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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Guide
for Teachers
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The Warehouse Theatre
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2014-15 Educational Touring Production
For more information, contact Anne Tromsness, Education Director
anne@warehousetheatre.com
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Using this study guide
Through our education programs at the Warehouse Theatre, we take residencies to dozens of teachers’
classrooms, and work with thousands of students a year. We support curricular standards in ELA,
theatre, and history by bringing the actor’s approach to Shakespeare to the students, and empowering
them to speak the speeches, and embody the words we love so well – as they learn how to apply these
tools to their own experience with the text. Through our curricular strategies and arts-integrated
approach, we celebrate inclusion, critical thinking, teamwork, process and problem solving.
What we hear in many schools is that Shakespeare continues to provide a challenge to students and
teachers. We hear from educators about the struggle they experience helping students connect with
plays that focus on heightened language and a celebration of rhetorical structure and device, when our
culture seems to focus less and less on appreciating both language and reason. We work with wonderful
teachers who work hard to keep the Bard relevant to the upcoming generation, and we love to partner
with as many schools and classrooms as we can. But even if we’re not in your classroom – we want to
serve as a resource for you!
It is in this spirit that we have designed this study guide –intended for educators in middle and high
schools, to use as a tool to enhance student comprehension and enjoyment of Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. The exercises contained in this guide are designed to meet several
Common Core standards for the middle and high school English Language Arts classroom. This guide
may be used as a supplement to classroom study of this text, and is best used in the context of
attending the Warehouse Theatre’s student matinee performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For
information about booking The Warehouse Theatre’s touring productions in your community, contact
me at anne@warehousetheatre.com.
Additionally, we hope you will encourage your students to attend live theatre, and if in the Greenville
area, audience enrichment programming at The Warehouse Theatre. For each play, we host a series of
events which bring the play’s themes, genre and production process into new focus for the community.
Our forum series takes an issue or theme raised in the play and envisions its current context in our own
community. We assemble a panel of community members with an expertise or investment in that issue,
and hold a facilitated, thoughtful dialogue and discussion. We also host pre-show talks lead by scholars
and theatre practitioners, contextualizing the plays we present by genre, time period or production
history. Talkbacks offer audience members the chance to ask questions of the play’s director, actors
and design team. This programming is free and open to the public. For a full schedule of events, contact
me at anne@warehousetheatre.com.
We hope you will find this guide useful, and that you will let us know what information, topics for
discussion, and exercises you integrate into your curriculum. Let us know what you would like for us to
include in future study guides or resources. And thank you for your support of The Warehouse Theatre!
Anne Kelly Tromsness, Education Director
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Contents
A “ Brief “ Synopsis of the Play ....................................................................................................... 4
Spotlight: A SIMPLE STRUCTURE IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS – Something you can count on ........ 5
Spotlight:THEME and MOTIFS......................................................................................................... 6
Spotlight: TWO PLAYS in CONVERSATION ...................................................................................... 7
Spotlight: Acting Shakespeare – some advice from the players .....................................................8
Spotlight: Stock Characters ............................................................................................................. 9
Spotlight: Sources - Borrowing and merging from several sources ............................................. 13
Spotlight: Audience Etiquette ....................................................................................................... 14
Shakespeare in Historical Context: William Shakespeare’s life as a play ......................................16
Shakespeare’s Language ................................................................................................................18
Shakespeare’s World .....................................................................................................................19
Some thoughts about William Shakespeare and some fun facts about the play .........................21
Sources for this study guide .......................................................................................................... 22
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A “ Brief “ Synopsis of the Play
Theseus is the duke of Athens, the enchanting and enchanted ancient Greek city-state. He’s just defeated the
Amazon queen Hippolyta in war and will now marry her. He orders a festival of reveling to celebrate his
wedding. However, before the festival can get started, Theseus must attend to a serious matter. Egeus, a
wealthy Athenian brings his stubborn daughter, Hermia, before Theseus in order that he might pass
judgment on her for disobedience to her father’s will. Hermia loves Lysander and Lysander loves Hermia but
Egeus, Hermia’s father, has decided Hermia will marry Demetrius. Hermia dislikes Demetrius and refuses.
Egeus asks Theseus to resolve this situation by invoking an ancient law of Athens that says if a daughter
disobeys her father she faces many penalties. Theseus offers Hermia some options: obey her father and
marry Demetrius or choose to live the rest of her life as a nun, or suffer the penalty of death. He gives her
until “the next moon” to decide. After Theseus and her father leave, Hermia and Lysander devise a plan to
run away from Athens through the forest to elope. At that moment Helena, Hermia’s best friend. She loves
Demetrius and is heart-broken at the thought that her best friend, Hermia, might be getting married to him.
