Penguin Readers Factsheets A Midsummer Night's Dream

Penguin Readers Factsheets A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare

The play tells the stories of three separate sets of characters – the aristocracy of ancient Athens, some Athenian tradesmen, and a group of fairies living outside Athens. As the play progresses these characters’ lives become interlinked and their actions influence each other. Each story begins with a problem, which, in each case, is resolved at the end of the play. At the beginning of the play, Hermia – a young noblewoman, is being ordered into marriage with Demetrius by her father, Egeus. But she loves another man, Lysander, and refuses to marry Demetrius. She runs away with Lysander to a wood outside Athens. However, Hermia’s friend, Helena, and Demetrius (who Helena is in love with) follow the escaping couple into the wood, too. In the wood, the king and queen of the fairies, Oberon and Titania, have recently argued and Oberon sends his cheeky fairy, Puck, to cast a spell over Titania as revenge. As the young Athenians enter the wood, Oberon tries to help them by ordering Puck to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena. But Puck uses the magic on Lysander by mistake. Demetrius also falls under a spell and both men fall in love with Helena. The two men then fight while Hermia and Helena argue. In the third strand of the story, a group of tradesmen enter the wood to practise a play for the Duke’s wedding. Puck plays a joke on one of them, Bottom, and turns his head into that of a donkey. The other tradesmen run away in fright. But Titania awakes and falls in love Bottom as a result of Puck’s earlier trick. Oberon shames her for loving a donkey and she eventually gives in to his demands. Oberon then releases her from the spell and Bottom’s original head is restored. Yet more magic is woven by Oberon, sending the four young Athenians to sleep. When they awake, Lysander and Hermia are back in love as are Helena and Demetrius. The Duke, Theseus, and Egeus arrive and agree to let the lovers marry according to their wishes. Bottom returns to his friends and they perform their play at the palace as part of the wedding celebrations. The story ends with all the humans and fairies happy.

About William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is the world’s most celebrated writer in English. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small English town, in 1564. Though not especially wealthy, his father was able to send him to school, which was a great privilege at that time.

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Very little is known about Shakespeare’s early life or his beginnings as a writer. We do know that he moved to London as a young man and by 1594, he was a leading member of a group of actors, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Printing in Shakespeare’s day was costly and many of his writings were not properly published at the time. It is difficult for scholars to know precisely, but it is thought that he started writing plays in the late 1580s. As his fame and reputation grew through the 1590s, more of his work was printed and preserved. During this period he wrote some of his most famous plays, including Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, and The Taming of the Shrew. By the turn of the century, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men had taken over the famous Globe Theatre and Shakespeare was writing and performing plays for Queen Elizabeth I. In 1600 he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. Shakespeare continued to build on his success and remained enormously prolific until his death in 1616 on his 42nd birthday. In his short life, Shakespeare is believed to have written thirty-seven plays as well as numerous narrative poems and love sonnets. Throughout his work we find a remarkable understanding of human emotion and experience. It is funny, dramatic, and genuinely moving in ways that audiences of all ages and from all backgrounds can still appreciate today. Hundreds of our words and phrases in English were actually invented by Shakespeare, and are still used in everyday speech in English-speaking countries around the world.

Background and themes It is widely believed that A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written to be performed at an important wedding. The play begins with Theseus’s plans for his own wedding in four days time, and ends with the happy marriages of three couples. Hermia fights for her right to marry for love rather than marrying the man her father chooses. The wider theme of lovers facing great difficulties is found in many of Shakespeare’s plays: Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing to name only a few. As each couple marries for love in the end, the play has a very romantic mood. The other main theme of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is fairies and magic. Belief in magic was quite common in Shakespeare’s day, and he may have been writing to satisfy a genuine demand from audiences. Elements of fantasy may be found in many of his comedies and tragedies, but nowhere with such originality as this play.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Summary

Level 3 – Pre-Intermediate

Teacher’s Notes

Penguin Readers Factsheets

Shakespeare used the themes of disguise and mistaken identity in many of his plays. Replacing Bottom’s head with that of a donkey’s might seem like unsophisticated humour today, but such comic devices were never meant to be taken too seriously. Shakespeare was, above all, an entertainer and could resort to any means to bring humour to his work. Although the play fell from favour for many years, its lightness and fantasy brought the play into renewed favour in Victorian times. Since then, it has remained extremely popular with audiences around the world, and today is one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed plays.

