"Are you sure / That we are awake? It seems to me / That yet we sleep, we dream." Demetrius, 4.1

This quote from Demetrius reflects the play's larger investment in dreams and dreamlike states, as well as the nature of performance. When the characters are unsure whether they are awake or dreaming, the play comments on how the theater can operate in a similar manner, transporting audiences to a familiar yet unfamiliar setting for their entertainment.

"I have had a most rare vision. I had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was… The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was." Bottom, 4.1

This quotation is often used as evidence of Bottom's narcissism and ego, which serve to lend his character a comedic presence in the play. Bottom speaks in prose rather than verse, indicating his lower rank among the other characters. Here, he imagines his experience so unique and incomprehensible that it can barely be communicated to people on earth. Ironically, however, Bottom's experience has been observed by the audience who knows that he was merely being tricked by the fairies for their own purposes.

"If we shadows have offended, / Think but this, and all is mended: / That you have but slumbered here, / While these visions did appear; / And this weak and idle theme, / No more yielding but a dream, / Gentles, do not reprehend. / If you pardon, we will mend." Puck, 5.1

These are the concluding lines of the play. Here, Puck asks the audience to replace any offense they feel about the play with the illusion that they were simply dreaming. These lines help reinforce the play's investment in its dreamscape setting and playfully encourages the audience not to take the performance, or themselves, too seriously.

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-Nick Bottom

most endearing and interesting comic creation

most complex comical character, endearing quality is can meet all challenges with self-confidence and natural humour

vain as attempts to play several roles in the play

makes mistakes when trying to use rich elaborate language

made to look absurd when head/nole transformed by Puck into a donkey's head and when Titania falls in love with him

A weaver with supreme confidence in his acting skill

though boastful of his acting talents play is stagnant without him

convinces the other labourers to give him the lead role of Pyramus in their version of Pyramus and Thisbe

However, a seriously incompetent actor

understands neither his lines nor theatre in general

not out of place in the wood though extremely hilarious in Titania's bower, his courtesy to the fairy attendants is touching

on being restored to his natural self, his speech is comical especially in its confusion of sense though full of wonder

practical too since suggests Quince should write a ballad 'Bottom's Dream'

during performance of the play completely at ease, corrects Theseus when thinks he has misunderstood something even though it was Bottom who was wrong

his efforts and comical role is admirable and yet entertaining for the audience

Puck considers him to be:

" The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort"  (III: 2)

he stands out in a way that he himself sums up his own character when he awakens in the wood:

" When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer."

(IV: 1)