Hermia swears she has no intention of marrying Demetrius and shares her plan to marry Lysander. Helena
still suspects her friend of being disloyal and vows to find Demetrius and tell him of Hermia and Lysander’s
plan.
Word of the wedding festival spreads and of the dramatic competition that awards money to the best play. A
group of tradesmen and laborers decide to enter the competition. They are carpenters, tailors, tinkers,
mechanics, but not actors. However, because they have in their group the best amateur actor in Athens,
Bottom the weaver. They also have Peter Quince who will write and direct the play and organize all the
rehearsals. They fear that other groups in the competition might spy on their rehearsals so they decide to
rehearse at night in the forest of Athens.
The forest outside the city is especially enchanted…by fairies, ruled by the king and queen of fairies, Oberon
and Titania, who are not getting along and are living apart from each other. Their quarreling has put the
natural world into a state of chaos. They meet by chance one night by moonlight in the forest outside Athens.
Oberon orders his most loyal fairy, Puck, to seek out a magical flower in the forest whose nectar, if squeezed
onto a sleeper’s eyes, has a magical property that makes them fall in love with the first creature they see
upon awaking. Oberon plans to use it on Titania so that she will once again adore him. He has also overheard
poor Helena, now alone in the forest. He takes pity on her and orders Puck to use the flower’s magic on
Demetrius so that he will love her. Puck mistakenly uses the flower on Lysander who wakes to see Helena as
she looks for Demetrius. He swears his love for her, pursuing her through the forest, leaving Hermia asleep
and alone. When Oberon sees what Puck has done, he orders him to try again and get Demetrius to fall in
love with Helena. Puck finds Demetrius and does as he is told. Demetrius wakes to see Helena and fall in love
with her. Now both Lysander and Helena are pursuing Helena and Hermia is chasing all of them to find out
what is going on. Puck, then enchants the sleeping Titania. He has discovered Bottom rehearsing in the forest
and turns him into an ass. Bottom is the first creature Titania sees when she wakes, so she falls in love with
him. The result is a night of chaos in the forest that soon gets out of hand. Oberon, seeing that he’s gone too
far, undoes the spells and everyone sleeps until morning. The lovers are all discovered the next morning by
Theseus and his hunting party. They tell their tale and Theseus commands they return to Athens to be
married; Hermia to Lysander, and Demetrius to Helena. That night, after the weddings, the rude mechanicals,
led by Bottom, perform their play and win the competition. Oberon wakes Titania and they reconcile. That
night they bless the marriages of the Athenians and all is right again in the world.
5
Spotlight: A SIMPLE STRUCTURE IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS – Something
you can count on
According to Louis Fantasia, scholar and author of Instant Shakespeare, in all of Shakespeare’s plays you
can count on the plot including four elements:
ONE – The world (or worlds) of the play begin in some sort of disorder or chaos as a result of some
inciting incident.
TWO – Some figure of authority (a king or queen, prince, duke, parent) makes a decision that will have
a significant impact on the lives of the other characters in the world of the play
THREE- The dramatic or rising action of the play unfolds as the effected characters in the world of the
play take some action in response to the decision made by the authority figure. Often, this will
lead them on a journey to a “middle” world of the play that is in direct contrast or juxtaposition
to the world of disorder or chaos that starts the play.
FOUR - The actions taken by the effected characters force some sort of climax or resolution based on
the decision made by the figure of authority. In a comedy this resolution comes in the form of
multiple marriages and in a tragedy it comes in the form of multiple deaths. Ultimately, this
resolution restores order to the first world.
TERMS
Plot
Order
Disorder
Chaos
Climax
Inciting incident
Dramatic action / Rising action
Resolution
ACTIVITY
Identify these four structural elements in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Support your findings with textual evidence and examples.
Create a chart, illustration, or some visual aid to represent your findings.
Apply this test to another of Shakespeare’s plays to see if it holds up.
ACTIVITY
Choose several of Shakespeare’s tragedies and several of his comedies or romances and count the
number of weddings or deaths. Which comedy/romance has the most marriages at the end of the play?
Which tragedy or history has the most corpses at the end of the play?
ACTIVITY
Choose what you perceive to be the worst figure of authority and their “bad” decision from amongst
Shakespeare’s plays. Defend your choice against someone else’s. What rubrics will you need to
establish to determine the “worst” decision? Will it be how many lives it alters? Will it be how many
disasters occur as a result?
6
Spotlight: THEME and MOTIFS
Theme is defined as a subject or topic of discourse or artistic representation. Motif is defined as a
dominant idea or central theme. In drama the central theme is usually an intrinsic or essential idea
surrounded by several more literal or representative motifs. Below is a list of words representing either
themes or motifs from the play.