2 Students work in groups. Each group has six small pieces of paper. On each piece of paper they should write a sentence about something that happens in Act 3. Then, the groups swap their papers with another group and each group now works together to put the pieces of paper they have received in the right order. Each group then reads out their sentences. Acts 4 and 5 1 Students work in groups of 5 or 6. They should prepare their own version of the play Pyramus and Thisby for the other students. Unlike Bottom’s play, the students should remember their lines and try to make the play as good as possible! 2 At the end of Act 5 Puck speaks a short poem about the nature of dreams and reality. Ask students to write their own short poem in English about one of these subjects: dreams

The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of text as the exercises at the back of the Reader, and supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises covering shorter sections of the book, see the photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are primarily for use with class Readers but, with the exception of discussion and pair/group work questions, can also be used by students working alone in a self-access centre. ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 1 Ask students to look at the list of characters on page viii. Explain that there are three layers of society in the play, each with their own storyline. Then put students into small groups and ask them to write two or three sentences about each group of characters. What is special about each group? What kind of storyline might they have in the play? Are the characters funny, serious or sad? 2 Write the words ‘Comedy’ and Tragedy’ at the top of two columns on the board. Explain the meaning of the words to your students and ask them to give you features of each type of play. Ask two students to write their classmates’ ideas on the board as they call them out. Discuss each one to check if everyone understands and agrees. ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION

fairies

one of the characters in the play

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK 1 Cut a piece of paper into small pieces of equal sizes and write a character’s name on each piece. Use all the characters listed on page viii of the book. Then fold the papers so they cannot be read and ask a student to choose a piece of paper. Other students take it in turns to ask questions about the character (e.g. Are you a fairy? Are you in love with someone? Are you clever? etc). The student with the paper can only answer yes or no. If someone guesses the student’s identity correctly they come to the front and pick another piece of paper and the game continues. How quickly can the class guess each character? 2 Students work in pairs. They choose a picture from the book and work together to write a short paragraph describing the scene. Ask students to include details about what has just happened and what will happen next. Offer help to the pairs as you walk around the class. Finally, ask some pairs to read out their descriptions to the rest of the class.

Word list It will be useful for your students to know the new words found on page 55 of the Reader. They are practised in the ‘Before you read’ sections at the back of the book. (The definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study Dictionary.)

Acts 1 and 2 1 Students work in pairs. Student A is Hermia and Student B is Egeus. The students should write a short scene between the two characters before the play begins. Start with Egeus telling Hermia that he has chosen Demetrius as her husband. 2 Write these characters’ names on the board: Egeus Hermia Helena Demetrius Lysander Oberon Titania Puck the Indian boy Put the class into groups and choose a student from the first group to come up and draw a line between any of the characters who are connected. The student should explain the nature of the relationship (e.g. ‘friends’, ‘father’, ‘wife’ etc.) Then ask a student from each group in turn to do the same thing until there are no more links. Act 3 1 In pairs or small groups students choose a short scene from this part of the play and act it out. Encourage the groups to work on different parts of the play.


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Communicative activities

love


Teacher’s Notes

Penguin Readers Factsheets Level 3 – Pre-Intermediate

Student’s Activities

A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare

ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 1 Look at the words on page 55, choose ten words and write them on some paper. Now close your book and use these words to make ten different sentences. 2 Look at the front cover of the book. Describe the people, their clothes, and the scene in your own words. ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK Act 1 1 Choose the right answer. (a) Egeus will give Hermia to Demetrius to be his (i) wife. (ii) daughter. (iii) husband.

(c) Demetrius loved Helena until he saw (i) Athens. (ii) Lysander. (iii) Hermia. (d) Helena is going to talk about Hermia’s escape plan to (i) Theseus. (ii) Demetrius. (iii) Egeus. 2 Are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? (a) Bottom and his friends want to do a play for the Duke and Duchess on their wedding night. (b) Bottom will play Thisby, Pyramus and the lion. (c) Flute is not going to play Thisby. (d) Snug is a slow learner. (e) Like Hermia and Lysander, Bottom and his friends will meet in the wood tomorrow night. ( f ) Pyramus and Thisby is a love story.

‘I know all about you and your love for Hippolyta.’ ‘Give me that boy, and I’ll dance with you.’ ‘I don’t love you, so stop following me.’ ‘I’m your little dog.’ ‘Don’t worry, my poor, unhappy lady.’ ‘I want to lie next to you.’ ‘It’s wrong before we’re man and wife.’ ‘Happy with Hermia? I wrongly thought that I loved her.’ ‘Why are you making fun of me like this?’

