Act 1, Scene 1

Pre-reading Question:
Mid-Summer Nights Dream is a play written by William
Shakespeare. How do you think reading a play will be
different from reading a novel or watching a movie?
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Questions for discussion
1. Why has Egeus brought his daughter and her two
suitors to Theseus? What does Egeus expect him to do?
2. How does Lysanders comment about Demetriuss
previous love affair with Helena complicate things?

3. What do Lysander and Hermia plan to do about this

seemingly impossible situation?
4. Why do they tell Helena what they plan to do?
5. Even though Helena loves Demetrius and is Hermias
best friend, why does she decide to tell Demetrius of
Hermia and Lysanders plans?

Activity #1
Rewrite any 15 consecutive lines from Act 1, Scene 1 of A
Midsummer Nights Dream in your own words.

Act 1, Scene 2
Pre-reading Question:
Have you ever been to a play or a movie? How was the
experience of watching actors different from reading a play?
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Questions for discussion
1. Why does Nick Bottom want to play all the parts?
2. How do you suppose the artisans' are handling the
concern of frightening the ladies with their
interpretation of Pyramus and Thisby?

3. Where are the actors supposed to meet the following

night?
4. Who else is meeting in these same woods at the same
time?
5. In what way is this scene supposed to be funny? Why
do you suppose Shakespeare included this scene?

Activity
Draw a picture and write a short description (5-7
sentences each) of each of the actors.

Act 2, Scene 1
Pre-reading Question
At the end of Act 1, Helena plans to tell Demetrius about the
plan that Hermia and Lysander have made to run away. Why
does Helena plan to tell Demetrius? Do you think that her
plan will work?
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Questions for discussion
1. How have Oberon and Titania been involved in the past
with Theseus and Hippolyta, and why have they come
to Athens?

2. What effect has their quarrel had on nature, on the

seasons and on humans?
3. Why wont Titania give the changeling to Oberon?
4. What are Oberons plans for Titania? Do you think they
will work?
5. How does Helena react to Demetriuss verbal abuse?
6. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about Demetrius and
Helena?

Activity
In Shakespeare's time, the staging of plays was fairly simple
because theaters had few of the technological resources we
have today. Productions of Shakespeare have constantly
evolved to reflect the concerns and capabilities of modern
producers. In small groups (2-4 people) imagine that you
are in charge of putting together background sound.
List and describe below three to five (3-5) songs or
sound effects that you would use to set the mood for this
scene. Why would you use these particular ones?

Act 2, Scene 2
Pre-reading Question
What would you do if you had access to the magical juice
from the purple flower? Why?
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Questions for discussion
1. Why does Oberon want Titania to wake up and fall in
love with something?
2. Why does Hermia insist Lysander sleep away from her?
3. Why does Puck put the juice on Lysanders eyes?

4. How does Helena react to Lysanders sudden love for

her when he wakes up?
5. How is Hermias dream a reflection of reality?

Activity
In Act 2 Shakespeare sets up a number of unresolved
situations. Identify at least three of these situations. Write
down your prediction for each one. When you are done,
compare with a partner.

Act 3, Scene 1
Pre-reading Question
What do you think will happen to Titania now that she has
had the juice put onto her eyes? Who will she fall in love
with?
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Questions for discussion
1. How are Puck and Oberon going to correct Pucks earlier
mistake?
2. Why is Helena upset when Demetrius says he loves
her? Isnt this what she had wanted all along?
3. How does Lysander treat Hermia? Why cant she believe

what he says?
4. What are Lysander and Demetrius going off to do?
5. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about the two young
men?
6. How well does Pucks trickery work?
7. How can you tell when you have reached the climax of
a story?

Act 4, Scene 1 and 2

Pre-reading Question
Predict what will happen to Bottom. Will he remember that
Titania was in love with him? Is he going to be ready to act in
his play?
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Questions for discussion
1. What sort of explanation will Oberon have for Titanias
question about what happened to her? Do you think he
will tell her the truth?
2. What explanation does Demetrius have? Why does he
compare his love for Hermia to an illness?