Forbidden love
Jealousy
Day
Nature
Disobedience
Sleep
Order
Fate
Duality
Sun
Man
Natural Law
Civil Law
Chaos
Consequences
Light
Moon
Male
Supernatural
Cloak
Old
Haste
Dark
Short
Female
Death
Self-awareness
Youth
Love
Night
Tall
Swearing
Ego
TERMS
Imagery
Theme
Motif
Intrinsic
Essential
Literal
Duality
QUESTIONS
Which of the words above, in your opinion, represent themes, which represent motifs, which are
images? How do you decide which are which?
What themes, images or motifs, in your opinion, are missing from the list?
Assume you are asked to select just one from the list to represent the central theme of the play. How
would you go about choosing? Which word would you choose and why?
ACTIVITY
Create a chart with the themes heading individual columns. Assign motifs under their appropriate
thematic heading. Do you encounter any motifs that could go under more than one heading? How does
this help you better understand the play?
7
Spotlight: TWO PLAYS IN CONVERSATION
According to Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor and the Complete Oxford Shakespeare, these plays
were both most likely written within the time period (1594-95). Though the genres are
different, there are many similar devices, themes, and event plot points shared between them.
What can we learn about one play by studying the other? Listed below are parallel devices and
themes in the plays.
MSND
R and J
bonds and liberty
bonds and liberty
Pyramus and Thisbe
Romeo and Juliet
Night and Day
Light and Dark
Love-in-Idleness
Friar Laurence’s potion
Sleep and Dreams
Sleep and Death
Young Love
First Love
Demetrius
Paris
Oberon and Titania
Queen Mab
Costumes
Mask/ disguise
Theseus
Prince
Running Away
Banishment
Swearing Oaths
Swearing Oaths
Forced Marriage
Forced Marriage
Elopement
Secret marriage
Activity: track a similarity throughout both plays. How does the genre of the play – comedy versus
tragedy, differ in the exploration of these themes or characters? Where are there elements of comedy in
Romeo and Juliet, tragedy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Activity: Look for related themes or different explorations of stories in other Shakespeare plays, or in
works by another author. How can presenting similar themes and ideas using a different genre affect the
message? How are antithetical genres effective in different ways?
8
Spotlight: Acting Shakespeare – some advice from the
players
Actor Roger Allam played Mercutio in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1983-1984 production of
Romeo & Juliet. In the book Players of Shakespeare 2, Mr. Allam is interviewed about his process as an
actor and in preparing the role. Here he speaks of a discovery he made on holiday in Italy before
rehearsals began.
“I spent a week in Venice, staggered by the confidence and wealth of its past, drinking in its
painting and architecture. As I looked at the paintings in the Accademia from Byzantine to
Mannerist, I felt I was witnessing the emergence of an ever more complex view of the world,
alongside the means to express that complexity in oil paint, and through the use of angle, colour
and light. I felt a vivid sense of the correspondence between this visual richness and the
developing language of English drama and poetry in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Making visual connections is very important to many actors as we have become used to
appreciating complexity of meaning expressed as a stream of pictures in film…For me, standing
in front of a Botticelli or a Veronese was like seeing a Shakespeare speech brought to life, a kind
of visual equivalent which stimulated my feelings for the world of the play.”
He goes on to discuss another aspect of an actor’s process, observation of people and places.
“The resultant street life is very rich, even in small towns like Arrezo and Giaole, fertile ground for
the peeping Tom aspect of an actor’s preparation.”
“I observed the groups of young people, the lounging grace with which they wore their clothes,
their sense of always being on show. I walked the streets, they paraded them.”
“I made up stories about them, and took surreptitious photographs.”
TERMS
Accademia
Byzantine
Mannerist
Botticelli
Veronese
QUESTIONS
The actor, Roger Allam draws a connection between painting, architecture, language, drama and poetry.
How can these things be useful to an actor or other theatre artists in preparing a role or a production?
Mr. Allam points out that he noticed the ability of the artists to use new mediums such as oil paint to
capture the richness of their visual world. What advancements and new mediums or technology could
are used by artists today to express this? How would an actor or theatre artists make use of them?
Mr. Allam makes the observation that actors are influenced by streams visual images in films to grasp
complex meaning. This interview took place in the 1980s. What has changed since then and how would
it alter or enhance this observation today?
What importance do you think is placed on observation and interpretation in an actor’s preparation and
why?
ACTIVITIES
Using your library and the internet as a resource, create a collage of images drawn from paintings,
photographs, illustrations, video clips, etc. that reflect your interpretation of the world of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Include passages of poetry or prose, song lyrics, words or symbols. This could be either
a digital project (Powerpoint, etc.) or a three dimensional project (poster board, etc.) Observe the
people and places around you in search of ideas or images for the characters and events in the play.
Write down or record your impressions of subjects that seem to fit into your idea of the play.