Act 3 1 Match the first half of the sentences (a–g) with the second half (i–vii). (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f ) (g) (h) ( i)

Bottom thinks the ladies None of the actors Puck puts a donkey’s head When Titania woke up, Puck put love-juice Oberon puts love-juice Helena and Hermia were Puck didn’t know there were At the end of Act 3, Puck puts juice

(i) she fell in love with Bottom with a donkey’s head. (ii) will be frightened of the lion in the play. (iii) in the wrong man’s eyes. (iv) on Bottom’s shoulders. (v) two Athenian men in the forest. (vi) in Lysander’s eyes. (vii) children together at school. (viii) can remember their words in the play. (ix) in Demetrius’s eyes. 2 Answer these questions.

Act 2 1 Put these words in the right places in these sentences. about

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) ( i)

after because before between but until

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Puck is a bad little fairy _________ he brings good luck. Titania looks after the boy _________ his mother died. Oberon saw cupid flying _________ the moon and earth. Lysander and Hermia cannot sleep together _________ they are married. (e) If Titania stays, she will fight with Oberon _________ the little boy. ( f ) Lysander wakes up and sees Helena _________ he sees Hermia. (g) Hermia wakes up _________ Lysander and Helena leave.


(a) Where do Bottom, Peter Quince and the others practise their play? (b) What do the actors do when they see Bottom with a donkey’s head? (c) Why does Titania fall in love with Bottom? (d) Why can’t Hermia find Demetrius? (e) How does Helena feel when both Demetrius and Lysander are in love with her? (f) Oberon gives some different flower-juice to Puck. In whose eyes will he put it to solve the problems in the forest? (g) Do Lysander and Demetrius fight? Why/why not? (h) Who is asleep at the end of Act 3?

Photocopiable

(b) Hermia and Lysander want to (i) leave Greece. (ii) get married. (iii) love Demetrius.

2 Who says these sentences, and who are they talking to?


These activities can be done alone or with one or more other students. Pair/group-only activities are marked.

Penguin Readers Factsheets

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK

Act 4 1 Put these sentences in the right order from 1–8.

2 Finish these sentences in your own words. (a) Titania strokes Bottom’s head and plays him beautiful music because _________ . (b) Titania offers Bottom some fresh fruit or cake, but he prefers _________ . (c) When Oberon sees Bottom in Titania’s arms, he feels _________ . (d) When she wakes up, Titania thinks her love for Bottom was _________ . (e) When Oberon asks Titania for the Indian boy, she _________ . ( f ) Theseus wants his wife to hear _________ . (g) When Demetrius wakes up, he feels _________ . (h) Bottom will call his song ‘Bottom’s Dream’ because _________ .

2 Work in pairs. Answer these questions and write a paragraph about each one. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Who is the funniest person in the play? What is the funniest scene in the play? Who is the kindest person in the play? Who is the most stupid person in the play? Who is the meanest person in the play?

3 Your school is doing a play of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Which part do you want to play? Give reasons for your answer.

Photocopiable

3 At the end of Act 4, Puck says ‘I hope we’ve all learnt our lines.’ What do you think? Will the audience enjoy the play? Why/why not? Act 5 1 Who (a) has planned pleasant things for Theseus’s wedding night? (b) has sung a song about a fight with monsters to his wife? (c) cried when he saw Bottom and the other market workers practising their play? (d) does not enjoy watching stupid people? (e) chooses Bottom’s play for everyone to watch? ( f ) speaks very quickly? (g) tells Snug to roar? (h) thinks Thisby is dead when he sees her bloody coat? ( i) kills Thisby? 2 What does Theseus think, or how does he feel about these things? (a) (b) (c) (d)

lovers Hippolyta Bottom and the other market workers Pyramus and Thisby

3 Write the story of the play Pyramus and Thisby in your own words.



(a) Titania wakes up and doesn’t love Bottom any more. (b) The actors are waiting for Bottom but nobody has seen him. (c) Titania sleeps with Bottom in her arms. (d) Bottom arrives and the group of actors get ready to do their play. (e) Bottom asks the fairies to bring him food and drink. ( f ) Theseus and Egeus find the lovers sleeping in the forest. (g) The lovers wake up and all their problems have gone. (h) Oberon puts some flower juice in Titania’s eyes.

1 Theseus thinks lovers are sometimes like crazy people. Do you agree? What strange things do people do when they are in love?


Student’s Activities

Published and distributed by Pearson Education Factsheet produced by Clare Gray Publishing Services Ltd Factsheet series developed by Louise James