3. Why cant the young people be sure whether they are

awake or dreaming?
4. What opinion do the other artisans now have of Bottom
since they think he is lost?
5. What do they most regret losing by not being able to
perform the play?

Act 5, Scene 1
Pre-reading Question
Predict the end of this play. What do you think will happen?
Make sure to include all of the characters.
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Questions for discussion
1. Why does Theseus dismiss the stories of the four young
people?
2. Why does Theseus choose to see the play about
Pyramus and Thisby rather than the other
entertainments?

3. What is accomplished by having the Prologue tell the

whole story that the actors are then going to enact?
4. How does Shakespeare use the comments from the
audience to enhance the humor of the play that they
are watching?
5. In what way is Thisbys final speech supposed to
humorous?
6. What is the purpose of Pucks final speech?

Midsummer Nights Dream Final Essay

Choose one of the prompts below and write a 500-600 word
essay that directly addresses the question. Make sure to follow formal
essay structure and to use relevant quotes that support your
position. Your final copy should be double spaced and written in
proper MLA format with a bibliography at the end.
Answer one of the following questions.
1. What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the nature of
young love in A Midsummer Nights Dream?
2. What is the point of the play-within-a-play which takes up most of
Act V? Explain why Shakespeare ends the play with this unusual
performance.
3. In staging A Midsummer Nights Dream, the director must decide
whether to cast Hermia and Helena both as attractive, goodlooking women; or, whether to portray Hermia as beautiful and
Helena as comparatively plain. Which of these approaches
would you favor? Explain your choice.
Rubric:
Introduction
Main idea is clearly stated
Body Paragraphs
Covers relevant information
Topic sentence
Min. 3 quotes from the text
Clear reason for the order
Clear transitions

/2
/10
/3
/3
/3
/3

Conclusion
Restates the main idea of the essay

/2

Overall
All important information is covered
Accurate vocabulary and word choice
Proper citations
/2
Spelling, grammar and punctuation
Appropriate and interesting title
Total

/45

/5
/5
/5
/2

Acting the Play!

Step 1: Find your group
Step 2: Choose who will play each character.
Step 2: Begin to write the lines that will describe the
important event.
Step 3: Edit your lines. Your group should end up
with a minimum of 30 lines and each person in
your group must speak.
Step 4: Rehearse your play. Make sure that every
person knows what they are going to say.
Step 5: Set the scene- Find/Make props and
costumes
Step 6: Present your play!

Sample Quiz: Mid Summer Nights Dream Section 1

Name:________________________

/20

SectionA:Matching
Match10ofthefollowingcharacterstotheirdescription.(1markeach)

_____1.Egeus

A.Helenaloveshim,buthe'stomarryHermia

_____2.Lysander

B.QueenoftheAmazons

_____3.Theseus

C.QueenoftheFairies

_____4.Hippolyta

D.Hermialoveshim

_____5.Oberon

E.Wrote"PyramusandThisby"

_____6.Helena

F.DukeofAthens

_____7.Puck

G.FatherofHermia

_____8.Hermia

H.Wantstoplayalltheroles

_____9.Titania

I.PlaysLion

_____10.Quince

J.RobinGoodfellow

_____11.Flute

K.PlaysWall

_____12.Demetrius

L.TellsHermia'splanstoDemetrius

_____13.Bottom

M.PlaysThisby

_____14.Snout

N.ArrangestomeetLysanderinthewoods

_____15.Snug

O.KingoftheFairiesSection B: Short

Answer

Answer 5 of the following questions in 2-4 full sentences on a sheet

of loose leaf. Make sure to write your name and the question numbers
on the sheet. (2 marks each)

1. Why has Egeus brought his daughter and her two

suitors to Theseus? What does Egeus expect him to do?
2. What do Lysander and Hermia plan to do about this
seemingly impossible situation in act 1, scene 1?
3. Why does Nick Bottom want to play all the parts?
4. How have Oberon and Titania been involved in the past
with Theseus and Hippolyta, and why have they come
to Athens?
5. What are Oberons plans for Titania? Do you think they
will work?
6. How does Helena react to Demetriuss verbal abuse in
act 2, scene 1?
7. How does Helena react to Lysanders sudden love for
her when he wakes up?