9
Spotlight: Stock Characters
Shakespeare, as an heir to the Commedia Del-Arte tradition, in which the play’s message is
communicated largely through easily recognizable or even stereotypical characters, employs many of
“stock” characters throughout his works. Once you look at their basic characteristics, it is easy to identify
them across the Shakespearean canon. This identification of characters can make understanding an
unfamiliar text a little easier – because the characters in a particular category behave in similar ways,
and may even speak using similar rhetorical, image or verse structure.
Some Examples of STOCK CHARACTERS
In Shakespeare
Lovers
Ingenue (female): Innocent, sweet, youthful, honorable
Examples: Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Hero in Much Ado About Nothing,
Perdita in The Winter’s Tale, Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Sobrette (female): Not-so-innocent, not-so-young, usually
honorable, witty, likes banter and argument
Examples: Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Rosalind in As You Like
It, Katarina in The Taming of the Shrew, Rosaline in Love’s Labours Lost.
Rustic/ Rude (Male and Female): country born and bred, simple,
agrarian, earthy. Examples: Jaquenetta in Love’s Labours Lost, Audrey
and Phebe in As You Like It, Silvius in As You Like It, Andrew Aguecheek
in Twelfth Night.
Noble (Male): born of nobility, high-born, generally honest
Examples: Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Troilus in Troilus and
Cressida, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Sebastian in Twelfth Night
Companions
Councilors (Male or Female): faithful, honest, convey messages, have
information, confidantes. Examples: Horatio in Hamlet, Paulina and
Camillo in The Winter’s Tale, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Banquo in
Macbeth
Bawds (Female): worldly, saucy, dispense advice, maternal with an edge
Examples: The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Mistress Quickly in The Merry
Wives of Windsor, Lucetta in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Emilia in Othello
Mentors (Male): fatherly, give advice, supply the hero with the means to
pursue their desire. Examples: Don Pedro and Antonio in Much Ado
About Nothing, Duncan in Macbeth, The Duke in Measure for Measure
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Authority Figures and Soldiers
In Control (male): authoritative, most times fair, peripheral to plot,
initiate or resolve conflict. Examples: Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, The Prince in Romeo and Juliet, Solinus in The Comedy of Errors,
Cymbeline in Cymbeline
In Distress (male or female): strong, noble, comprised by circumstance
or bad decisions/advice, decisive, often with a flaw of temperament
Examples: Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth in Macbeth, Titus
in Titus Andronicus, Orsino in Twelfth Night, Lear in King Lear
Reluctant Heroes
Rakes & Cads (male): Walk the line between good and bad but usually
turn out good,witty, bawdy, seductive, hot-tempered, loyal but
independent. Examples: Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Mercutio
in Romeo and Juliet, Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, The Bastard
in King John, Kent in King Lear
Comic Characters
The Wit: Language based humor, somewhat noble, melancholy
Examples: Jaques in As You Like It, The Fool in King Lear, Berowne in
Love’s Labours Lost, Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing
The Clown: Physical comic, jester, paid to be amusing, singer
Examples: Feste in Twelfth Night, Touchstone in As You Like It, The Fool
in King Lear, Lavatch in All’s Well that Ends Well, The Gravedigger in
Hamlet
The Fool: situational comic, dim-witted, unaware of being a fool
Examples: Dorcas and Mopsa in The Winter’s Tale, Dogberry in Much
Ado About Nothing, Speed and Launce in Two Gentlemen of Verona,
Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Don Armado in Love’s Labour’s
Lost.
Bawds (Female): worldly, saucy, dispense advice, maternal with an edge
Examples: The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Mistress Quickly in The Merry
Wives of Windsor, Lucetta in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Emilia in
Othello, Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing.
Oppositional Characters
Villains (Male or Female): Charismatic but ruthless and malicious
characters. They are often murderous characters driven by blood-lust,
revenge, murderous ambition or simply hatred of the protagonist. Their
actions are mostly premeditated. Examples: Iago in Othello, Aaron and
Tamora in Titus Andronicus, Richard in Richard III
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Antagonists (Male or Female): As well as having some or many of the
villains, the antagonists are also characterized by petty ambition, jealousy,
greed, and gullibility. They are often misinformed or mistaken in their
opposition. They may also lack the
ability or determination of a villain.
These characters are often simply at odds with the protagonist because
they are culturally or ideologically opposed. Examples: Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Cassius and Brutus in Julius Caesar, Angelo
in Measure for Measure, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale
Parents
Dominant Father or Mother: These characters are often used in the role of
one of the other stock characters but it is important to include them in
their own category as well. These are strong, domineering characters who
are sometimes cruel or in opposition to the desires of their children in
favor of their own ambitions or sense of order and degree. Examples:
Lord and Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Egeus in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, Polonius in Hamlet.
