Shakespeare’s Comedies & Tragedies
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Writing Assignment
Hoffman
Due __________
________
Choose one of the following and respond to it in a short paper of two pages (12
pt font – double spaced) using instances from the play to support your
analysis. Cite your references! (Midsummer 3.1 28-34). Keep it short and
concise --- to the point! This is an analysis paper, and not a summary of the
events! Please submit your paper word processed, in a 12-point font, and
double-spaced. You must include the question you are responding to in a
reworded style in your introduction in order for your paper to be accepted for
evaluation. Please put your name, hour, and question # in the top right-hand
corner of the first page. Pay proper attention to sentence structure,
mechanics, and paragraphing.
1. The two scenes of the first act and the first scene of the second act present three
contrasting, quite different worlds in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How would
you describe these worlds? What atmosphere, or mood, does each suggest? In
what ways do they accurately portray the world that they represent?
2. Imagery is concrete, vivid language that appeals to one of the five senses.
Select one pattern of imagery in the play, such as plants and flowers, the moon and
moonlight, or sleep and dreaming. Trace the way this pattern is developed in the
play as a whole.
3. Shakespeare combines four different plots, or series of events, in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Identify these plots, and show how Shakespeare skillfully
interweaves them. What are the principal parallels or other connections that link
these plots together on a thematic level? How do the characters in these plots,
when considered together, suggest a microcosm of society, or perhaps of the
universe?
4. Analyzing theme. State and analyze what you take to be Shakespeare’s most
important theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Be sure to discuss how the
elements of setting, imagery, plot, and characterization contribute to this theme.
5. Analyzing character: In most Shakespearean plays, one or two characters are
clearly preeminent as the protagonist or the protagonists of the drama. Who is the
most important character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Discuss and defend
your choice with specific references to the text.
6. Analyzing imagery: Reread carefully the speeches of Oberon, Titania, and
Puck. Analyze two or three of the most important patterns of imagery in the
language of these speeches. Be sure to include specific references to the text in
your analysis.