A Midsummer Night’s Dream Final Project
Choose one of the following final projects for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This
project is due on April 30th. You are expected to do this project outside of class
but we will have some time to work on it in class. Any project that is in essay
format MUST be turned in on time and sources must be sited. You will earn a
research, reading, writing and a speaking grade as part of this assignment. By
Monday April 21st, you must have your project selection made so we can begin
working on it that week.
1. Discuss how romantic love is portrayed in contemporary culture. Consider how love is depicted in
movies, television shows, commercials, music, and other media. Is love depicted as irrational, or does it
have a basis in sound judgment? Is love measured by the excitement it creates or the commitment it
elicits? Discuss how popular images of love might influence young people or reflect their own
experiences of love. (300 words)
2. Imagine that you are one of the characters in the play. Write and deliver a speech about the nature
of love and its importance in marriage. Use quotes from A Midsummer Night's Dream and refer to
incidents in the play.
3. Create a cartoon strip of your favorite scene in the play. Illustrate elements that would be especially
difficult to portray onstage, such as the size of fairies and Bottom's fantastic transformation. Your strip
should have at least 10 panels and should include color.
4. Research a type of mythical creature, such as mermaids, gnomes, leprechauns, golems, or genies.
Write an essay comparing the creature that you research and the fairies in A Midsummer Night's
Dream. (300 words)
5. Design your own costumes for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Make a poster or a
booklet illustrating your designs. Explain why you chose the design you did.
6. Report on the celebration of Midsummer Day in Shakespeare's time. What kind of magic was
supposed to take place? Did this festival have special significance to lovers? In which countries is
Midsummer Day still celebrated today? What is the background of the name "Puck" (also known as
"Robin Goodfellow")?
7. Bottom is one of Shakespeare's most memorable characters. Propose a new TV series featuring the
irrepressible weaver, and prepare a storyboard to sell the pilot episode.
8. In a picture book for children, retell the legend of Theseus and the Amazon queen Hippolyta
(sometimes called Hippolyte, Antiope, or Melannipe), which provides the background story for A
Midsummer Night's Dream.
9. Costumes were an item of heavy expense in staging a new play. As a costume designer, plan a
wardrobe for either Titania or Hippolyta and for either Hermia or Helena. Prepare a watercolor portrait
of each costume and specify the fabrics you require. Design three costumes for each character; explain
your choices.
10. Using clay or Play-Doh, create a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream featuring the
"mechanicals" (the workmen). Write a short description of what is occurring in your diorama
including the act and scene.
11. Make a picture book for children and retell the legend of Pyramus and Thisby.
12. Critics have often noted the similarities in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet.
Write an essay in which you distinguish at least five points of resemblance in the plays. [Minimum
length: 300 words]
13. Make a comic book of A Midsummer Night's Dream. You may cut some of the text, but the comic
book should cover the entire play and Shakespeare's language should basically remain intact. Use a
minimum of 10 strips, two for each act.
14. Write a series of five love poems, choose from the following: from Thesues to Hippolyta, from
Helena to Demetrius, from Demetrius to Hermia, From Hermia to Lysander, From Lysander to Hermia,
or from Titania to Bottom. Make sure your poem accurately reflects the feelings in the play; use details
from the play.
15. Imagine that you are a police officer investigating reports of strange occurrences in the woods
outside Athens. You have interviewed all of the participants and are going to write a report which
summarizes the various comings and goings and activities of the persons involved. As a police officer,
you are not interested in illusion, poetic details, or complex symbolic explanations. You need to focus
on reality. In your report address who, what, when, where, and why.
16. When Bottom is reunited with his friends, they press him for details of what happened, but he is
unable to tell them much. Imagine that later Bottom calms down enough to relate his amazing
experiences. Write a letter (250 words or more) from Bottom to his friends telling about his
transformation into an ass, his meeting with the fairies, and his love affair with Titania. Try to write as
Bottom would (misusing long words, for example.)
17. Choose a scene from the play and re-write it in either modern language, or in modern teenage
language. Please include definitions of slang and terms if you choose to use “your” language…just like
the side notes in the play.
18. Memorize a speech from the play and act it out in front of the class. (The speech must be at least
20 lines long.)
19. You are an advice columnist. Write a letter from any three of the characters in the play, and then
write your response to them. Make sure that you fully explain the problem using information from the
play.
20. Bottom has just won the Athenian Laborers Guild award for best actor. Write an acceptance
speech (at least 75 words) from him to deliver at the awards ceremony. Try to imitate his use of
language in your speech. Deliver it to the class.
21. Write the front page of the Fairyland Gazette that includes stories about events in the play. It
should include a feature story, an editorial, a news article, a picture, and two advertisements.
23. Create a game (or copy ideas like Trivial Pursuit, Family Feud, Scattergories, etc.) using information
from the play. Don’t forget to make a game board, playing pieces, directions, etc. Make sure that you
have at least 25 questions with answers.
24. Do a visual interpretation of one act of AMND. Through a series of pictures, portray the highlight
of that act. Use a minimum of five pictures and make sure each picture has a title or caption to identify
it. (Don’t forget to add color!)
25. Make a full-color map showing a “bird’s-eye view” of the setting of the play. Include specific
places and locations mentioned in the play such as buildings, streets, parks, etc. On an attached sheet
of paper, list each location and briefly mention what happened there.