Doting Father or Absent Mother It is difficult to find many doting fathers
in Shakespeare’s plays and if they are found, they very often turn
dominant somewhere during the action of the play. Absent mothers
however, are evident, as they are in most fairy tales, in many of his plays.
This could be due to his borrowing from fairy and folk tale structure but it
could also be due, in part, to the fact that it was more difficult to find older
male actors to play the mother and matron roles; Shakespeare could not
afford many of them per play. At times Shakespeare will use a matronly
character to stand in for an absent mother. These characters are often
older, simple people who are natural or foster parents or marginalized
characters. They offer counsel, love and support and may find
themselves in peril for their love and care. Examples: Leonato in Much
Ado About Nothing (he begins as a doting father but turns dominant),
Lear in King Lear (Again, he starts out doting, becomes dominant, and
returns to doting), Adam in As You Like It, the Old Shepherd in The
Winter’s Tale, the Countess in All’s Well that Ends Well, Constance in
King John and Hermione in The Winter’s Tale (Both are removed
from her child for most of the action of both plays)
Non-human characters
Fantasticals / Sprits (Male, Female, or Neither) Creatures of
imagination, fairies, sprites, goblins, and ghosts and even the occasional
god. Often used to provide insight into future events or to council and
protect mortal characters or to wreak havoc and mischief. Examples:
Titania and Oberon, Puck and the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Ariel in The Tempest, Hecate and the weird sisters in Macbeth, The ghost
of Hamlet’s father in Hamlet, Caesar’s ghost in Julius Caesar.
12
“Everyman” characters
Rustics and Mechanicals: Pastoral or country rather than urban or city
based characters. They are often simple, comical, less sophisticated, but
always wise in common matters. Usually honest but highly
gullible. Examples: Bottom, Quince, Snout, Snug, Flute, and
Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Corin, William,
Audrey, Phebe, and Silvius in As You Like It, The Old Shepherd and his
son and family in The Winter’s Tale, Verges in Much Ado About Nothing.
Expositional and supernumeraries
Lords, ladies, soldiers, officers, musicians, messengers, servants
(Male or Female) Important but often nameless and shallow characters in
that we know very little about them and do not see them consistently
throughout the play. They serve to deliver expositional material, bring
news, or act as a sort of chorus commenting on the action of the play.
There are numerous examples of these characters; just about any that don’t
fit into one of the other categories.
Compelling Characters
Shakespeare certainly made use of stock characters but he also invented his fair
share of more complex characters by integrating the types. Because of this, his
characters seem more truthful, more “human.” These characters, perhaps
because of their “humanness” and complexity have survived through time,
unequalled in literature, and beloved for their depth and variety. Shakespeare’s
characters are deeply admired by theatre artists and especially actors who
consider his characters to be some of the most compelling, challenging and
difficult roles to play.
TERMS
Commedia Del-Arte
Stock
Canon
Rhetorical
Peripheral
Confidante
Exposition
Malicious
Charismatic
QUESTIONS
To which group do the characters listed below belong?
Titania, Oberon, Bottom, Helena, Egeus, Lysander, Demetrius, Puck, Theseus
How do we recognize them? How does their behavior give them away? How does the language in the
play (prose vs. verse), imagery, punctuation, etc. reveal which classification they belong to? What
themes are each of the characters most tied to?
ACTIVITY
Choose one or more contemporary films or television programs and determine what group each
character belongs to.
13
Spotlight: Sources - Borrowing and merging from several
sources
According to the British Library online, the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream cannot be traced to any
one text, but as is typical of many of his works, Shakespeare drew from a variety of sources for aspects
of the play. For example, from Plutarch’s Lives of The Noble Grecians and Romans, he took information
about both Theseus and Hippolyta. From Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales he took inspiration from The
Knight’s Tale for both language and plot, and among other sources, Shakespeare used Seneca’s
plays Medea and Hippolytus in particular for aspects of the Helena and Demetrius love-plot.
QUESTIONS
Can you think of any recent films or plays or television programs that have borrowed or adapted existing
stories, plots, or characters?
What might you learn about Shakespeare as a writer by comparing Romeo and Juliet with the original
source material mentioned above?
Activity
Choose two stories, folk tales, or fairy tales from when you were younger. Select one as your primary
story or plot and incorporate characters or moments from the other. Then, add a character or two and
action from your own imagination. Now you’re working like Shakespeare!
14
Spotlight: Audience Etiquette
In today’s world of digital media, film, and television, it is important to remember that watching a play is
a different experience that requires different habits and attitudes.
Differences between live entertainment and pre-recorded, electronic, or other media. (Between
theatre and film)
Audience and performer awareness and connection. They are both present. Performers feed off of the
audience. One performance to the next can be very different based on the connection between
performers and audience. Performance develops right here and now and is dependent on audience
attention and focus.
