Oklahoma Shakespeare
in the Park
Study Guide
For
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
By
William
Shakespeare
ABOUT OUR PLAY
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is one of William Shakespeare’s best known and
best loved plays. Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s special production of this
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classic is designed to be a young person’s introduction to the beauty of
Shakespeare’s language and characters. Our production is 55 minutes in length
and maintains all of the subplots, that of the Wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta,
the preparation and performance by local working men in honor of the wedding,
the world of Titania and Oberon and the love story of four young people from
Athens and their adventure in the woods. Our cast of six actors portray
seventeen characters! Watch for quick character changes and some creative
casting! While this model of theatre – a small cast of actors playing multiple
roles with a cut script and traveling – has a long history throughout Europe and
England stretching from the Middle Ages, we can easily imagine this model
being employed from the earliest beginnings of theatre. In Shakespeare’s time,
touring productions would leave London and take to the road for various
reasons; the plague, political or religious suppression, the winter weather, or
financial need. Theatrical lights are not transported because of the time involved
in setting them up and the availability of adequate power. Besides,
Shakespeare’s plays were written for performances in the middle of the day
when the sun was the only source of light illuminating the audience as well as
the action.
It’s helpful for students who don’t normally attend theatre to reflect a bit on the
nature of live performances. Because we’re so used to other forms of
entertainment, it can be surprising to remember that everything happens in real
time, with real people playing before us who can hear, see and play with the
attending audience. In the Elizabethan playhouses, the actors would address
their audience directly – even eliciting responses when needed. Shakespeare
goes out of his way to acknowledge the audience and to remind them of the fact
that they are witnessing a play. At Oklahoma Shakespeare, we celebrate these
aspects of live performances, placing great emphasis on a lively relationship
with the audience. Our actors look directly at the audience, speak to them
directly – sometimes even ask them for a response. We want – even depend – on
our audiences to participate actively in the imaginative and emotional creation
of the play.
There is constant acknowledgement that this is a play, being performed in the
moment and in the presence of people who have come to hear and see it – in
other words – the actors will continually shift between the “real” reality of being
actors on a stage in front of people watching, and the “imaginative” reality of
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say, being Theseus in ancient Athens, or in the woods during the night. We also
ask students to reflect on their role as responders. Rather than focusing on
“theatre etiquette,” we invite students to participate as an engaged, supportive
and responsive audience. When an audience is attentive and actively responsive
they share in the creation of the performance and genuinely influence its
success. Since the actors are aware of the audience’s response, they can be
inspired to give more generously, take more risks in their performance. Great
audiences create great performances.
The Playwright
William Shakespeare
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small Warwickshire town, in 1564,
William Shakespeare was the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a glover,
and Mary Arden, the daughter of a wealthy farmer. The exact date of his
birth is unknown, but baptismal records point to it being the same as
that of his death, April 23. He probably attended what is now the Edward
VI Grammar School, where he would have studied Latin literature, and at
18, he married a farmer’s daughter, Anne Hathaway, with whom he had
three children: Susanna, born in 1583, and, two years later, the twins
Hamnet (who died in childhood) and Judith.
Nothing further is known of his life until 1592, when his earliest known
play, the first part of Henry VI, became a hit in London, where
Shakespeare was now working as an actor. Soon afterwards, an outbreak
of the plague forced the temporary closure of the theatres, and
Shakespeare turned for a while to writing poetry. By 1594, however, he
was back in the theatre, acting with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. He
quickly established himself as one of London’s most successful
dramatists, with an income that enabled him, in 1957, to buy a mansion
back in Stratford. In 1599 he became a shareholder in London’s newly
built Globe Theatre.
In 1603, Shakespeare’s company was awarded a royal patent, becoming
known as the King’s Men. Possibly as early as 1610,
the playwright retired to his home in Stratford-upon- Avon, living there –
and continuing to invest in real estate – until his death on April 23, 1616.
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He is buried in the town’s Holy Trinity Church.
In the first collected edition of his works in 1623, fellow dramatist Ben
Jonson called him a man “not of an age, but for all time”. Not only did
Shakespeare write some of the most popular plays of all time, but he was
a very prolific writer, writing 38 (canonically accepted) works in 23 years.
His work covered many subjects and styles, including comedies,
tragedies, histories, and romances, all bearing his hallmark expansive
plots, extraordinary language, and humanist themes. Shakespeare
enjoyed great popularity in his lifetime, and 400 years later, he is still the
most produced playwright in the world.
Synopsis of the Plot
Ordered by Duke Theseus to obey her father’s wishes and marry
Demetrius, Hermia elopes with her lover, Lysander, to the woods near
Athens – where Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies, are
in the midst of a quarrel. Demetrius follows them, pursued in turn by
Helena, whose love he spurns. Meanwhile, in the same woods, a group of
tradesmen meet to rehearse a play they hope to perform at the Duke’s
wedding.
Oberon instructs his servant, Puck, to help Helena by anointing the
sleeping Demetrius’s eyes with a magic juice that will make him fall in
love with the first person he sees, while he himself does the same to
Titania as a malicious joke. Oberon is delighted when, on waking, Titania
falls in love with Bottom, one of the amateur actors who are working on a
play to celebrate Theseus’s nuptials. He is annoyed, however, to find that
Puck has mistakenly applied the juice not to Demetrius but to Lysander,
causing the latter to forget Hermia and become instantly infatuated with
Helena.
Oberon’s attempt to rectify the mistake only compounds the lovers’
distress, as Demetrius and Lysander, now both under the influence of the
magic juice, fight over the formerly neglected Helena. After much
confusion, the mistakes are set right, Titania is released from her spell,
and all ends in an evening of celebration distinguished by a hilariously
inept performance by Bottom and his fellow performers.
