A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
Final Discussion
1. How does Puck’s interference
affect what happens in the play?
Puck is the mischief-maker. His name means
imp or devil. He is the catalyst for the devilish,
inconstant events surrounding the love
relationships in the play
Lysander/Hermia
Hermia/Demetrius - Puck puts potion on
Lysander’s eyes (Act II.scene ii. 78-80) and in
this one action turns these relationships upside
down.
2.
How does Oberon’s interference in
the affairs of men further complicate
the plot?
Oberon ordered Puck to put this potion in
Demetrius’s eyes so that Demetrius would
fall in love with the fawning Helena.
Act II.scene I.259-260 - A sweet Athenian
lady is in love/With disdainful youth.
Anoint his eyes.”
Cannot tamper with nature
3. What do you think is the importance
of the forest as the scene of the
action for most of the play?
The forest, which is an archetype of
magic, darkness, and the unknown adds
to the supernatural, dreamlike, forbidden
nature of the play’s dealing with love and
love’s mysteries
Act I.scene I.164-165 - “Steal forth thy
father’s house to-morrow night;/And in
the wood, a league without the town.”
4. Compare/Contrast
Hermia and Helena
Both strong and outspoken, particularly
considering the role of the Athenian woman
Hermia - confident (Leader), honest, forthright
Helena - insecure (Follower) , dishonest, crafty Act II.scene i.202-203 - “And even for that do I
love you the more./I am your spaniel; and,
Demetrius,”
Hermia - Act I.scene i.198 - “The more I hate,
the more he follows me.
Compare/Contrast
Lysander and Demetrius
Both fickle (Romeo characters) - in and out of
love quickly. Is their fickleness only due to the
potion?
Lysander - Courageous;honest;strong - Act
I.scene i.99-100 - “I am, my lord, as well deriv’d
as he,/As well possess’d;my love is more than
his;”
Demetrius - Brutish;aggressive;audacious - Act
II.scene i.188-189 - I love thee not; therefore
pursue me not./Where is Lysnader and fair
Hermia?”
6.
Which of the female characters is
most like a modern-day woman? Why?
 Hermia (most independent and successful)
 She is an Athenian and is in love with Lysander, going directly
against her father’s will. She is described as small with dark hair
and 'though she be but little, she is fierce' (Act 3, Scene 2, line
325). When angered, she can be very juvenile and physical with her
temperament. She also believes strongly in loyalty, chastity, and
faith. She is damaged deeply when the two men who normally
swoon over her, leave her alone in the woods in the night to seek
her childhood friend, Helena. She ends up winning: she marries
Lysander with the wishes of Theseus, Hippolyta, and supposedly
her father, Egeus, as well.
7. How does Theseus prove
himself to be a wise leader?
Although he initially orders Hermia to
follow Athenian law, he ends up blessing
the marriages and allowing free will to
prevail.
Act IV.scene i.178-180 - “Egeus, I will
overbear your will;/For in the temple, byand-by, with us,/These couples shall
eternally be knit;”
8. How does Oberon prove
himself to be a wise king?
He has pity on Titania.
He mends the calamity among Hermia, Helena,
Lysander, Demetrius.
He enables love and free will to prevail also.
Act IV.scene i.44-45 - “Welcome,good Robin.
Seest thou this sweet sight?/Her dotage now I
do begin to pity;”
9. How does Bottom react to the
fairies? What does this reaction
reflect about his character?
He enjoys the attention.
This aspect reinforces his self-indulgent,
foolish, comic character.
10. Explain Demetrius’s return to
Helena. Was it only because of
Oberon’s magic love potion?
 He was attracted to her before.
 Act I.scene i.106-108 - “Demetrius, I’ll avouch it to his
head,/Made love to Nedar’s daughter,Helena,/And won
her soul; and she (sweet lady) dotes.”
 She is his “natural taste.”
 Act IV.scene i.163-165 - “But, my good lord, I wot not
by what power/ (But by some power it is) my love to
Hermia,/Melted as the snow, seems to me now.”
11. What kind of marriage do Oberon and Titania
have? What will the married life of Theseus and
Hippolyta be like?
 Oberon and Titania have a conflictual marriage. There
are references to infidelity, and one of the major
conflicts in the play is between them over the
changeling boy
 Theseus and Hippolyta will probably have an equally
conflictual marriage, especially since Hippolyta was won
by force.
 Act I.scene i.16-18 - “Hippolyta, I woo’d thee with my
sword,/And won thy love doing thee injuries.”
 Many references to love by force
Hippoltya (Greek
mythology)
 This woman of many names was one of the queens of the
Amazons. The Amazons were a warrior race of women who were
descended of Ares, the god of war. They would sometimes meet
with men of other nations to create future generations, but they
would raise only the girls, killing the boys.
 Hippolyta first appears in myth when she is kidnapped by Theseus,
who was either accompanying Heracles on his quest against the
Amazons, or he was just bored and looking for something to do. (It
is generally accepted that Theseus acted on his own.) When
Theseus first arrived at the land of the Amazons they expected no
malice, and so Hippolyta came to his ship bearing gifts. Once she
was aboard Theseus set sail for Athens, claiming the queen as his
bride.
12. How does the play about Pyramus
and Thisbe serve as a model for love?
Tragi-Comedy
One the one hand the actual tragedy is a
perfect model for love because the
tragedy is about authentic love based on
self-sacrifice, but, on the other hand, the
parody of Pyramus and Thisbe in this play
heightens Shakespeare’s poking fun at the
inconstancy and irrationality of romantic
love.
13. How would you describe the
friendships in the play? Why?
Are there any real friendships????
How many times is the word
dream used in the play? Why?
Countless
Act I.scene i.8 - “Four nights will quickly dream
away the time;”
Act V.scene i.411 - “No more yielding but a
dream.”
The entire play is presented as a dream and
emphasizes the magical, dreamlike, unreal,
fantasy-like, inconstancy, fickleness, irrationality,
other-worldliness of love.
15. How many times is the word
moon used in the play? Why?
Countless
Act I.scene i. 3-5 - “Another moon; but, O
, methinks, how slow/This old moon
wanes! She lingers my desires,”
The moon is a classical symbol of
inconstancy. This image emphasizes the
theme of inconstancy in the play.
What do you think is the primary
theme of the play? Why?
Love
Jealousy
Friendship
Life’s Unexpected Turns