Distractions do not go unnoticed by the performers
Films etc. can be re-viewed if something is missed; they can be interrupted yet still viewed from start to
finish. Live theatre is different. If the viewer misses something, they can’t “rewind.”
Entering the theatre and becoming an audience member
From the moment the audience member enters, the performance elements are being presented to her
through various theatrical elements.
Find seat, remove coat or jacket before you sit, sit properly in seat, be aware and courteous of patrons
on either side and in front or behind you. Keep your feet off the seat or seat back in front of you.
Take in the set/scenery, listen to the music, read the prepared material in the program.
Converse with your friends or neighbors but at a level that allows everyone else to do so as well.
Conversation should stop when the lights, sound, curtain or actors change in a way that makes you
aware things are about to start….Intermission is a great time for talking.
Attention and focus
Live entertainment/theatre requires a different level and type of attention or focus.
From entering the theatre to the final curtain, clues and elements relating to the performance, the
story, the themes etc. are being presented and should not be missed due to distraction or
inattentiveness.
Plays tend to accelerate as the story unfolds. Your attention needs to stay with them and increase as
the story unfolds in order to really get the most out of the experience.
Avoid outside distractions by turning off cell phones, not conversing with friends or neighbors during the
performance, not texting during the performance and not getting up to use the restrooms or wander
15
the lobby repeatedly. This may cause you to miss key elements of the story and inhibit your enjoyment
of the play and it will be distracting to other audience members and the performers as well.
Start to finish
Plays may begin with a recorded or live speech before the show. This is the formal beginning of the
performance and is often indicated by a lowering in level of the “house” lights (the lights over the
audience) and a change in lights on the show curtain or set. At this point you should be quiet and
attentive.
The play/story will usually begin when the house lights dim completely and lights come up full on the set
or the curtain rises to reveal the set and/or characters.
Plays are traditionally divided into acts which are in turn separated by scenes. There may or may not be
intermissions (breaks in the story for you to visit the lobby and/or restrooms) between acts. These may
last ten to fifteen minutes. The number of intermissions will be indicated in your program and/or during
the pre-show speech. It is acceptable and encouraged to applaud at the end of an act. Normally
applause between scenes is discouraged. You should always applaud at the end of the play and while
the performers take their bows (curtain call)
While talking during a performance is discouraged, it is acceptable to laugh or react to moments that are
funny or engaging. This also depends on the type of show (for example in a children’s show, the
performers may want the audience to interact and converse with them more than in a play for older
children and adults.)
Expect to work harder and experience more
The live theatre asks more of an audience in terms of attention, focus, and thought. This is a good thing.
It makes you work a little harder and asks more questions than you may be used to but that’s because
the theatre’s origins and traditions are rooted in societal rituals that brought communities together in
order to discuss important social issues. Plays were not intended to be purely entertaining – though
many are in the modern theatre. A performance doesn’t end with the curtain coming down or the lights
fading to black; discussions and reflection after the performance are part of the live theatre experience.
More succinctly put – don’t you love it when someone tells you a story? And don’t you want to make
sure you catch it all?
All this work – what’s it really for?
Shakespeare, and other live theatre is well, is not performed and produced to make the audience feel
alienated. It’s about
connection; it’s about humanity, and about what we recognize in our own lives
as well. You may find yourself laughing, crying, nodding your head in agreement, or turning away in
disgust. All those on stage and those who have contributed to the play are seeking connection with you.
They love the story they are telling, find it compelling and useful in some way, and hope to relay that to
you. All work aside – let yourself experience it!
16
Shakespeare in Historical Context: William Shakespeare’s life as
a play
ACT I 1564-1576/78
Sense and Sound, Family, Foundation
Shakespeare’s personal history is actually quite a mystery. What we know if him is based
mainly on his plays and a few legal and church documents. He is thought to have been born on
April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, near Warwickshire. His father, John, was a glover (a
tradesman and craftsman who works in fine leather), and later an alderman and bailiff.
Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden, was a landed local heiress; her family was an old and
respected one in the area. According to church record, William was the third of eight children.
During this time period Shakespeare learned Latin, philosophy, theology, history, and classic
mythology at the local grammar school but he also learned the day-to-day customs, manners,
and language of rustic and country life.
ACT II 1576/78-1582
Work? Apprentice? Tutor?
Shakespeare did not proceed to university after Grammar school.
Other than this, little is known for sure. During this next span of time Shakespeare probably
learned his father’s trade and may have been engaged as a tutor for children of local noble
families.