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Cast of Characters
The Court
THESEUS, Duke of Athens, engaged to Hyppolita
HYPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus
EGEUS, Hermia’s father
PHILOSTRATE, Master of the Revels to the Athenian Court
The Lovers
HERMIA, in love with Lysander
HELENA, in love with Demetrius
LYSANDER, in love with Hermia
DEMETRIUS, Egeus’ choice as a husband for Hermia
The Mechanicals
NICK BOTTOM, a Weaver (Pyramus)
PETER QUINCE, a Carpenter (Prologue)
FRANCIS FLUTE, a Bellows-mender (Thisbe)
TOM SNOUT, a Tinker (Wall)
ROBIN STARVELING, a Tailor (Moonshine)
SNUG, a Joiner (Lion)
The Fairy World
OBERON, King of the Fairies
TITANIA, Queen of the Fairies
PUCK, (or Robin Goodfellow) Oberon’s attendant
FIRST FAIRY to Titania
Themes of the Play
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Marriage
The celebration of marriage is intricately woven into the plot of A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play itself was written to celebrate a royal
wedding. The play begins with the prospect of Theseus and Hippolyta’s
wedding, and ends with three marriages and resolution of conflict and
disorder. For a play to end with marriage is a clear indication of a
comedy, as well as the general intention towards celebration.
Power of imagination and Dreaming
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is filled with confusion and characters that
have profound experiences within a dream-like state. Under the influence
of a magic potion, Titania falls in love with Bottom, whose head has been
turned into that of a donkey. The young lovers Hermia, Lysander,
Demetrius and Helena all come under the influence of the magic potion,
and end up similarly confused. When the lovers emerge from the woods,
they all conclude that their experience was a dream, yet their lives have
been inexplicably and permanently altered. The power of imagination and
dreaming allows these characters to rearrange in the woods, and emerge
with resolve they did not have earlier.
Doting v. real Love
In the play we see love described in two ways, as real love and as
“doting.” Shakespeare scholar Harold F. Brooks describes doting as an
unequal love or obsession. Brooks calls doting this idea of love as more
appealing than the love itself. Early in the play we find Titania “doting”
upon the changeling child, and her obsessive care angers Oberon. Helena
is described as doting on Demetrius while he is in love with Hermia. By
the end of the play, these inequities are balanced and characters find true
love when the affection is balanced and mutual.
Love’s Difficulties
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In the beginning of the play we hear the line “the course of true love
never did run smooth,” and this timeless sentiment echoes in every heart
that has felt the confusion and trouble surrounding romantic love.
Theseus won Hippolyta in war, and the young lovers must go through a
terrible mix-up and confusion in the forest before they are resolved. The
adults in the court world, Theseus and Egeus, wish to tell Hermia whom
to marry, acknowledging that young love is wild and changing. Yet the
young lovers will not listen and choose to flee rather than tame their
passion for one another. Despite the trouble and confusion, we find that
true love wins out in the end as each lover marries their true love.
Discussion Questions
1) Is the nature of love as inconstant and transferable as Theseus believes
for the young lovers? He would have Hermia choose Demetrius, and
advises her to change her passions. Would Hermia be right to listen to
her father, or does the nature of love not allow us to choose who we fall
in love with?
2) In the play, the mechanicals are extremely concerned that their
audience will become too caught up in the illusion of their play, Pyramus
and Thisbe. Is this something artists should be concerned with? Does it
matter if an audience is aware they are watching a play, movie, or
fantasy? Is an audience ever in danger of believing an illusion too
completely?
3) Is it wrong for Oberon to interfere in the events of the young lovers
with the magic potion? His intentions are to help, but arguably he creates
chaos. Does it matter if someone’s intentions are good, but they don’t
have a positive impact?
4) At different times in history, A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been
viewed as a ridiculous play, yet it remains one of the most popular plays
ever produced. Is there timeless merit in the play, and if so, what is it? Is
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it worthy of being an enduring and admired play, or is the plot too silly to
be considered worthy of success and recognition through the ages?
Glossary
abjure
— solemnly renounce.
impenetrable hardness.
bootless
auditor
— without gain.
little (dear) lady.”
adamant
— legendary stone of
— a listener.
by’r lakin
canker-blossom
avouch
— assert.
— “By our lady- kin,” or “by our
— decay- ing flower, or that which
infects and decays a flower.
chid
— scolded.
collied
— darkened.
con
— learn.
disfigure
—
Bottom is confusing “figure,” or “symbolize,” with “disfigure,” or “deface.”
eyne
— eyes.
gawds
— showy knick-knacks.
lode-stars
easily found stars used for navigation, like the North Star.
odorous
foul-smelling.
loam
nole
neaf
— head.
paramour
paragon
perilous.
—
mazed
—
— hand.
pale
— a space or field having bounds; enclosure.
— a lover, especial- ly one in an adulterous relationship.
— a perfect, peerless example.
peascod
— pea pod
rock jutting out into the water.
— ill-considered and hasty.
triple Hecate
virgin or nun.
pard
promontory
quern
savors
with a list or schedule written on it.
wanton
odious
— sweet-smelling.
— paste of clay and sand used for plastering walls.
amazed.
— bright,
— leopard.
parlous
— high ridge of land or
— a hand-turned grain mill.
— scents.
surfeit
scrip
rash
— a scrap of paper
— excessive amount.
— the triple goddess of magic and crossroads.
votaress
—
vestal
—
— faithful female follower.
— a promiscuous woman.
woo’d
— insane, rabid. Possibly
“wooed,” as in “courted” or “seduced.”
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