ACT III
1582-1590/92
Marriage, Family
Documents concerning Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne Hathaway, a woman some seven or
eight years his senior, on the 28th of November in 1582 and the births of their children Susanna
in May of 1583, and twins Hamnet and Judith in February of 1585, provide some of the only
information we have about William Shakespeare during this time. Shakespeare all but vanishes
from record for seven years after the birth of the twins. This period in his life is often called the
“Lost Years.” How or why he ends up in London writing plays and acting is a mystery that has
sparked many theories and arguments among scholars and historians.
ACT IV
1588-1603
London, the age of Elizabeth
Even less is known for certain as to how Shakespeare came to join a professional troupe of
actors and then become a playwright. What we do know is that by the year 1588, he was gone
from Stratford and living in London working as an actor and later as mainly a playwright.
In1592, a rival playwright named Robert Greene publically attacked Shakespeare in a critical
article in which he refers to Shakespeare as an “upstart crow.” By 1594 Shakespeare was a
managing partner of one of the most popular theatre companies in London, the Lord
Chamberlain’s men (Later the King’s Men) and the company’s principle playwright. His star was
on the rise.
17
ACT V 1603-1616
Wealth, Fame, Return to Stratford
Shakespeare achieved a significant fame and notoriety by this time. His company was
successful and his plays well known and even published during his lifetime (not a usual
occurrence during this era). By the end of his career, Shakespeare was a part owner in the
company, the Globe theatre itself, and was involved in the establishment of one or more other
theatres. He was wealthy enough in 1611 to purchase a new house in Stratford and retire in
comfort; a highly respected, and distinguished gentleman. He is reported to have died on his
birthday, April 23 in 1616. His last lines of verse to us are those of his epitaph:
Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbeare
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.
In 1623 two of his theatrical partners, John Hemminges and Henry Condell organized and had
printed the First Folio edition of the collected plays of their friend William Shakespeare. Half of
this collection included plays that had previously been unpublished. To these two gentlemen
we owe a great debt.
William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest playwright of the English language. His body of
work has stood the test of time and distance with his plays still being produced all over the
world on a regular basis. He is one of the most produced playwrights in history.
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Shakespeare’s language
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Shakespeare’s most striking feature is his use of and command of language.
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Shakespeare had only a sparse formal education. There were no dictionaries and organized
grammar texts would not appear until the 1700s.
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As a student, Shakespeare would have studied the English language no more than other men of
average education.
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His education consisted primarily of translating, copying and reciting Classical Texts, such as the
Bible, Holinshed’s Chronicles, The Iliad, the works of Dante and Herodotus and Ovid’s
Metamorphoses. Many of his plotlines and references come from these works.
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Shakespeare was also very familiar with dramatic and poetic texts both of his day and before. For
example, many of his characters and structure of his stories come from Commedia Del Arte, and
from the Senecan tenets of plot. He also referenced Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, and
Christopher Marlowe’s plays such The Jew of Malta (in the case of The Merchant of Venice). He
borrowed heavily from poet Edmund Spenser, most notably The Faerie Queene.
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The Oxford English Dictionary credits Shakespeare with introducing nearly 3,000 words into the
English language. (these include eyeball, assassination, bedroom, and other commonly used
words.)
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He is estimated to have had a vocabulary ranging in numbers upward of 17,000 words (four times
the average educated man).
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There are 7000 words in his works that are used only once and never again. This is more than the
number of words than occur in the entire King James Bible.
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Shakespeare's English is not Old English, but rather a raw and young form of the Modern English
spoken today.
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Word order, as the language shifted from Middle to Early Modern English, was still a bit more
flexible, and Shakespeare wrote dramatic poetry, not standard prose, which gave some greater
license in expression.
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This facility with language, and the art with which he employed its usage, is why Shakespeare is as
relevant today as he was in his own time.
19
Shakespeare’s World
Most of Shakespeare’s plays were written during what is referred to as the Late or High Renaissance
period. In England, this era is also referred to as the Elizabethan Period after Queen Elizabeth I. It is
important to note that Shakespeare’s world, while dominated by Elizabeth, was shaped by other
monarchs before and after her reign. Starting with her father, Henry VIII, and concluding with her
nephew, James I we see that Shakespeare was the subject of a turbulent and volatile royal family.
Henry VIII – 1509-47
EdwardVI – 1547-53
Mary I – 1553-58
Elizabeth I – 1558-1603
James I – 1603-25
Excommunicated, started English Reformation
Devoted Protestant, died young
Fanatical Catholic, persecuted protestants
Protestant but tolerant of the old faith to a point
More a politician than devout, fascinated by the occult
The theatres of Shakespeare’s time
The Theatre: 1576-1598. The first public theatre in London. When it was torn down its timbers were
used in constructing the first Globe Theatre. It was owned by James Burbage and his son Richard who
would originate many of Shakespeare’s leading characters including Hamlet.
The Blackfriars: Eventually owned by Richard Burbage in 1597 and intended to operate as a second
space for the King’s Men.
The Curtain: One of the longest standing theatres, it lasted from about 1577 until the 1660s. The Rose:
Probably the first London theatre in which Shakespeare’s plays were seen. Opened by Phillip Henslowe
who would go on to work frequently with Shakespeare. Ned Allyn, a popular actor took over in later
years but the theatre fell into ruins and could not compete with the newly built Globe Theatre. The
Rose was torn down in 1605.
The Swan: Little is known of this theatre which operated between 1595-1632. It is important to history
because of a famous sketch of it made by Johannes de Witt and later copied by Aernoudt. This sketch
provides us with the most detailed picture of an Elizabethan theatre.
The Globe: Home to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (Later the King’s Men) the first version of this theatre
opened in 1599. Both Shakespeare and Burbage were part owners. It burnt down in 1613 and a new
Globe was built in 1614 and lasted until 1644.
Fortune Theatre: Built by Phillip Henslowe in 1600 to compete with the Globe Theatre. The contract for
the construction provides detailed information about the characteristics and operation of an Elizabethan
theatre.
Playwrights and contemporaries
Edmund Spenser – London – 1552-1599
Influential poet and playwright. His poem, The Fairie Queen, is one of the greatest epic poems of its age
John Lily – Kent - 1554-1606
Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit and Euphues and His England.
Credited with developing “polite comedy” in England
Thomas Kyd – London -1558-1594
Author of the play, The Spanish Tragedy, which set the standard for Elizabethan tragic form.
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Robert Greene – Norwich – 1560-1592
A member of a group of writers known as the “University Wits.” He was a critic of Shakespeare and
attacked his work in public articles.
Christopher (“Kit”) Marlowe – Canterbury – 1564-1593
Said to have been a significant influence on Shakespeare and may even have been regarded as a rival.
His life and writings have become almost legendary. His plays, Faustus, Tamburlaine the Great, and The
Jew of Malta are most famous.
Ben Jonson – London 1572-1637
Regarded as one of the literary masters of his age, Johnson was a contemporary of Shakespeare’s who
both praised and criticized him. His plays, Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair are most
famous.
21
Some thoughts about William Shakespeare and some fun facts about the
play
“He who desires to understand Shakespeare truly must understand the relations in which
Shakespeare stood to the Renaissance and the Reformation, to the age of Elizabeth and the age of
James; he must be familiar with the history of the struggle for supremacy between the old classical
forms and the new spirit of romance.”
Oscar Wilde
“Shakespeare said everything. Brain to belly; every mood and minute of a man’s
season. His language is starlight and fireflies and the sun and the moon. He
wrote it with tears and blood and beer, and his words march like heartbeats. He
speaks to everyone and we all claim him, but it’s wise to remember, if we would
really appreciate him, that he doesn’t properly belong to us but another world
that smelled assertively of columbine and gun powder and printer’s ink and was
vigorously dominated by Elizabeth.”
Orson Welles, The Road to Xanadu,
1995, p. 179
“At age 436, his future is unlimited.”
New York Times
Headline, April 23, 2000
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of 10 Shakespeare plays to include an epilogue. Romeo and Juliet
is another. These two plays, other than their genres (comedy vs. tragedy) have much in common in
terms of theme, imagery, and plot.
Blank verse was first used by the Earl of Surrey in the early 1500’s. He was
translating Virgil’s Aeneid and looking for a corresponding Latin meter, and
found it in the Italian iambic pentameter model. “Blank” to the Elizabethan
meant simple, or unadorned. Within 50 years it was the preferred form used by
English dramatists.
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Sources for WHT’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide
Text editions:
The Riverside Shakespeare 2nd ed. The Complete Works. 1997, - Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston
and New York
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, The Cambridge Text Established by John Dover Wilson.
1921, Cambridge University Press – Octopus Books Ltd. 1980
Source/reference texts:
Shakespeare After All. Marjorie Garber. Anchor Books, 2004
Players of Shakespeare 2 – Further essays in Shakespearean performance by players with the Royal
Shakespeare Company. Edited by Russell Jackson and Robert Smallwood. Cambridge University Press,
1988
Shakespeare’s Imagery – and what it tells us. Caroline F. E. Spurgeon. Cambridge University Press,
1935. Beacon Press 1958.
The Shakespeare Miscellany. David Crystal and Ben Crystal. Penguin Books, London, England, 2005.
Websites:
Shakespeare’s Words, www.shakespeareswords.com – this is the official David and Ben Crystal website,
with the complete works with glossary, themes and motifs, allusions, and much, much more.
Folger Shakespeare Library, www.folger.edu – Replete with lesson plans, a teachers’ blog, and
information about Folger programming and collections.
British Library: http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/midsummer.html - Extensive information on
the background, production and publication history, and quartos of Shakespeare’s plays: