A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Theatrical Terms
1 Dialogue Conversation between two or more people.
2 Genre A type of story (e.g. comedy).
3 Amphitheatre An open-air theatre where the stage is a low/flat space surrounded by slopes/seats.
4 Dramatic Irony In theatre, where the audience is aware of something at least one character is not.
Theatrical Genres
5 Tragedy A genre of Renaissance theatre about a character’s downfall and death, usually due to their
flaws or failings.
6 Comedy A genre of Renaissance theatre designed to make the audience laugh, often including romance
and usually ending with a wedding.
7 Mystery Play A medieval genre of play depicting scenes or events from the bible.
8 Morality Play A medieval allegorical play with a moral message.
Periods in History
9 Ancient Greece From around 800BC to 146BC, when the Romans conquered Greece.
1 The Roman Dates of the empire are debated but Augustus Caesar declared himself emperor of Rome in
0 Empire around 31BC and the Roman Empire fell in 410AD.
1 Medieval From the end of the Roman Empire (400sAD) to the 1400s.
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1 Renaissance Period of growth/development in the arts and other areas from around 1300-1600AD.
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1 19th Century The 1800s. Queen Victoria was on the throne for most of the century (1837 to 1901).
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1 Romanticism An artistic movement focused on nature, human potential and challenging authority (from the
4 late 1700s to 1850).
Structural Terms
1 Act The largest subdivision of a play. Shakespeare’s plays have five acts.
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1 Scene A smaller division within an act.
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1 The Unities Aristotle’s idea that a play should cover/only include a single action, a single day, a single
7 place.
1 Freytag’s A plot structure diagram that can be applied to most stories in some way.
8 Pyramid
1 Exposition Introductory description of setting or characters.
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2 Rising Action Increasing tension because of a problem or difficulty faced by the main character(s).
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2 Climax The most important or intense event in a story.
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2 Falling Action Decreasing tension as problems are solved.
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2 Denouement The resolution of the problems in the story.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters
2 Theseus The Duke of Athens, a Greek hero.
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2 Hippolyta Queen of the Amazons.
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2 Egeus Father of Hermia.
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2 Hermia Daughter of Egeus, in love with Lysander.
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2 Lysander In love with Hermia.
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2 Demetrius In love with Hermia.
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 3 Helena In love with Demetrius, Hermia’s friend.
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3 Titania Queen of the Fairies.
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3 Oberon King of the Fairies.
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3 Puck Also Robin Goodfellow, servant to Oberon.
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3 The Mechanicals A group of Athenian labourers, rehearsing a play.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Plot
3 Act 1 Egeus asks Theseus to punish Hermia if she doesn’t marry Demetrius. The Mechanicals
5 rehearse.
3 Act 2 Titania and Oberon argue. Puck and Oberon plot. Helena follows Demetrius to the wood.
6 Puck uses the flower on the wrong Athenian.
3 Act 3 The Mechanicals rehearse but Bottom is transformed. Titania falls for him. Puck and Oberon
7 try to correct their mistakes. Eventually, they succeed.
3 Act 4 Titania and Oberon make up. The four Athenian lovers are discovered but Theseus agrees to
8 allow them to marry.
3 Act 4 3 weddings and one play. The fairies bless the marriages. Puck closes the play.
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A History of Theatre
The Greeks
The first known dramatic performances happened in
Greece in the 6th century BC. These theatrical
performances celebrated Dionysus, the Greek god of wine
and theatre.
Over time, these theatrical performances became theatrical
competitions as different playwrights competed at a
festival in honour of Dionysus. The festival goers would
have sat on a hillside sloping down to a stage. Initially, a
single actor would have performed in a play.
Aeschylus, a Greek playwright, was famous for adding a
second character and introducing dialogue to theatre for
the first time. Sophocles, another playwright, introduced a third character to change the dynamic of Greek
theatre further.
In these early competitions, the only genre of play performed was tragedy, a play focusing on the sad and
unfortunate events in the life of a character, usually leading to their death. From 486AD, a yearly
competition of comedies was held.
One of the Greek’s biggest contributions to theatrical
culture was the physical theatrical space or building. The
first theatres appeared in Greece in the 4 th century (the
300s) and performances moved from the hillside to the
amphitheatre.
In the 3rd and 2nd century BC, the influence of Greek theatre
reached the Roman Empire. The Romans did not write
many of their own plays but borrowed from the Greeks.
The Romans seem to have been more interested in
watching gladiators brutally murdered in the Colosseum
than watching a tragedy or comedy. However, the Romans
A ruin of a Roman theatre in Britain
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 did bring theatre and the Greek auditoriums to Britain during their presence in Britain from 43AD to
410AD.
1. How did theatre change over time for the Greeks?
2. How did the Greeks contribute to the idea of theatre in this country?

British Theatre
The Medieval Period
British theatre evolved further during the medieval period (4th to the 15th
century). Although the Romans had brought theatrical buildings with them
during their occupation of Britain, medieval theatre was more commonly
found in makeshift theatres on the streets and in open spaces.
These productions would have involved music and dancing alongside the
retelling of folk tales. Stories like St George slaying the Dragon were
particularly popular. Theatrical groups travelled between towns, earning
small amounts of money as they went.
Two important genres emerged during the medieval period: the mystery
A Medieval stage, put up in a town centre.
play and the morality play. The mystery plays told or showed biblical
stories like the creation of the world or Noah and the flood. Music and song were also used to tell the story.
Morality plays appeared towards the end of the medieval period. These plays were allegories (stories in
which different characters represent different characteristics, ideas or people) which taught moral lessons by
having characters encounter moral problems.
3. How was British Medieval theatre different to the theatre of the Greeks and Romans?

The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a period of rapid development of
culture and art between the 14 th and 17th centuries.
Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo were two important
artistic figures in the renaissance. British Renaissance
theatre covers the period between 1562 and 1642 and
includes playwrights like William Shakespeare,
Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson.
During this period (and the reign of Queen Elizabeth I),
the first successful theatre was opened in 1576,
imaginatively called The Theatre. This theatre was
followed by several other theatres in the years that
The modern Globe Theatre.
followed, including, most famously, The Globe in 1599.
Most plays were performed in the open air and during the afternoon. People would have been used to
watching plays and performances in the open air but theatre with no lighting and minimal set might have
seemed strange to a modern audience. Instead of using elaborate sets, actors would describe the setting, the
weather or the time of day. But these theatres would seem strange to us in other ways: the rules against
female actors meant boys were used to play the female parts.

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Generally, each theatre had a group of actors called a company who performed there regularly. The actors
would have to know several plays and parts because companies might perform a different play each day.
These plays might be comedies or tragedies, like the Greeks, but history plays, plays telling the story of a
particular event or the life of a particular person, also became popular. Theatres were forced to close and
companies would have had to leave London during times of plague, a deadly and infectious disease.
4. How was Renaissance theatre different to the types of theatre that had come before it?
5. How was Renaissance theatre similar to the theatre that had come before it?

6. Make a timeline of theatre from the Greeks to the Renaissance. Include dates and information.

Extend: Research Restoration and Victorian theatre and add ideas about those to your timeline.

Structure and Genre

Most stories, from films to books to plays, follow a similar structure. Whilst we might think this structure is
obvious, it has evolved and developed over time.
Aristotle
We have already looked at how the Greek’s contributed to the growth and development of theatre. Aristotle,
a philosopher and writer, was one of the first know thinkers to set out how a play or story should be
structured.
Plot Structure
In his book Poetics (335 BC), Aristotle wrote that a play should have a beginning, middle and an end.
Aristotle believed these three sections of a play should be tightly linked and that one should lead to or cause
the next. Another way Aristotle looked at plot structure was to divide it into two sections: complication and
unravelling. The complication is the first half of a play where a character begins to face trouble or
difficulty. The unravelling is the result of that difficulty.
The Unities
Aristotle also proposed that a play should have one central action (the main thing happening), one setting
and be set across the course of one day. These ideas are called The Unities.
1. Why might the unities have been helpful for Greek’s staging their early plays?

Horace’s Five Act Play

Horace (65-8BC), the Roman drama critic, first introduced the idea of a five act play. An act is a large part
of a play made up of scenes.

Freytag’s Pyramid
In 1863, Gustav Freytag built on the structural
ideas that had come before him. To create a
pyramid like the one pictured below.
Exposition, introductory description of character
and setting, is often followed by a problem or
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conflict between characters. This conflict leads to rising action, increasing tension in the story. The
climax is the most significant or important event in the story. After the climax, falling action, decreasing
tension and the activities of the character to face and resolve their problems, leads to the denouement
(sometimes called resolution). The denouement is the ending, where all the problems and conflict from
earlier in the story are resolved in some way.

2. Most stories follow Freytag’s plot structure diagram in some way. Draw the diagram in your book
and add the plot of a well-known story or fairy tale to the diagram (e.g. Goldilocks and the three
bears).

Genre means type or category of art. There are genres of music (like
rock) and genres of art (like landscape) and there are genres of story.
Each genre has common features or rules called conventions which it
will generally follow.
3. Choose a genre. List the conventions of that genre.
4. Choose a story that fits with the conventions of a particular genre
(or one that doesn’t). Explain how it links with the conventions of
that genre.
In terms of genre, Shakespeare is famous for his comedies, histories and
tragedies. An audience viewing one of these genres would, at least in
part, know what to expect when watching them.
When watching a tragedy, an audience would know that the play would
involve the downfall and eventual death of a character or characters.
When watching a comedy, the audience would expect a happy ending,
probably a wedding.
5. How would the denouement of a Shakespearean tragedy and
comedy differ?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a complicated comedy set in Athens in the days before the wedding of the
Duke, Theseus, and Hippolyta. Lysander and Hermia want to get married but Hermia’s father, Egeus, wants
her to marry Demetrius. Hermia’s friend, Helena, loves Demetrius but he does not return her affection. As
the Duke, Theseus says Hermia must obey her father’s commands and marry Demetrius or she will be put to
death. Hermia and Lysander decide to run away into a nearby forest. Helena learns of their plans and tries
to impress Demetrius by telling him where they’ve gone. Demetrius races to the forest to find them and
Helena follows after him.
Elsewhere in the city, a group of amateur actors prepare a play to perform at the Duke’s wedding. Worried
about being seen, they decide to rehearse in the nearby forest.
In the forest, Oberon the king of the fairies fights with Queen Titania about who is responsible for a young
boy. Oberon plans to teach Titania a lesson by using a love potion whilst she’s asleep to make her fall in
love with the first thing she sees. Oberon also hears Demetrius and Helena arguing in the forest and asks his
servant Puck to use the love potion on Demetrius to make him fall in love with Helena. But Puck makes a
mistake and uses the potion on Lysander who falls in love with Helena.
Whilst the actors are rehearsing, Puck turns Bottom’s (one of the actors) heads into a Donkey’s head and
makes sure he is Titania’s first sight when she wakes up.
Oberon realises Puck has used the love potion on the wrong person and gets him to use it on Demetrius as
well. This only causes more problems as Helena believes she is being teased as both Lysander and
Demetrius follow her, declaring their love for her. Hermia is devastated to be abandoned by Lysander.
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Puck removes the donkey’s head from Bottom and Bottom is able to return to Athens to rehearse with his
friends. Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena tire out and sleep in the forest. Whilst asleep, Oberon
and Puck use the love potion to make sure that Demetrius loves Helena and Lysander loves Hermia. The
four Athenians are allowed to marry with Theseus and Hippolyta. The actors perform their play.
6. Write each character’s name on your page. Draw lines and make notes to show links between
characters.
7. Draw the Freytag pyramid and add the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. You might have to
reduce or summarise elements of the plot. You can’t include every event. Does it fit exactly?
Crafting a Sentence
To be able to write a good story, newspaper article or piece of descriptive writing, you have to be able to
write excellent sentences. You should choose your choice and order of words and the length of your
sentence carefully.
But to be able to do that, you need to clearly understand how to use full stops (to separate sentences) and
commas (to separate parts of sentences).

Understanding Sentences
A simple sentence or main clause includes a subject and a verb. A verb is a word of doing or being. We
often miss verbs because they can be short and not appear to be describing an action (for example, is, had,
been are all verbs). A subject is the person, group or thing doing or being.
If a sentences needs:
a) A subject
b) A verb
1) Why are these not sentences? Base your reasons on the criteria above.
a) Running for the bus.
b) The largest country in the world.
c) He tried to run she closed the door.

Commas should never be used to separate sentences from each other. They should only be used to separate
parts of a sentence from the main clause.
2) Which of these sentences is using commas incorrectly and why?
a) Tired and alone, she trudged home.
b) The train, which was delayed, took hours to reach its destination.
c) I love football, it’s so much fun.

Writing Sentences, Revising Content

3) Write a simple sentences following the instructions below. Label the subject and verb in each sentence.
a) Write a simple sentence about Greek theatre.
b) Write a simple sentence about medieval theatre.
c) Write a simple sentence about renaissance theatre.
d) Write a sentence with ‘Genre’ as the subject.
e) Write a sentence with ‘Exposition’ as the subject.
f) Write a sentence with ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ as the subject.
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Improving the subject
Look at this sentence: The woman went to work.
We can improve this sentence by improving the subject. To improve the subject we could:
a) Improve the noun (e.g. change woman to businesswoman)
b) Add 1-2 adjectives (e.g. anxious).
4) Rewrite the sentence in 3 different ways. Each time try to improve the subject in a different way.
Improving the verb
5) Improve the verb in the sentence: The woman went to work. Again, try this three times with three
different verbs.
6) How do your different verbs present the woman in different ways? Explain the differences in full
sentences.

Adding an adverb
An adverb is a word that describes how an action (or verb) is done. Often they end in –ly but they don’t
always.
7) Rewrite the sentence above again adding an adverb to improve it. Try this three times with three different
adverbs.

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Shakespeare’s Life and Writing
Shakespeare is not of an age, but for all time – Ben Jonson
1. What do you think this quotation means? Do you agree with it?
Shakespeare was born in April 1564 and died at the age of 52 in 1616. In his relatively short life he wrote
38 poems, 2 narrative poems and 154 sonnets. But a list of the quantity of his writing doesn’t express his
influence on the English Language, on Literature or on culture and society.
Shakespeare’s writing has been translated into over 100 languages. 3000 new words and phrases are first
seen in Shakespeare’s plays. Be all and end all (Macbeth), Cruel to be kind (Hamlet), Eaten out of house
and home (Henry IV Part 2), Wild goose chase (Romeo and Juliet) all trace their first appearance in print
back to Shakespeare’s plays. Words such as accused, design and negotiate are all credited to Shakespeare.
He may not have invented all of the words and phrases which appear in his plays but he made them popular.
Harold Bloom wrote that Shakespeare taught us to understand human nature. Bloom was referring to the
various characters Shakespeare created and their ongoing importance in culture and literature.
Early Life
Shakespeare grew up in Stratford. His father, a glove-maker, became an important figure in the town and so
was able to send Shakespeare to the local grammar school. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he
was 18. They had three children: Susanna, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet died when he was 11. We don’t
know much more about Shakespeare’s life. There is a period between 1585 and 1592 when we know very
little about his life; these are often called ‘The Lost Years’. In this time, he joined an acting company in
London and began writing plays.
Queens and Kings
Queen Elizabeth I (queen between1558-1603) was keenly interested in the theatre and saw Shakespeare’s
company perform and his plays performed on numerous occasions. In 1603, King James I became king. He
too was interested in poetry and theatre. When James I became King, Shakespeare’s acting company
became known as the Kings Men and King James became their patron. A patron is a supporter of the arts.
Shakespeare’s plays were sometimes written with the monarch in mind. For example, Macbeth includes
witches and a character who was supposedly an ancestor of King James I, possibly to interest the king or to
show him respect.
2. What does Shakespeare’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth I and King James I show about his
popularity and status at the time?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Many of Shakespeare’s plays take their stories from history, myth or other sources. He actually came up
with very few stories from scratch. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a strange collection of characters from
various sources but the story itself is original. Theseus, the Greek hero who killed the Minotaur, was said to
have kidnapped Hippolta, Queen of the Amazons (an island of beautiful and strong women), and brought her
back to Athens to marry him. Our play seems to pick up the story as they prepare to marry but we shouldn’t
read too much into this background or setting. Some accounts of Theseus and Hippolyta have Hippolyta
escaping before the wedding but Hippolyta in Shakespeare’s play shows no signs of wanting to escape.
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Further confusion can be caused by other characters in the play who don’t seem to fit with the Greek setting.
Puck or Robin Goodfellow was a popular figure in folk stories of the time. The Mechanicals seem to be
ordinary English working men.
Because of it’s focus on weddings, some people believe A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written for a
wedding celebration. Others think, because it contains references to Queen Elizabeth I, it was written for
her or with her in mind.

The Knight’s Tale is one story from a collection by Geoffrey Chaucer called The Canterbury Tales. This
collection of stories, written in Middle English, was written between 1387 and 1400. During the
Renaissance and Shakespeare’s life, Chaucer was one of the most respected and well-liked writers. There is
little doubt that Shakespeare would have read Chaucer’s work.
Chaucer, like many in Britain, was fascinated by Greek myths and based one of his stories around Theseus,
a character from those myths. This is a translation of the opening of that story:

The Knight’s Tale

Once, as old histories tell us,
There was a duke who was called Theseus;
He was lord and governor of Athens,
And in his time such a conqueror
That there was no one greater under the sun.
Very many a powerful country had he won;
What with his wisdom and his chivalry,
He conquered all the land of the Amazons,
That once was called Scithia,
And wedded the queen Ypolita,
And brought her home with him into his country
With much glory and great ceremony…

3. Chivalry is a concept related to bravery and service to others. In the Medieval period, when Chaucer
was writing, knights were expected to be chivalrous.
a) How does Theseus act in an unchivalrous way?
b) What does it tell you about the time The Knight’s Tale was written that Theseus is described as
chivalrous?

4. Debate – Shakespeare is irrelevant and outdated. Bullet point your opinion on this statement in
preparation for a debate.

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Act 1 Scene 1
Glossary ACT I
SCENE I. Athens. The palace of THESEUS.
Fair – Beautiful Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants
Nuptial – Wedding THESEUS
Apace – Quickly Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour
Methinks – I think Draws on apace; four happy days bring in
Wanes – Goes Another moon: but, O, methinks, how slow
This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires,
Steep – Verb, be
Like to a step-dame or a dowager
covered by
Long withering out a young man revenue.
Solemnities -
Celebrations HIPPOLYTA
Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;
Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
And then the moon, like to a silver bow
New-bent in heaven, shall behold the night
Of our solemnities.
1. When will Theseus and Hippolyta get married?
2. How does Theseus feel about how time is moving forward?
3. How does Hippolyta try to encourage Theseus?
Renowned – Respected, Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS
well-known
EGEUS
Vexation – Annoyance,
frustration Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke!
Noble – Respected, high THESEUS
status Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee?
Hath - Has EGEUS
Consent - Permission Full of vexation come I, with complaint
Bewitched – Put a spell Against my child, my daughter Hermia.
on Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord,
Bosom - Heart This man hath my consent to marry her.
Thou - You Stand forth, Lysander: and my gracious duke,
This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child;
Feigning - Pretending Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes,
Nosegays – A small And interchanged love-tokens with my child:
bunch of flowers Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung,
Prevailment – Power to With feigning voice verses of feigning love,
succeed/win And stolen the impression of her fantasy
Cunning- Deceitful With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
planning Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats, messengers
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 Filched - Stolen Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth:
With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart,
Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To stubborn harshness.
4. How does Egeus show respect to Theseus?
5. Why is Egeus complaining about Lysander?

Consent – Give EGEUS

permission Be it so she will not here before your grace
Ancient – Very old Consent to marry with Demetrius,
Privilege – Right I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,
As she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Composed – Made Which shall be either to this gentleman
Worthier – Or to her death, according to our law
Deserving of more Immediately provided in that case.
respect THESEUS
Entreat – Plead What say you, Hermia? be advised fair maid:
Modesty – To you your father should be as a god;
Awareness of own One that composed your beauties, yea, and one
limitations To whom you are but as a form in wax
Beseech - Plead By him imprinted and within his power
To leave the figure or disfigure it.
Befall - Happen Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Abjure - Reject HERMIA
Yield - Surrender So is Lysander.
Livery - Uniform THESEUS
Cloister – An area In himself he is;
in a monastery But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
Mew’d - Confined The other must be held the worthier.
Barren – Unable HERMIA
to have children I would my father look'd but with my eyes.
THESEUS
Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
HERMIA
I do entreat your grace to pardon me.
I know not by what power I am made bold,
Nor how it may concern my modesty,
In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;
But I beseech your grace that I may know
The worst that may befall me in this case,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
THESEUS
Either to die the death or to abjure
For ever the society of men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires;
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
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 Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun,
For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd,
To live a barren sister all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.
6. What does Egeus want to happen to Hermia?
7. How does Hermia respond?
8. What does Theseus say will happen?
Explicit and Implicit Meanings
Explicit meaning is meaning that is directly communicated and clear.
Implicit meaning is meaning that is indirect and hidden (or implied).
So if a person says ‘You’re not going out in that, are you?’, the explicit meaning is ‘Are you going out
wearing that?’ but the implicit meaning is ‘You shouldn’t go out wearing that.’
When analysing a text, it’s important we are able to look for and see the implicit meaning as well as the
explicit. We can do this with individual words and short quotations.
For example:
In Scene 1, Theseus Says: Translation:
O, methinks, how slow I think this moon is passing very slowly.
This old moon wanes!
Explicit: Implicit:
Time is moving slowly. I want to get married to Hippolyta now.
1. How does Egeus feel about Hermia?
a) For each of the quotations below, write out the implicit and explicit meaning:
- ‘She is mine’
- ‘I may dispose of her’
b) Pick a word that tells you a lot about Egeus’ feelings. Explain what that word implies about Egeus’
feelings.
The word ‘…’ implies…
Tip: The word implies means suggests or hints at. We use it when we want to talk about implicit
meanings.

2. How does Egeus feel about Lysander?

a) For each of the quotations below, write out the implicit and explicit meaning:
- This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child
- With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart
b) Pick a word that tells you a lot about Egeus’ feelings. Explain what that word implies about Egeus’
feelings.
The word ‘…’ implies…

3. How does Shakespeare show that Hermia does not want to marry Demetrius?
a) Highlight or underline three words or short phrases that show Hermia’s feelings. Make a note of how
they show she doesn’t want to marry Demetrius.

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b) Write three sentences, one for each quotation, where you explain what the short quotation implies about
Hermia’s feelings.
I do entreat your grace to pardon me.
But I beseech your grace that I may know
The worst that may befall me in this case,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
Useful Academic Vocabulary
Imply/Implies – Suggests, Hints at
Convey/Conveys – Gets across (Shakespeare conveys Hermia’s feeling of frustration through…)
Portray/Portrays – Presents (Shakespeare portrays Hermia as…)
Starting a Sentence
Often our sentences start in very similar ways (The, She, It). It is very difficult to avoid using these words in
our writing but we can avoid using them at the start of our sentences.
Two strategies to improve our sentence openings are:
a) Starting with an adverb
b) Starting with a double adjective

Starting with an adverb

An adverb is a word that describes how an action is completed but it doesn’t have to go next to the verb or
action.
For example, Cautiously, he edged towards the door.
This can be overdone or done badly. For example, some students use the word Suddenly a lot to try to make
their sentence seem dramatic but this can be overdone.
1) Add appropriate adverbs to the start of the sentence below. Write the sentences out in full and put a
comma after the adverb.
a) The car stopped at the side of the road.
b) She celebrated the victory.
c) He fell asleep on the sofa.
2) Write your own sentence that starts with an adverb about:
a) Hermia in Act 1 Scene 1.
b) Egeus in Act 1 Scene 1.

Starting with a double adjective

An adjective is a word that describes a noun. You can use adjectives to start a sentence by putting them into
a pair and putting the word and between them. For example, Bold and courageous, Hermia declared her
feelings for Lysander.
3) Rewrite the sentence below, starting with a double adjective.
a) He ate his lunch.
b) The snake prepared to strike.
c) The rock climber gripped the handholds.

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Challenge: Use the word Yet instead of and and include two contrasting adjectives. Frightened yet bold,
Hermia explained her feelings to Theseus.

4) Write a paragraph summarising Act 1 Scene 1. Separate your sentence appropriately. Use adverbs and
double adjectives to start sentences.
Remember, a sentence should include:
a) A subject – the thing doing the action
b) A verb – the action
Do not use commas to separate sentences.

Act 1 Scene 2
At the end of Act 1 Scene 1, Hermia and Lysander agree to run away from Athens to get married. They tell
Helena their plan and she plans to tell Demetrius in a desperate plan to win his affection. In this scene,
back in Athens, the Mechanicals, a group of workers in Athens, prepare to rehearse their play.

Glossary SCENE II. Athens. QUINCE'S house.

Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING

Company – Group
of actors QUINCE
Is all our company here?
Scrip – Script
BOTTOM
Interlude – Break
You were best to call them generally, man by man,
Treats – Deals according to the scrip.
with, is about
QUINCE
Marry – Indeed Here is the scroll of every man's name, which is
Lamentable – thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our
Very sad interlude before the duke and the duchess, on his
wedding-day at night.
Merry – Very
funny BOTTOM
First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats
Forth - Forward
on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow
to a point.
QUINCE
Marry, our play is, The most lamentable comedy, and
most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby.
BOTTOM
A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a
merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your
actors by the scroll.

1. Describe the situation at the start of these scene in your own words.
2. Quince is organising the company but it seems as though Bottom is in charge. How does Shakespeare
make it seem like Bottom is leading the meeting?

14
3. An imperative verb is a verb used as a command (For example, Shut the door – shut is the imperative
verb). Bottom uses 2 imperative verbs in this extract.
a) Find and label the imperative verbs.
b) Explain how the imperative verbs present Bottom. Use the word implies.

Joiner – A Quince continues to give out the parts.

person who QUINCE
constructs
wooden Snug, the joiner; you, the lion's part: and, I
components hope, here is a play fitted.
of a building SNUG
Fitted – Has Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it
someone for be, give it me, for I am slow of study.
each part QUINCE
You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.
Extempore – BOTTOM
Done without
preparation Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will
do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar,
Twere – It that I will make the duke say 'Let him roar again,
were let him roar again.'
QUINCE
An you should do it too terribly, you would fright
the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek;
and that were enough to hang us all.
ALL
That would hang us, every mother's son.
BOTTOM
I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the
ladies out of their wits, they would have no more
discretion but to hang us: but I will aggravate my
voice so that I will roar you as gently as any
sucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any
nightingale.
QUINCE
You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a
sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a
summer's day; a most lovely gentleman-like man:
therefore you must needs play Pyramus.
4. Why is Snug concerned about preparing for the play and how does Quince encourage him?
5. What is Quince’s response when Bottom offers to play the lion’s part?

The word patriarchal is an adjective used to describe a society or group controlled by men.
6. How does Egeus’ comment that he may ‘dispose of’ Hermia demonstrate A Midsummer Night’s Dream
depicts a patriarchal society?

15
The word stereotype is a view of a group that is widely held but too simple.
7. Quince comments that Bottom’s portrayal of the lion would ‘fright the duchess and the ladies’. What
stereotype is shown in his comment?

8. Thinking about the word patriarchal and stereotype, how do you think society has changed since the
time A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written?
Act 2 Scene 1
Puck talks with a fairy about the chaos he causes wherever he goes and the argument between Titania and
Oberon. Titania and Oberon argue about who should be in charge of a changeling boy. In response to the
argument, Oberon and Puck plan to use the juice of a magic flower to make Titania fall in love with some
kind of creature to punish her. Demetrius and Helena enter arguing: Helena expresses her love for
Demetrius but he says that he can only love Hermia. Oberon, feeling sorry for Helena, asks Puck to use the
flower to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena.
Doth - Does PUCK
Revels - Party The king doth keep his revels here to-night:
Heed - Notice Take heed the queen come not within his sight;
Fell - Aggressive For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,
Because that she as her attendant hath
Wrath – Very A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king;
angry
She never had so sweet a changeling;
Hath - Has And jealous Oberon would have the child
Perforce – By Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild;
force, necessity But she perforce withholds the loved boy,
Grove – Small Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy:
wood And now they never meet in grove or green,
By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen,
Spangled -
Decorated But, they do square, that all their elves for fear
Creep into acorn-cups and hide them there.
Sheen – Shining
surface Fairy
Shrewd – Clever, Either I mistake your shape and making quite,
crafty Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite
Knavish - Call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you he
Dishonest That frights the maidens of the villagery;
Skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern
Sprite – Elf or
fairy And bootless make the breathless housewife churn;
And sometime make the drink to bear no barm;
Quern – A hand- Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm?
mill for grinding
Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck,
corn
You do their work, and they shall have good luck:
Barm – Froth on Are not you he?
beer
PUCK
Aright - Correct
Thou speak'st aright;
Jest - Joke
I am that merry wanderer of the night.
Beguile – Charm, I jest to Oberon and make him smile
enchant When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,
Filly foal – A Neighing in likeness of a filly foal:
young female And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl,
16
 horse In very likeness of a roasted crab,
Lurk - Hide And when she drinks, against her lips I bob
And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale.
Dewlap – Loose
skin hanging from The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale,
the neck (usually Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me;
of an animal). Then slip I from her bum, down topples she…
But, room, fairy! here comes Oberon.
1. Why are Oberon and Titania fighting? Look at Puck’s first speech and answer in full sentences.
2. Bullet point the things Puck is known for. Use direct quotations if you need to.
Ill met – It’s not Enter, from one side, OBERON, with his train; from the other, TITANIA, with hers
good to see you OBERON
Forsworn – Given Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.
up, rejected
TITANIA
Tarry - Wait
What, jealous Oberon! Fairies, skip hence:
Rash – Lacking care I have forsworn his bed and company.
or consideration
OBERON
Wanton - Cruel
Tarry, rash wanton: am not I thy lord?
Forsooth - Indeed
TITANIA
Bouncing Amazon -
Titania Then I must be thy lady: but I know
When thou hast stolen away from fairy land,
Thy - Your And in the shape of Corin sat all day,
Forgeries - Lies Playing on pipes of corn and versing love
Margent - Edge To amorous Phillida. Why art thou here,
Come from the farthest Steppe of India?
Brawls - Fights But that, forsooth, the bouncing Amazon,
Your buskin'd mistress and your warrior love,
To Theseus must be wedded, and you come
To give their bed joy and prosperity.
OBERON
How canst thou thus for shame, Titania,
Glance at my credit with Hippolyta,
Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?
Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night
From Perigenia, whom he ravished?
And make him with fair Aegles break his faith,
With Ariadne and Antiopa?
TITANIA
These are the forgeries of jealousy:
And never, since the middle summer's spring,
Met we on hill, in dale, forest or mead,
By paved fountain or by rushy brook,
Or in the beached margent of the sea,
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,
But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport.
3. Why are Oberon and Titania near Athens?
4. Why do Oberon and Titania both feel jealous of each other?

17
5. Oberon expects Titania to do what he says. What does this tell you about him as a character?

Story Structure – Short Stories

Lamb to the Slaughter – Roald Dahl
Glossary The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight-hers and the one by
the empty chair opposite. On the sideboard behind her, two tall glasses, soda water, whiskey.
Merely – Fresh ice cubes in the Thermos bucket.
Only Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work.
Now and again she would glance up at the clock, but without anxiety, merely to please herself
Tranquil –
with the thought that each minute gone by made it nearer the time when he would come. There
Calm was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did. The drop of a head as she bent
Translucent over her sewing was curiously tranquil. Her skin--for this was her sixth month with child--had
– Allowing acquired a wonderful translucent quality, the mouth was soft, and the eyes, with their new placid
light to pass look, seemed larger darker than before. When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to
through listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the tires on the gravel outside,
Placid – and the car door slamming, the footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock. She laid
Calm and aside her sewing, stood up, and went forward to kiss him as he came in.
peaceful "Hullo darling," she said.
Blissful – "Hullo darling," he answered.
Pleasurable She took his coat and hung it in the closet. Then she walked over and made the drinks, a strongish
one for him, a weak one for herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing,
Luxuriate –
and he in the other, opposite, holding the tall glass with both hands, rocking it so the ice cubes
Enjoy tinkled against the side.
For her, this was always a blissful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the
first drink was finished, and she, on her side, was content to sit quietly, enjoying his company
after the long hours alone in the house. She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man, and to
feel-almost as a sunbather feels the sun-that warm male glow that came out of him to her when
they were alone together. She loved him for the way he sat loosely in a chair, for the way he came
in a door, or moved slowly across the room with long strides. She loved intent, far look in his
eyes when they rested in her, the funny shape of the mouth, and especially the way he remained
silent about his tiredness, sitting still with himself until the whiskey had taken some of it away.
"Tired darling?"
"Yes," he said. "I'm tired," And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and
drained it in one swallow although there was still half of it, at least half of it left.. She wasn't
really watching him, but she knew what he had done because she heard the ice cubes falling back
against the bottom of the empty glass when he lowered his arm. He paused a moment, leaning
forward in the chair, then he got up and went slowly over to fetch himself another.
"I'll get it!" she cried, jumping up.
"Sit down," he said.
When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was dark amber with the quantity of whiskey
in it.
"Darling, shall I get your slippers?"
"No."
She watched him as he began to sip the dark yellow drink, and she could see little oily swirls in
the liquid because it was so strong.
"I think it's a shame," she said, "that when a policeman gets to be as senior as you, they keep him
walking about on his feet all day long."
18
 He didn't answer, so she bent her head again and went on with her sewing; but each time he lifted
the drink to his lips, she heard the ice cubes clinking against the side of the glass.
"Darling," she said. "Would you like me to get you some cheese? I haven't made any supper
because it's Thursday."
"No," he said.
"If you're too tired to eat out," she went on, "it's still not too late. There's plenty of meat and stuff
in the freezer, and you can have it right here and not even move out of the chair."
Her eyes waited on him for an answer, a smile, a little nod, but he made no sign.
"Anyway," she went on, "I'll get you some cheese and crackers first."
"I don't want it," he said.
She moved uneasily in her chair, the large eyes still watching his face. "But you must eat! I'll fix
it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like."
Bewildered – She stood up and placed her sewing on the table by the lamp.
Confused "Sit down," he said. "Just for a minute, sit down."
It wasn't till then that she began to get frightened.
"Go on," he said. "Sit down."
She lowered herself back slowly into the chair, watching him all the time with those large,
bewildered eyes. He had finished the second drink and was staring down into the glass, frowning.
"Listen," he said. "I've got something to tell you."
"What is it, darling? What's the matter?"
He had now become absolutely motionless, and he kept his head down so that the light from the
lamp beside him fell across the upper part of his face, leaving the chin and mouth in shadow. She
noticed there was a little muscle moving near the corner of his left eye.
"This is going to be a bit of a shock to you, I'm afraid," he said. "But I've thought about it a good
deal and I've decided the only thing to do is tell you right away. I hope you won't blame me too
much."
And he told her. It didn't take long, four or five minutes at most, and she say very still through it
all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with
each word.
"So there it is," he added. "And I know it's kind of a bad time to be telling you, bet there simply
wasn't any other way. Of course I'll give you money and see you're looked after. But there needn't
really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn't be very good for my job."
Her first instinct was not to believe any of it, to reject it all. It occurred to her that perhaps he
hadn't even spoken, that she herself had imagined the whole thing. Maybe, if she went about her
business and acted as though she hadn't been listening, then later, when she sort of woke up
again, she might find none of it had ever happened.
"I'll get the supper," she managed to whisper, and this time he didn't stop her.
When she walked across the room she couldn't feel her feet touching the floor. She couldn't feel
anything at all- except a slight nausea and a desire to vomit. Everything was automatic now-down
the steps to the cellar, the light switch, the deep freeze, the hand inside the cabinet taking hold of
the first object it met. She lifted it out, and looked at it. It was wrapped in paper, so she took off
the paper and looked at it again.
A leg of lamb.
All right then, they would have lamb for supper. She carried it upstairs, holding the thin bone-end
of it with both her hands, and as she went through the living-room, she saw him standing over by
the window with his back to her, and she stopped.
"For God's sake," he said, hearing her, but not turning round. "Don't make supper for me. I'm
going out."
At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the
big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his
head.
She might just as well have hit him with a steel club.
She stepped back a pace, waiting, and the funny thing was that he remained standing there for at
least four or five seconds, gently swaying. Then he crashed to the carpet.
The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped bring her out of her
shock. She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a while blinking at the
body, still holding the ridiculous piece of meat tight with both hands.

19
All right, she told herself. So I've killed him.
It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very
fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be. That was fine. It
made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the child?
What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill then both-mother and
child? Or did they wait until the tenth month? What did they do?
Mary Maloney didn't know. And she certainly wasn't prepared to take a chance.
She carried the meat into the kitchen, placed it in a pan, turned the oven on high, and shoved t
inside. Then she washed her hands and ran upstairs to the bedroom. She sat down before the
mirror, tidied her hair, touched up her lips and face. She tried a smile. It came out rather peculiar.
She tried again.
"Hullo Sam," she said brightly, aloud.
The voice sounded peculiar too.
"I want some potatoes please, Sam. Yes, and I think a can of peas."
That was better. Both the smile and the voice were coming out better now. She rehearsed it
several times more. Then she ran downstairs, took her coat, went out the back door, down the
garden, into the street.
It wasn't six o'clock yet and the lights were still on in the grocery shop.
"Hullo Sam," she said brightly, smiling at the man behind the counter.
"Why, good evening, Mrs. Maloney. How're you?"
"I want some potatoes please, Sam. Yes, and I think a can of peas."
The man turned and reached up behind him on the shelf for the peas.
"Patrick's decided he's tired and doesn't want to eat out tonight," she told him. "We usually go out
Thursdays, you know, and now he's caught me without any vegetables in the house."
"Then how about meat, Mrs. Maloney?"
"No, I've got meat, thanks. I got a nice leg of lamb from the freezer."
"Oh."
"I don't know much like cooking it frozen, Sam, but I'm taking a chance on it this time. You think
it'll be all right?"
"Personally," the grocer said, "I don't believe it makes any difference. You want these Idaho
potatoes?"
"Oh yes, that'll be fine. Two of those."
"Anything else?" The grocer cocked his head on one side, looking at her pleasantly. "How about
afterwards? What you going to give him for afterwards?"
"Well-what would you suggest, Sam?"
The man glanced around his shop. "How about a nice big slice of cheesecake? I know he likes
that."
"Perfect," she said. "He loves it."
And when it was all wrapped and she had paid, she put on her brightest smile and said, "Thank
you, Sam. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Mrs. Maloney. And thank you."
And now, she told herself as she hurried back, all she was doing now, she was returning home to
her husband and he was waiting for his supper; and she must cook it good, and make it as tasty as
possible because the poor man was tired; and if, when she entered the house, she happened to
find anything unusual, or tragic, or terrible, then naturally it would be a shock and she'd become
frantic with grief and horror. Mind you, she wasn't expecting to find anything. She was just going
home with the vegetables. Mrs. Patrick Maloney going home with the vegetables on Thursday
evening to cook supper for her husband.
That's the way, she told herself. Do everything right and natural. Keep things absolutely natural
and there'll be no need for any acting at all.
Therefore, when she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was humming a little tune to
herself and smiling.
"Patrick!" she called. "How are you, darling?"
She put the parcel down on the table and went through into the living room; and when she saw
him lying there on the floor with his legs doubled up and one arm twisted back underneath his
body, it really was rather a shock. All the old love and longing for him welled up inside her, and
she ran over to him, knelt down beside him, and began to cry her heart out. It was easy. No acting

20
 was necessary.
A few minutes later she got up and went to the phone. She know the number of the police station,
and when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him, "Quick! Come quick! Patrick's
dead!"
"Who's speaking?"
"Mrs. Maloney. Mrs. Patrick Maloney."
"You mean Patrick Maloney's dead?"
"I think so," she sobbed. "He's lying on the floor and I think he's dead."
"Be right over," the man said.
The car came very quickly, and when she opened the front door, two policeman walked in. She
know them both-she know nearly all the man at that precinct-and she fell right into a chair, then
went over to join the other one, who was called O'Malley, kneeling by the body.
"Is he dead?" she cried.
Trifle – A "I'm afraid he is. What happened?"
small amount Briefly, she told her story about going out to the grocer and coming back to find him on the floor.
Exasperated While she was talking, crying and talking, Noonan discovered a small patch of congealed blood
- Irritated or on the dead man's head. He showed it to O'Malley who got up at once and hurried to the phone.
frustrated Soon, other men began to come into the house. First a doctor, then two detectives, one of whom
she know by name. Later, a police photographer arrived and took pictures, and a man who know
about fingerprints. There was a great deal of whispering and muttering beside the corpse, and the
detectives kept asking her a lot of questions. But they always treated her kindly. She told her
story again, this time right from the beginning, when Patrick had come in, and she was sewing,
and he was tired, so tired he hadn't wanted to go out for supper. She told how she'd put the meat
in the oven-"it's there now, cooking"- and how she'd slipped out to the grocer for vegetables, and
come back to find him lying on the floor.
Which grocer?" one of the detectives asked.
She told him, and he turned and whispered something to the other detective who immediately
went outside into the street.
In fifteen minutes he was back with a page of notes, and there was more whispering, and through
her sobbing she heard a few of the whispered phrases-"...acted quite normal...very
cheerful...wanted to give him a good supper...peas...cheesecake...impossible that she..."
After a while, the photographer and the doctor departed and two other men came in and took the
corpse away on a stretcher. Then the fingerprint man went away. The two detectives remained,
and so did the two policeman. They were exceptionally nice to her, and Jack Noonan asked if she
wouldn't rather go somewhere else, to her sister's house perhaps, or to his own wife who would
take care of her and put her up for the night.
No, she said. She didn't feel she could move even a yard at the moment. Would they mind
awfully of she stayed just where she was until she felt better. She didn't feel too good at the
moment, she really didn't.
Then hadn't she better lie down on the bed? Jack Noonan asked.
No, she said. She'd like to stay right where she was, in this chair. A little later, perhaps, when she
felt better, she would move.
So they left her there while they went about their business, searching the house. Occasionally on
of the detectives asked her another question. Sometimes Jack Noonan spoke at her gently as he
passed by. Her husband, he told her, had been killed by a blow on the back of the head
administered with a heavy blunt instrument, almost certainly a large piece of metal. They were
looking for the weapon. The murderer may have taken it with him, but on the other hand he may
have thrown it away or hidden it somewhere on the premises.
"It's the old story," he said. "Get the weapon, and you've got the man."
Later, one of the detectives came up and sat beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in
the house that could've been used as the weapon? Would she mind having a look around to see if
anything was missing-a very big spanner, for example, or a heavy metal vase.
They didn't have any heavy metal vases, she said.
"Or a big spanner?"
She didn't think they had a big spanner. But there might be some things like that in the garage.
The search went on. She knew that there were other policemen in the garden all around the house.
She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw a flash of a torch

21
 through a chink in the curtains. It began to get late, nearly nine she noticed by the clock on the
mantle. The four men searching the rooms seemed to be growing weary, a trifle exasperated.
"Jack," she said, the next time Sergeant Noonan went by. "Would you mind giving me a drink?"
"Sure I'll give you a drink. You mean this whiskey?"
"Yes please. But just a small one. It might make me feel better."
He handed her the glass.
"Why don't you have one yourself," she said. "You must be awfully tired. Please do. You've been
very good to me."
"Well," he answered. "It's not strictly allowed, but I might take just a drop to keep me going."
One by one the others came in and were persuaded to take a little nip of whiskey. They stood
around rather awkwardly with the drinks in their hands, uncomfortable in her presence, trying to
say consoling things to her. Sergeant Noonan wandered into the kitchen, come out quickly and
said, "Look, Mrs. Maloney. You know that oven of yours is still on, and the meat still inside."
"Oh dear me!" she cried. "So it is!"
"I better turn it off for you, hadn't I?"
"Will you do that, Jack. Thank you so much."
When the sergeant returned the second time, she looked at him with her large, dark tearful eyes.
"Jack Noonan," she said.
"Yes?"
"Would you do me a small favour-you and these others?"
"We can try, Mrs. Maloney."
"Well," she said. "Here you all are, and good friends of dear Patrick's too, and helping to catch
the man who killed him. You must be terrible hungry by now because it's long past your
suppertime, and I know Patrick would never forgive me, God bless his soul, if I allowed you to
remain in his house without offering you decent hospitality. Why don't you eat up that lamb that's
in the oven. It'll be cooked just right by now."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Sergeant Noonan said.
"Please," she begged. "Please eat it. Personally I couldn't tough a thing, certainly not what's been
in the house when he was here. But it's all right for you. It'd be a favour to me if you'd eat it up.
Then you can go on with your work again afterwards."
There was a good deal of hesitating among the four policemen, but they were clearly hungry, and
in the end they were persuaded to go into the kitchen and help themselves. The woman stayed
where she was, listening to them speaking among themselves, their voices thick and sloppy
because their mouths were full of meat.
"Have some more, Charlie?"
"No. Better not finish it."
"She wants us to finish it. She said so. Be doing her a favour."
"Okay then. Give me some more."
"That's the hell of a big club the guy must've used to hit poor Patrick," one of them was saying.
"The doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces just like from a sledgehammer."
"That's why it ought to be easy to find."
"Exactly what I say."
"Whoever done it, they're not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than
they need."
One of them belched.
"Personally, I think it's right here on the premises."
"Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?"
And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle.

Story Structure
1. Draw Freytag’s Pyramid and add the story of Lamb to the Slaughter. Does it fit? If not, why not?
2. Short stories often move very quickly from climax to falling action to resolution. Why might this be?
Language Analysis
3. She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man, and to feel-almost as a sunbather feels the sun-that
warm male glow that came out of him to her when they were alone together.
22
a) Pick out and explain which words present Mary’s feelings towards her husband.
b) as a sunbather feels the sun is a simile. What does it suggest about the Mary’s marriage?
4. She might just as well have hit him with a steel club.
Why does Dahl use the image of a steel club? What does it tell us about how Mary attacks Patrick?
Comparison
5. How is Mary Maloney similar to Hermia at the start of A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Writing Paragraphs – Topic Sentences
When answering questions in English, particularly analytical questions, we often will need to write more
than a sentence so structuring our writing is very important.
When writing a paragraph, it might be useful to see the different parts of it like this:
Topic Sentence – A sentence giving the main idea of the paragraph. If you’re answering a question, it
should respond to the question, probably by using words or phrases from the question.
Paragraph Details – This is where you explain your topic sentence further or prove it to be true. When
writing about Shakespeare, this is where you’ll include quotations and discuss implicit meaning.
Concluding Sentence – You might not always need this but in longer paragraphs a concluding sentence will
help to summarise your idea or emphasise why it is important.

Practise writing Topic Sentences:

1. How does Shakespeare present Oberon’s feelings about Titania in Act 2 Scene 1?
a) List your own words or phrases to describe Oberon’s feelings towards Titania. Challenge: Add notes
about the reasons why Shakespeare might have presented Oberon’s feelings in this way.
b) Write 1-2 phrases summarising how we see Oberon’s feelings. For example, Oberon’s use of… the way
Oberon… (this could be a technique or a type of word).
c) Write an opener. This should be Shakespeare and then a verb (not shows). It could be displays or
presents.
d) Write 2-3 topic sentences by combining the elements you’ve planned in different forms, order or
constructions.
Shakespeare presents… through/by… because…

2. How does Shakespeare present Titania’s feelings about Oberon in Act 2 Scene 1?
a) List your own words or phrases to describe Titania’s feelings towards Oberon. Challenge: Add notes
about the reasons why Shakespeare might have presented Titania’s feelings in this way.
b) Write 1-2 phrases summarising how we see Titania’s feelings. For example, Titania’s use of… the way
Titania… (this could be a technique or a type of word).
c) Write an opener. This should be Shakespeare and then a verb (not shows). It could be displays or
presents.
d) Write 2-3 topic sentences by combining the elements you’ve planned in different forms, order or
constructions.

3. How does Shakespeare present Oberon and Titania’s relationship in Act 2 Scene 1? Write 2-3 topic
sentences following the structure above.

23
4. Look back at the extract of Act 2 Scene 1.
a) Find and underline or highlight 2-3 quotations that support your answers of the questions above.
b) Explain, in notes, how your quotations support your answers/topic sentences.

Act 2 Scene 1 Continued

Torment – Exit TITANIA with her train
Severe physical OBERON
or mental
suffering Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove
Till I torment thee for this injury.
Hither - Here My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou rememberest
Rememberest - Since once I sat upon a promontory,
Remember And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Promontory – A Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath
point of high land That the rude sea grew civil at her song
that juts out into And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
the sea To hear the sea-maid's music.
Dulcet – A sweet PUCK
and soothing I remember.
sound OBERON
Harmonious - That very time I saw, but thou couldst not,
Tuneful Flying between the cold moon and the earth,
Civil - Polite Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took
Vestal – Relating At a fair vestal throned by the west,
to the Roman And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow…
goddess Vesta Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Loosed – Let Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
loose And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Love-shaft – Fetch me that flower; the herb I shew'd thee once:
Cupid’s arrow The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid
that causes love Will make or man or woman madly dote
Fetch – Go and Upon the next live creature that it sees.
get Fetch me this herb; and be thou here again
Ere the leviathan can swim a league.
Shew’d - Showed
…
Dote – Show
affection Having once this juice,
I'll watch Titania when she is asleep,
Leviathan – A And drop the liquor of it in her eyes.
sea monster The next thing then she waking looks upon,
League – A unit Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull,
of distance On meddling monkey, or on busy ape,
She shall pursue it with the soul of love:
Ere - Before
And ere I take this charm from off her sight,
Render - Give As I can take it with another herb,
24
 Conference - I'll make her render up her page to me.
Conversation But who comes here? I am invisible;
And I will overhear their conference.
1. What plan does Oberon make to get his revenge on Titania?
2. Oberon’s plan is evil and cruel. Do you agree? Try to include the word patriarchal in your answer.

Pursue - Chase DEMETRIUS

Slay - Kills I love thee not, therefore pursue me not.
Wode – Crazy, Where is Lysander and fair Hermia?
insane The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me.
Thou told'st me they were stolen unto this wood;
Adamant – And here am I, and wode within this wood,
Refusing to have Because I cannot meet my Hermia.
your mind Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.
changed
HELENA
Entice – Lead,
tempt You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant;
But yet you draw not iron, for my heart
Fair - Beautiful Is true as steel: leave you your power to draw,
Oxlips – A type And I shall have no power to follow you.
of yellow flower DEMETRIUS
Luscious – Do I entice you? do I speak you fair?
Appealing to the Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth
senses Tell you, I do not, nor I cannot love you?
Woodbine – A …
type of plant
[Puck arrives with the flower]
Eglantine – A
wild flower OBERON
Lull’d – I pray thee, give it me.
Deceptively made I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
confident Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
Enamell’d – With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
Coated or There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
decorated Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
Grove – Small And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin,
forest Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in:
Disdainful – And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
Showing And make her full of hateful fantasies.
disrespect Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove:
A sweet Athenian lady is in love
Anoint – With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes;
Rubbing liquid But do it when the next thing he espies
onto someone or May be the lady: thou shalt know the man
something By the Athenian garments he hath on.
Espies – Catch Effect it with some care, that he may prove
sight of, see More fond on her than she upon her love:
25
 Fond - And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.
Affectionate PUCK
Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do so.
3. How does Demetrius use rhetorical questions to communicate his feelings about Helena? Demetrius’ use
of rhetorical questions implies…
4. What does Oberon plan to do?
5. What task does Oberon give Puck?
Connecting Clauses
Remember, a simple sentence or main clause includes:
a) A subject – the thing that does the action
b) A verb – the action.
A simple sentence may contain other descriptive language or information about time and place but commas
should never be used to separate it from another simple sentence or main clause. What can you do instead?

Compound Sentences
A compound sentence is a sentence which links two simple sentences with any of these words: For, And,
Nor, But, Or, Yet, So (FANBOYS) or a semi-colon (;). A semi-colon is used to separate join two linked
sentences (like one of the FANBOYS). You don’t need a capital after a semi-colon.
1) Rewrite the sentences below using one of the FANBOYS or a semi-colon. Try to use an appropriate
FANBOYS (not just and). Be ready to explain your choice.
a) He climbed the ladder. He was afraid of heights.
b) I could go on holiday to Spain. I could go camping in Cornwall.
c) We forgot to fill up with petrol. We ran out.

Complex Sentences
A complex sentence consists of two or more main clauses linked by a subordinating conjunction.
Subordinating conjunctions include because, as, if, when, before, after, although and even though. When the
subordinating conjunction is used in the middle of the sentence, you don’t need a comma.
2) Rewrite the sentences below using one of the subordinating conjunctions (above).
a) We went to the park. It was raining.
b) We couldn’t go on holiday. We’d lost our passports.
c) We walked home. The bus didn’t arrive.

Revision of Content
3) Complete the sentences:
a) Hermia loves Lysander yet…
b) Titania and Oberon fall out because…
c) Theseus is Duke of Athens so…
d) Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius but…
e) Hermia will be punished because…

26
4) Write a paragraph summarising the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream so far. Include compound and
complex sentences. Use the sentences in the previous task to help you.

Act 2 Scene 2
Oberon uses the flower on Titania. Lysander and Hermia enter and, having lost their way, decide to sleep
in the forest. Puck, confusing Demetrius and Lysander, puts the juice from the flower on Lysander’s eyes.
Helena and Demetrius enter arguing. Demetrius leaves Helena behind. Helena notices that Lysander is
sleeping; she wakes him and he falls in love with her. Helena believes this is a trick or a joke at her expense
and walks away; Lysander follows. Hermia wakes up alone.
Glossary TITANIA sleeps
Seest - Sees Enter OBERON and squeezes the flower on TITANIA's eyelids
Dost - Does OBERON
Languish - Suffer What thou seest when thou dost wake,
Pard - Leopard Do it for thy true-love take,
Love and languish for his sake:
Vile – Disgusting, Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
horrible Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
Troth - Truth In thy eye that shall appear
Tarry - Wait When thou wakest, it is thy dear:
Wake when some vile thing is near.
Exit
Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA
LYSANDER
Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood;
And to speak troth, I have forgot our way:
We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,
And tarry for the comfort of the day.
HERMIA
Be it so, Lysander: find you out a bed;
For I upon this bank will rest my head.
LYSANDER
One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;
One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth.
HERMIA
Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet, do not lie so near…
They sleep

1. What does Oberon hope Titania will fall in love with after she has been affected by the flower?
2. What has happened to Lysander and Hermia since last we saw them?

27
 Dissembling – PUCK
Concealing, Through the forest have I gone.
disguising But Athenian found I none,
Sphery eyne - On whose eyes I might approve
Eyes This flower's force in stirring love.
Perish – Die Night and silence.--Who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
Content - Happy This is he, my master said…
When thou wakest, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid:
So awake when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon.
Exit
[Helena and Demetrius enters but Demetrius runs off]
HELENA
O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies;
For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.
How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears:
If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;
For beasts that meet me run away for fear:
Therefore no marvel though Demetrius
Do, as a monster fly my presence thus.
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne?
But who is here? Lysander! on the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.
Lysander if you live, good sir, awake.
LYSANDER
[Awaking] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.
Transparent Helena! Nature shows art,
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.
Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word
Is that vile name to perish on my sword!
HELENA
Do not say so, Lysander; say not so
What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though?
Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content.
[Hermia wakes alone and afraid]
3. What mistake does Puck make in this scene?
4. How does Helena compare herself to Hermia?
5. How does Helena react when Lysander declares his love for her?
6. How will the audience respond watching this scene?

28
Embedding Quotations - Animal Imagery
Reminder - Paragraphs include:
Topic Sentence
Paragraph Details
Concluding Sentence
This lesson, we’ll focus on Topic Sentences and Paragraph Details.
Imagery is visually descriptive language used in literature. In Act 2, Helena uses two pieces of imagery to
describe herself.
Fawn – Show Scene 1
affection To Demetrius
Spurn - Reject I will fawn on you:
Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me,
Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave
Unworthy as I am, to follow you.

Scene 2
After Demetrius has left her
I am as ugly as a bear;
For beasts that meet me run away for fear.
1. Connotations are associations with a word, idea or image. The connotations of rose might be romance or
love. What are the connotations of:
a) Spaniel (dog)
b) Bear

2. How does Shakespeare’s use of animal imagery present Helena’s feelings about herself?
a) List words and phrases to respond to this question.
b) Use your words and phrases to write 1 topic sentence.

3. Which phrases from both of the quotations above help you to answer question 2? You are only
allowed to highlight or underline 2-3 phases (no more than 4 words).
Embedding quotations means putting them into the language and construction of your sentence. So you
don’t write Helena describes herself in the quote ‘ugly’. Instead, you write Helena describes herself as
‘ugly’.

4. Embed your 4 words into sentences about Helena that answer the question above.
For example: Helena’s concern that she is ‘ugly as a bear’ makes her seem worried that no one will ever
like her.

29
5. Sometimes it is useful to ‘Zoom in’ on a particular word and explain how that word is important to your
answer of a question. For example, The word ‘ugly’ makes Helena seem insecure. Write 2 sentences
where you pick out words in this way.
6. Write a whole paragraph (Topic Sentence and Paragraph Details) answering the question 2. Try to
use at least some quotations or words you haven’t yet referred to. Follow the process from Q2-5.
Act 3 Scene 1
The Mechanicals rehearse their play. Puck turns Bottom’s head into the head of a donkey, which scares
away the other Mechanicals. Titania wakes up close by, sees Bottom and falls in love with him. She gets
her fairies to wait on him and do whatever he asks.
Whit – Small STARVELING
amount, a bit I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.
Device – Plan BOTTOM
Prologue – In a Not a whit: I have a device to make all well.
play, an opening Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to
speech that gives say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that
information about Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more
the plau better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not
Assurance – Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them
Confidence out of fear…
Nay – No BOTTOM
Defect – Problem Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to
Entreat - Plead bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is a
most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful
Hither – Here wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to
Plainly – Clearly look to 't.
Chink – A small SNOUT
hole Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.
Loam – Clay BOTTOM
based soil
Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must
Cranny – A be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself
small, narrow must speak through, saying thus, or to the same
space defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish
You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would
entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life
for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it
were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a
man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name
his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner…
QUINCE
Then, there is
another thing: we must have a wall in the great
chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did
talk through the chink of a wall.
SNOUT
You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?
BOTTOM
30
 Some man or other must present Wall: and let him
have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast
about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his
fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus
and Thisby whisper.
1. What problems do the Mechanicals face in putting on the play? How do they plan to deal with these
problems?
Knavery – [Puck enters and turns Bottom’s head into that of a donkey. This scares away the
Mischievous other actors.]
behaviour BOTTOM
Ousel – A bird, I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;
like a blackbird to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir
Hue – Colour, from this place, do what they can: I will walk up
shade and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear
Throstle – Type I am not afraid.
of bird Sings
Wren – Type of The ousel cock so black of hue,
bird With orange-tawny bill,
Wit - Intelligence The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill,--
Enamour’d –
Filled with love TITANIA
for [Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
Enthralled – BOTTOM
Captured the [Sings]
attention of The finch, the sparrow and the lark,
Perforce – The plain-song cuckoo gray,
Necessarily Whose note full many a man doth mark,
Gleek - Spit And dares not answer nay;--
for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish
a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry
'cuckoo' never so?
TITANIA
I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;
So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.
BOTTOM
Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason
for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and
love keep little company together now-a-days; the
more the pity that some honest neighbours will not
make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.
TITANIA
Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.
2. What does Bottom think his friends have done?

31
3. How does Titania respond to Bottom’s singing?
4. How does Bottom respond to Titania? Try to use the word Humility. Humility means not believing you
are particularly important or impressive (or not trying to seem important or impressive to others).
5. The Mechanicals are meant to make the audience laugh. How do they do this?
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic Irony is a technique used by playwrights where the audience knows or understands something at
least one character on stage does not.
So far in the play we have seen two instances of dramatic irony:
Act 2 Scene 2 – Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and places the flower’s juice on Lysander’s eyes.
PUCK
Through the forest have I gone.
But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence.--Who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said…
When thou wakest, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid:
So awake when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon.

Act 3 Scene 1 – Titania is unaware she has been affected by the flower’s juice and unaware of how
ridiculous her love for Bottom seems.
TITANIA
[Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?

So far, in learning about how to construct a paragraph, we’ve looked at writing Topic Sentences and
embedding quotations into our writing. When analysing literature or any kind (poetry, novel, plays etc),
there is something else (or someone else) we should think about: the audience (for a play) and the reader (for
everything else).

1. How does Shakespeare use dramatic irony to have an impact on the audience in Act 2 Scene 2?
a) List words and phrases to describe how the audience will react. Be specific – what will they be thinking,
feeling or imagining.
b) Highlight a quotation or quotations which best show the dramatic irony in the extract.
c) Make notes on these quotations of how they might make the audience feel or think (amused by…
anticipating…).
d) Turn your ideas from a) into a topic sentence. Turn your ideas from b) and c) into the rest of your
paragraph.

32
2. How does Shakespeare use dramatic irony to have an impact on the audience in Act 3 Scene 1?
Plan and write a paragraph answering this question.

Act 3 Scene 2
Oberon and Puck watch Demetrius and Hermia argue in the forest. Oberon realises Puck has used the
flower on the wrong Athenian. Hermia runs away and Demetrius decides to sleep. Oberon puts the juice of
the flower onto Demetrius’ eyes. Lysander and Helena enter and Demetrius wakes up and falls in love with
Helena. Helena believes Demetrius and Lysander are teasing her. Hermia enters and is soon devastated to
find Lysander in love with Helena. Helena believes Hermia is in on the joke. Oberon and Puck plan to fix
the chaos they have caused. Once the characters are sleeping, they use the flower to reverse the problems
they’ve caused.
Dote – Show SCENE II. Another part of the wood.
affection to Enter OBERON
Extremity – In OBERON
extremes
I wonder if Titania be awaked;
Consecrated – Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
Sacred, special Which she must dote on in extremity.
Nuptial – Enter PUCK
Wedding
Here comes my messenger.
Devise - Plan How now, mad spirit!
Latch’d - Fixed What night-rule now about this haunted grove?
Bid - Tell PUCK
My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play
Intended for great Theseus' nuptial-day…
OBERON
This falls out better than I could devise.
But hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?

1. What news does Oberon receive from Puck?

Misprised – DEMETRIUS
Despise, You spend your passion on a misprised mood:
Undervalue I am not guilty of Lysander's blood;
Aught – Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.
Anything HERMIA
Privilege - Right I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.
DEMETRIUS
33
 An if I could, what should I get therefore?
HERMIA
A privilege never to see me more.
And from thy hated presence part I so:
See me no more, whether he be dead or no.
Exit
Vein - Mood
DEMETRIUS
Misprision –
Deceit There is no following her in this fierce vein:
Here therefore for a while I will remain.
Perforce – So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow
Necessarily For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe:
Ensue – Happen Which now in some slight measure it will pay,
afterwards If for his tender here I make some stay.
Tartar – A Lies down and sleeps
people group OBERON
from central Asia
What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite
Woo – Seek And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:
favour or Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
affection from Some true love turn'd and not a false turn'd true…
Scorn – PUCK
Disrespect,
disdain I go, I go; look how I go,
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow…
Derision –
Mockery, insult Enter LYSANDER and HELENA
Vow - Promise LYSANDER
Nativity – Birth Why should you think that I should woo in scorn?
Scorn and derision never come in tears:
Cunning – Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,
Clever trickery In their nativity all truth appears.
Fray - Fight How can these things in me seem scorn to you,
Oath – Promise, Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?
vow HELENA
You do advance your cunning more and more.
When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!
These vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er?
Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh:
Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,
Will even weigh, and both as light as tales…

2. What does Hermia think Demetrius has done?

3. What does Demetrius decide to do?
4. How does Oberon feel about what he has seen?
5. How does Lysander feel as he enters and how can you tell?
6. How does Helena respond to Lysander?
7. Oberon shouldn’t have got involved in human affairs. Do you agree? Why?

34
Show Not Tell
As we begin to focus on descriptive or creative writing, we need to continue to make sure sentences are
structured and punctuated correctly.
Show Not Tell is a technique where you avoid using an avoid word or description to describe an emotion,
action or event. For example, if you want to describe a character as angry, you try to avoid the word angry
and instead focus on the character clenching their fists or turning red or tensing, ready to fight.
In Act 3 Scene 2, Hermia and Demetrius enter arguing. Hermia doesn’t know where Lysander has gone and
thinks that Demetrius may have murdered him. Demetrius is still desperate for Hermia to love him but
temporarily gives up when she runs away.
1) How are the characters in this scene feeling? Make a list of your best vocabulary to describe:
a) Hermia
b) Demetrius

2) How could we describe the characters if we weren’t allowed to use the obvious words (e.g. angry,
frightened)? Focus on the physical description and actions of the characters that could reveal their feelings.
a) Hermia
b) Demetrius

3) Write a sentence describing Herma, using Show Not Tell. Focus on one feeling you are trying to Show
Not Tell.

4) Write a sentence describing Demetrius, using Show Not Tell. Focus on one feeling you are trying to
Show Not Tell.

5) Write a paragraph retelling Hermia and Demetrius’ argument in your own words.
You must use:
- Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences
- Adverbs and Double Adjectives to start sentences
- Speech

Rules for Speech Punctuation

1) All speech should be surrounded by speech punctuation.
2) Punctuation connected with the speech should go inside the speech marks. ‘What?’ he said.
3) Use a comma inside the speech punctuation where other punctuation is not needed. ‘Hello,’ he said.
4) When the speaker comes before the speech, use a comma outside of the speech punctuation. He said,
‘Hello’.
5) Use a capital letter to start speech.

35
6) Each time a speaker speaks again (or for the first time) their speech should be put on a new line.

Act 3 Scene 2 Continued

Nymph – A DEMETRIUS
magical spirit [Awaking] O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!
Divine – To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Supernatural, Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show
godly Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
Eyne - Eye HELENA
Merriment - Joy O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment:
Courtesy - If you were civil and knew courtesy,
Politeness You would not do me thus much injury…
Yield – Surrender LYSANDER
Bequeath - Given You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;
Mockers - For you love Hermia; this you know I know:
Insulters And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
Idle - Lazy In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Sojourned - Whom I do love and will do till my death.
Journeyed
HELENA
Wherein – In
Which Never did mockers waste more idle breath.

Impair – Spoil, DEMETRIUS

weaken Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:
Recompense – If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone.
Make amends My heart to her but as guest-wise sojourn'd,
And now to Helen is it home return'd,
Bide – Live, stay There to remain.
Engilds – Re-enter HERMIA
Decorate
HERMIA
Dark night, that from the eye his function takes,
The ear more quick of apprehension makes;
Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense,
It pays the hearing double recompense.
Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found;
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound
But why unkindly didst thou leave me so?
LYSANDER
Why should he stay, whom love doth press to go?
HERMIA
What love could press Lysander from my side?
LYSANDER

36
 Lysander's love, that would not let him bide,
Fair Helena, who more engilds the night
Than all you fiery oes and eyes of light.
Why seek'st thou me? could not this make thee know,
The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?

1. When Demetrius wake up and declares his love for Helena, what does Helena think is happening?
2. How does Hermia feel as she re-enters the scene?
3. How does Lysander respond to Hermia’s question about why he left her?

Coil – Confusion [Demetrius and Lysander leave the stage to fight]

Curst – Cursed HERMIA
Fray – Fight You, mistress, all this coil is 'long of you:
Negligence – Not Nay, go not back.
taking proper care HELENA
of something I will not trust you, I,
Knaveries - Nor longer stay in your curst company.
Tricks, dishonesty Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray,
Garment - My legs are longer though, to run away.
Clothes Exit
Enterprise – HERMIA
Task, mission I am amazed, and know not what to say.
‘nointed - Exit
Annointed
OBERON
Jangling – Noisy
arguing This is thy negligence: still thou mistakest,
Or else committ'st thy knaveries wilfully.
Esteem – Think
of PUCK
Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.
Did not you tell me I should know the man
By the Athenian garment be had on?
And so far blameless proves my enterprise,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;
And so far am I glad it so did sort
As this their jangling I esteem a sport.
[Puck leads Demetrius and Lysander away and makes them fall asleep. He uses the
flower’s juice to correct the mistakes he made previously]

4. How does Hermia feel about Helena after all this confusion and how does Helena respond?
5. How does Puck explain what has happened to Oberon?
6. Oberon blames Puck for Lysander being in love with Helena. Is it Puck’s fault? Why/why not?

37
Writing Whole Paragraphs
A paragraph plan could include vocabulary or ideas you might want to use in your topic sentence and
quotations and notes you might want to include in your paragraph details.
The following extracts come from Act 3 Scene 2 Continued. Use the glossary and summary from those
pages to support you with these tasks.

1) How does Shakespeare present Demetrius’ new feelings for Helena in this extract?
a) Plan a topic sentence by listing words and phrases that respond to the question.
b) Plan paragraph details by picking out 2-3 short quotations and noting what they imply about Demetrius’
feelings
DEMETRIUS
[Awaking] O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!
To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show
Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!

2. How does Shakespeare present Helena’s response to Demetrius’ affection?

a) Plan a topic sentence by listing words and phrases that respond to the question.
b) Plan paragraph details by picking out 2-3 short quotations and noting what they imply about Helena’s
response.
HELENA
O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment:
If you were civil and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury…

3. How does Shakespeare present Hermia’s feelings when she discovers Lysander ‘loves’ Helena?
a) Plan a topic sentence by listing words and phrases that respond to the question.
b) Plan paragraph details by picking out 2-3 short quotations and noting what they imply about Hermia’s
feelings.
HERMIA
I am amazed, and know not what to say.

4. Turn all three of your paragraph plans into paragraphs.

Challenge – Concluding Sentences

Longer, more detailed paragraphs might need concluding sentences. These are sentences which
summarise the ideas in the paragraph and the paragraph’s response to whatever question has been asked.

38
 Overall…
In summary…
Because of Shakespeare use of/emphasis on…
Jane Austen
Literature often reflects the views of the time it was written. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream we see
patriarchal ideas and values of the time it was written. However, literature can also challenge the ideas of
the time. Jane Austen, a novelist writing at the end of 18 th and beginning of the 19th century, challenged
commonly held views of women and marriage.

In this extract from Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mr and Mrs Bennet discuss marrying one of their daughters
to a new, rich neighbour. Although that seems very similar to the world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Austen is mocking people like Mrs Bennet, who seem obsessed with money and marriage. At least part of
the novel’s message is that marriage for love is always preferable to pre-arranged marriages forced on
children by their parents.

Glossary Chapter 1
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
Universally – fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Recognised by However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering
everyone a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families,
Acknowledged – that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
Known, “My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield
recognised Park is let at last?”
Let - Rented Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
Chaise – A “But it is,” returned she; “for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about
horse-drawn it.”
carriage Mr. Bennet made no answer.
Michaelmas – “Do you not want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife impatiently.
29th September “You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.”
Design – Plan, This was invitation enough.
aim “Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young
man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a
chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed
with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and
some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”
“What is his name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is he married or single?”
“Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand
a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
“How so? How can it affect them?”
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome! You must
know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”
“Is that his design in settling here?”
“Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love
with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”
“I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by
themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of
them, Mr. Bingley may like you the best of the party.”
“My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not
pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up
39
 daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.”
“In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.”
“But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the
neighbourhood.”
Over-Scrupulous “It is more than I engage for, I assure you.”
– Too careful or “But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one
focused on details of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account,
Consent – for in general, you know, they visit no newcomers. Indeed you must go, for it will be
Permission impossible for us to visit him if you do not.”
“You are over-scrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you;
and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying
whichever he chooses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little
Lizzy.”

1. What does Austen mean when she says that new single men are seen as the ‘rightful property’ of one of
the young ladies in the neighbourhood?
2. How are Mr and Mrs Bennet’s views different about the new arrival at Netherfield Hall?
3. How is this situation similar to the opening of A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
4. Mrs Bennet is just trying to look after her daughters. Do you agree?
5. Mr Bennet should take more of an interest in his daughters’ future. Do you agree?
6. How is Mr Bennet’s attitude to marriage different to the attitude of Egeus?

Challenge Question: How does the opening of Pride and Prejudice challenge patriarchal views of
marriage?

40
Act 4 Scene 1
Oberon and Puck watch Titania and Bottom. Feeling sorry for Titania, they reverse the effects of the flower
and remove the Donkey’s head from Bottom. Oberon and Titania leave, with Oberon promising to explain
what has happened. Theseus and Hippolyta enter with Egeus and other Athenians. They discover the four
young Athenians sleeping. Now that Demetrius loves Helena and Lysander loves Helena (again), Theseus
agrees that the couples can marry that very day at Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. Confused, Bottom
wakes up in the wood.
Glossary [Oberon and Puck observe Titania and Bottom sleeping]
Dotage - OBERON
Affection [Advancing] Welcome, good Robin.
Upbraid – Find See'st thou this sweet sight?
fault, scold Her dotage now I do begin to pity:
Coronet – A For, meeting her of late behind the wood,
small crown Seeking sweet favours from this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her and fall out with her;
Orient – A For she his hairy temples then had rounded
general term for With a coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
countries in the And that same dew, which sometime on the buds
east/Asia Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls,
Bewail – Express Stood now within the pretty flowerets' eyes
regret Like tears that did their own disgrace bewail.
Taunted – When I had at my pleasure taunted her
Provoke, And she in mild terms begg'd my patience,
challenge I then did ask of her her changeling child;
Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent
Bower – A shady To bear him to my bower in fairy land.
place under trees And now I have the boy, I will undo
Swain – A young This hateful imperfection of her eyes:
lover And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp
From off the head of this Athenian swain;
Vexation -
That, he awaking when the other do,
Annoyance
May all to Athens back again repair
Dian – Diana (the And think no more of this night's accidents
moon goddess) But as the fierce vexation of a dream.
Enamour’d – In But first I will release the fairy queen.
love with Be as thou wast wont to be;
See as thou wast wont to see:
Loathe – Hate,
Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower
disgusted by
Hath such force and blessed power.
Visage - Face Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen.
TITANIA
My Oberon! what visions have I seen!
Methought I was enamour'd of an ass.
OBERON
There lies your love.

41
 TITANIA
How came these things to pass?
O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now!
1. How does Oberon feel about Titania as he watches her sleep?
2. What has Titania done to make Oberon change his mind about her?
Wit – Intelligence [Bottom wakes up alone in the wood]
Expound - BOTTOM
Explain [Awaking] When my cue comes, call me, and I will
Patched fool – A answer: my next is, 'Most fair Pyramus.' Heigh-ho!
clown or jester Peter Quince! Flute, the bellows-mender! Snout,
Conceive – Think the tinker! Starveling! God's my life, stolen
of hence, and left me asleep! I have had a most rare
vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to
Ballad – A song say what dream it was: man is but an ass, if he go
of love or about to expound this dream. Methought I was--there
admiration is no man can tell what. Methought I was,--and
Peradventure - methought I had,--but man is but a patched fool, if
Perhaps he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye
of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not
seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue
to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream
was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of
this dream: it shall be called Bottom's Dream,
because it hath no bottom; and I will sing it in the
latter end of a play, before the duke:
peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall
sing it at her death.
Exit

3. How does Bottom feel when he wakes up?

4. What does Bottom plan to do?
5. Some people argue Bottom’s speech is the best speech in the whole play. Why might this be?

42
Assessment – Analytical Paragraphs

How does Shakespeare present Bottom’s thoughts and feelings

when he wakes up in Act 4 Scene1?

Assessment task: Plan and write three paragraphs answering the above
question. Focus on discussing the implicit meaning of quotations you
pick out. Use the glossary and notes on Act 4 Scene 1 to help you.

Success Criteria
- Paragraph Structure – Topic Sentences – Paragraph Details –
Concluding Sentences
- Short quotations embedded into sentences.
- Academic language.
- Implicit meanings of quotations should be the focus of analysis.

43
Setting Description
The way you describe a setting in a story is just as important as how you describe characters or action.
When done properly, a setting description can create atmosphere or set the tone for your story.
Atmosphere means the feeling of a place or setting.
1) What atmosphere could be created by the following settings?
a) A bright, sunny day, a green field, flowers.
b) A stormy sea.
c) Fog.

2) Pathetic Fallacy is the technique where the weather is given human actions, features or qualities. It is not
simply when the weather reflects the mood (as is often said). For example, The sun smiled down.
Write a phrase or sentence of pathetic fallacy for each of these settings/weather:
a) A stormy sea.
b) Rain
c) Fog

3) Task: Describe Bottom leaving the forest and seeing Athens in the distance.
Plan
a) List words, phrases and pathetic fallacy to describe Bottom waking up in the forest.
b) List words, phrases and pathetic fallacy to describe Bottom trying to leave the forest.
c) List words, phrases and pathetic fallacy to describe Bottom out in the open and walking towards Athens.

Write
Write three paragraphs (waking up, walking through the forest, out of the forest), describing Bottom.
Make sure you use:
- Pathetic Fallacy
- Show Not Tell
- Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences
- Start with an Adverb
- Start with Double Adjective

44
Act 4 Scene 1 Continued
Glossary Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train
Vaward – Front, THESEUS
first part Go, one of you, find out the forester;
Concord - For now our observation is perform'd;
Agreement And since we have the vaward of the day,
Enmity – My love shall hear the music of my hounds.
Opposition, hostility Uncouple in the western valley; let them go:
Dispatch, I say, and find the forester…
Bethink – Come to
think EGEUS
Hither - Here My lord, this is my daughter here asleep;
And this, Lysander; this Demetrius is;
Intent – Intention, This Helena, old Nedar's Helena:
aim I wonder of their being here together…
Peril - Danger THESEUS
Thereby – As a I pray you all, stand up.
result I know you two are rival enemies:
Consent - How comes this gentle concord in the world,
Permission That hatred is so far from jealousy,
Stealth - Hidden To sleep by hate, and fear no enmity?

Gaud – A showy, LYSANDER

ornamental thing My lord, I shall reply amazedly,
Half sleep, half waking: but as yet, I swear,
I cannot truly say how I came here;
But, as I think,--for truly would I speak,
And now do I bethink me, so it is,--
I came with Hermia hither: our intent
Was to be gone from Athens, where we might,
Without the peril of the Athenian law.
EGEUS
Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough:
I beg the law, the law, upon his head.
They would have stolen away; they would, Demetrius,
Thereby to have defeated you and me,
You of your wife and me of my consent,
Of my consent that she should be your wife.
DEMETRIUS
My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth,
Of this their purpose hither to this wood;
And I in fury hither follow'd them,
Fair Helena in fancy following me.
But, my good lord, I wot not by what power,--
But by some power it is,--my love to Hermia,
45
 Melted as the snow, seems to me now
As the remembrance of an idle gaud
Which in my childhood I did dote upon;
And all the faith, the virtue of my heart,
The object and the pleasure of mine eye,
Betrothed – Is only Helena. To her, my lord,
Arranged to be Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia:
married But, like in sickness, did I loathe this food;
But, as in health, come to my natural taste,
Evermore – For Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,
ever And will for evermore be true to it.
Discourse - THESEUS
Conversation
Fair lovers, you are fortunately met:
Anon - Soon Of this discourse we more will hear anon.
Overbear – Egeus, I will overbear your will;
Override For in the temple by and by with us
These couples shall eternally be knit:
Knit – Tie together
And, for the morning now is something worn,
Solemnity – Our purposed hunting shall be set aside.
Serious, dignified Away with us to Athens; three and three,
Undistinguishable We'll hold a feast in great solemnity.
– Not able to work Come, Hippolyta.
out or understand Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train
DEMETRIUS
These things seem small and undistinguishable,
HERMIA
Methinks I see these things with parted eye,
When every thing seems double.
HELENA
So methinks:
And I have found Demetrius like a jewel,
Mine own, and not mine own.
DEMETRIUS
Are you sure
That we are awake? It seems to me
That yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think
The duke was here, and bid us follow him?

1. Where are Theseus and those with him and what are they doing?
2. What does Theseus ask the four Athenian lovers?
3. What does Egeus want to happen?
4. How does Demetrius explain what has happened?
5. What does Theseus say will happen next?
6. How does Demetrius feel about what has happened?

46
Sentence and Punctuation Review
Remember, a simple sentence needs:
A Subject
A Verb

1) What is wrong with these sentences? Explain the error and correct them.
a) He looked everywhere he couldn’t find his bag.
b) Watching TV.
c) Running; she won the race.

2) Use one of the FANBOYS (or a semi-colon) to make these simple sentences into compound sentences.
Choose your FANBOYS carefully.
a) The bully snatched Sam’s bag.
b) I’ve never liked pasta.
c) Students should not run in corridors.

3) Add another clause with a subordinating conjunction to turn these sentences into complex sentences.
a) I lost my wallet.
b) My favourite subject is IT.
c) The fire did significant damage.

4) Rewrite this dialogue and add/correct speech punctuation:

Don’t talk when I’m talking snarled Mrs Hopkirk.
I was just asking for a pen James muttered. Well, don’t the teacher replied.
James whispered to Ruby She’s in a bad mood.

5) Add a Double Adjective or Adverb to the start of these sentences. Be ready to explain your decision and
make sure you use the correct punctuation.
a) Egeus discovers Hermia and Lysander were trying to escape.
b) Theseus allows the couple to marry.
c) The four young Athenians leave to get married.

6) Write a paragraph describing Theseus, Hippolyta and Egeus discovering the four young Athenians in the
forest. You must use:
- Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences
- Start with an adverb
- Start with double adjective
47
- Speech

Act 4 Scene 2
In Athens, the Mechanicals worry for Bottom and feel sad that they won’t be able to perform their play.
Bottom returns and the Mechanicals celebrate.
Glossary SCENE II. Athens. QUINCE'S house. Enter QUINCE, FLUTE, SNOUT, and
Marred – STARVELING
Spoiled QUINCE
Doth – Does Have you sent to Bottom's house ? is he come home yet?
Discharge – STARVELING
To do the job, He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is
play the part transported.
Discourse – FLUTE
Speak about
If he come not, then the play is marred: it goes
Apparel – not forward, doth it?
Clothes
(costumes) QUINCE
It is not possible: you have not a man in all
Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he…
Enter BOTTOM
BOTTOM
Where are these lads? where are these hearts?
QUINCE
Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happy hour!
BOTTOM
Masters, I am to discourse wonders: but ask me not
what; for if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I
will tell you every thing, right as it fell out.
QUINCE
Let us hear, sweet Bottom.
BOTTOM
Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is, that
the duke hath dined. Get your apparel together,
good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your
pumps; meet presently at the palace; every man look
o'er his part; for the short and the long is, our
play is preferred. In any case, let Thisby have
clean linen; and let not him that plays the lion
pair his nails, for they shall hang out for the
lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onions
nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I
do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet
comedy. No more words: away! go, away!
1. How do the Mechanicals feel at the start of the scene?
2. What do the Mechanicals think has happened to Bottom?
48
3. What will happen to the play without Bottom? Why?
Act 5 Scene 1
The Athenian characters have been married and are celebrating. The Mechanicals’ play is selected to be
performed. Their play is funny but for all the wrong reasons. Oberon, Puck and Titania bless the
marriages of the Athenian couples. Puck ends the play by talking to the audience about what they’ve seen.
This is the longest scene in the play (only one scene in the whole act).
Glossary SCENE I. Athens. The palace of THESEUS.
Antique – Ancient Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, Lords and Attendants
Fables – A story HIPPOLYTA
(usually with a 'Tis strange my Theseus, that these
message) lovers speak of.
Seething – Boiling, THESEUS
bubbling
More strange than true: I never may believe
Apprehend - These antique fables, nor these fairy toys.
Understand Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
Comprehend - Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
Understand More than cool reason ever comprehends.
Lunatic – Mad or The lunatic, the lover and the poet
crazy person Are of imagination all compact:
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold,
Frenzy - Chaos That is, the madman: the lover, all as frantic,
Abridgement – A Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt:
shortened version The poet's eye, in fine frenzy rolling,
of something Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
Masque – And as imagination bodies forth
Dramatic The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
entertainment Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.
Beguile – Charm Such tricks hath strong imagination,
or enchant That if it would but apprehend some joy,
Concord - It comprehends some bringer of that joy;
Agreement Or in the night, imagining some fear,
How easy is a bush supposed a bear!...
Tedious - Boring
PHILOSTRATE
Apt - Suitable
Here, mighty Theseus.
THESEUS
Say, what abridgement have you for this evening?
What masque? what music? How shall we beguile
The lazy time, if not with some delight?
How shall we find the concord of this discord?
PHILOSTRATE
A play there is, my lord, some ten words long,
Labour’d - Which is as brief as I have known a play;
Worked But by ten words, my lord, it is too long,
Which makes it tedious; for in all the play
Toil’d – Worked
There is not one word apt, one player fitted:
hard
And tragical, my noble lord, it is;
49
 Nuptial - Wedding For Pyramus therein doth kill himself.
Which, when I saw rehearsed, I must confess,
Made mine eyes water; but more merry tears
The passion of loud laughter never shed.
THESEUS
What are they that do play it?
PHILOSTRATE
Hard-handed men that work in Athens here,
Which never labour'd in their minds till now,
And now have toil'd their unbreathed memories
With this same play, against your nuptial.
THESEUS
And we will hear it.
PHILOSTRATE
No, my noble lord;
It is not for you: I have heard it over,
And it is nothing, nothing in the world;
Unless you can find sport in their intents,
Extremely stretch'd and conn'd with cruel pain,
To do you service.
THESEUS
I will hear that play…
1. What does Theseus think about the four Athenian lovers’ story of how they fell in love?
2. What does Philostrate think of the Mechanicals’ play?

Plain – Clear Flourish of trumpets Enter QUINCE, Pyramus and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, and
Beauteous – Lion
Beautiful Prologue
Vile – Disgusting Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show;
Sunder – Split But wonder on, till truth make all things plain.
apart This man is Pyramus, if you would know;
This beauteous lady Thisby is certain.
Presenteth – This man, with lime and rough-cast, doth present
Shows Wall, that vile Wall which did these lovers sunder;
Scorn – Disrespect And through Wall's chink, poor souls, they are content
Grisly – To whisper. At the which let no man wonder.
Horrifying or This man, with lanthorn, dog, and bush of thorn,
disgusting Presenteth Moonshine; for, if you will know,
By moonshine did these lovers think no scorn
Affright – Frighten To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo.
Mantle – Cloak This grisly beast, which Lion hight by name,
The trusty Thisby, coming first by night,
Whereat – At
Did scare away, or rather did affright;
which
And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall,
Broach’d – Raised Which Lion vile with bloody mouth did stain.
Tarrying – Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth and tall,
Waiting And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle slain:
50
Twain – Two Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
Interlude – Break, He bravely broach'd is boiling bloody breast;
pause And Thisby, tarrying in mulberry shade,
His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest,
Befall – Happen Let Lion, Moonshine, Wall, and lovers twain
Loam – Clay-filled At large discourse, while here they do remain.
soil Exeunt Prologue, Thisbe, Lion, and Moonshine
Wittiest – THESEUS
Cleverest
I wonder if the lion be to speak.
Partition – Wall,
divide DEMETRIUS
Hue – Colour No wonder, my lord: one lion may, when many asses do.
Alack – A word to Wall
express regret or In this same interlude it doth befall
shock That I, one Snout by name, present a wall;
Courteous – Polite And such a wall, as I would have you think,
That had in it a crannied hole or chink,
Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisby,
Did whisper often very secretly.
This loam, this rough-cast and this stone doth show
That I am that same wall; the truth is so:
And this the cranny is, right and sinister,
Through which the fearful lovers are to whisper.
DEMETRIUS
It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard
discourse, my lord.
Enter Pyramus
THESEUS
Pyramus draws near the wall: silence!
Pyramus
O grim-look'd night! O night with hue so black!
O night, which ever art when day is not!
O night, O night! alack, alack, alack,
I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot!
And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall,
That stand'st between her father's ground and mine!
Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall,
Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne!
Wall holds up his fingers
Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well for this!
But what see I? No Thisby do I see.
O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss!
Cursed be thy stones for thus deceiving me!
THESEUS
The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse again.
Pyramus

51
 No, in truth, sir, he should not. 'Deceiving me'
is Thisby's cue: she is to enter now, and I am to
spy her through the wall. You shall see, it will
fall pat as I told you. Yonder she comes.
3. What attitude does the audience (Theseus, Demetrius, Lysander) have towards the play?
4. At the end of the extract how does Pyramus/Bottom show he is not an experienced actor?

Perchance – Enter Lion and Moonshine

By chance, Lion
perhaps
You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear
Quake - Shake The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor,
Strife – May now perchance both quake and tremble here,
Difficulty, When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar.
hardship Then know that I, one Snug the joiner, am
Lanthorn - A lion-fell, nor else no lion's dam;
Lantern For, if I should as lion come in strife
Into this place, 'twere pity on my life.
Crescent –
The curved THESEUS
shape (of the A very gentle beast, of a good conscience.
moon) DEMETRIUS
The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I saw…
Moonshine
This lanthorn doth the horned moon present;--
DEMETRIUS
He should have worn the horns on his head.
THESEUS
He is no crescent, and his horns are
invisible within the circumference.
Moonshine
This lanthorn doth the horned moon present;
Myself the man i' the moon do seem to be.
THESEUS
This is the greatest error of all the rest: the man
should be put into the lanthorn. How is it else the
man i' the moon?

5. What do the audience think of the lion?

6. How do the Mechanicals present the moon on stage?
7. It is unfair for the Athenian characters to laugh at and mock the Mechanicals. Do you agree? Why/why
not?

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Act 5 Scene 1 Continued
The married couples go to bed and Oberon and the other fairies bless their marriages. Puck stays on to end
the play.
Glossary OBERON
Stray – Not in the Now, until the break of day,
right place Through this house each fairy stray.
Issue - Children To the best bride-bed will we,
Which by us shall blessed be;
Blots – A mark or And the issue there create
stain Ever shall be fortunate.
Prodigious - So shall all the couples three
Impressive Ever true in loving be;
Despised – Hated And the blots of Nature's hand
Shall not in their issue stand;
Slumbered – Slept Never mole, hare lip, nor scar,
Gentles – A polite Nor mark prodigious, such as are
way of addressing Despised in nativity,
the audience Shall upon their children be.
(Gentle people, With this field-dew consecrate,
gentle folk) Every fairy take his gait;
Reprehend – Tell And each several chamber bless,
Through this palace, with sweet peace;
off
And the owner of it blest
Amends – Make Ever shall in safety rest.
up for something Trip away; make no stay;
wrong Meet me all by break of day.
Exeunt OBERON, TITANIA, and train
PUCK
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
1. What does Oberon hope for the married couples?
2. Who is Puck speaking to at the end? How can you tell?
3. What does Puck ask people to do at the end of the play?
4. Why did Shakespeare choose to end his play with Puck speaking to the audience?

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Romantic Poetry
Romantic poetry sounds like it’s going to be poetry about love but it isn’t. Romantic poetry, the Romantic
Movement or Romanticism all refer to poetry written at the end of the 18 th and beginning of the 19th century.
Romantic Poets were interested in:
 The Power and Beauty of Nature.
 Challenging Authority (like the king, the church, the government).
 The Power of Human Imagination and Potential.
Romantic Poets were heavily influenced by the events happening at the time they were writing.
The Industrial Revolution (1780s-1840s): People left the countryside to find work in the city. New
technology and mechanisation meant manufacturing and other industries were transformed.
The French Revolution (1789): Ordinary people rose up to overthrow the French monarchy because of
lack of food and poor living conditions.
The Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792): Mary Wollstonecraft wrote this book, arguing for the
rights and education of women.
In literature, nature often represents life, power, peace or escape. Dorothy Wordsworth, a Romantic Poet,
wrote this poem in the 1820s.
Glossary Floating Island – Dorothy Wordsworth
Harmonious – Harmonious Powers with Nature work
Balanced, On sky, earth, river, lake, and sea:
friendly Sunshine and storm, whirlwind and breeze
Duteous – All in one duteous task agree.
Feeling obliged
to do something Once did I see a slip of earth,
Throbbing – By throbbing waves long undermined,
Beating with Loosed from its hold; — how no one knew
regular rhythm But all might see it float, obedient to the wind.
Undermined –
Eroded Might see it, from the mossy shore
Loosed – Let Dissevered float upon the Lake,
loose, set free Float, with its crest of trees adorned
Dissevered – On which the warbling birds their pastime take.
Cut, divided
Adorned - Food, shelter, safety there they find
Decorated There berries ripen, flowerets bloom;
Warbling – There insects live their lives — and die:
Soft birdsong A peopled world it is; in size a tiny room.
Peopled –
Populated And thus through many seasons’ space
Cease – Stop This little Island may survive
Perchance – But Nature, though we mark her not,
Perhaps Will take away — may cease to give.
Forth –
Forward, out Perchance when you are wandering forth
Thither – There Upon some vacant sunny day
Fertilize – Without an object, hope, or fear,
Make land ready Thither your eyes may turn — the Isle is passed away.
to grow things
Buried beneath the glittering Lake!
Its place no longer to be found,
Yet the lost fragments shall remain,
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 To fertilize some other ground.

During her youth, Dorothy Wordsworth had experienced death of people close to her and a periods where
she was unsettled, moving from place to place. ‘Floating Island’ describes an island that does not last for
ever; instead it seems to fade away after providing a place to live for various species. In this way, the island
might represent the human life cycle from birth to death. The best thing the island does is to contribute to
the life of other beings; perhaps this is Dorothy’s message to us and for our lives.

Comprehension
1. What is working together in the first stanza?
2. What happens in the second stanza?
3. What do the birds do on the island?
4. What happens in the sixth stanza?
5. What will the remains of the island do?

Analysis
6. Nature is personified in the poem (e.g. Nature, though we mark her not, will take away). How does this
make nature seem?
7. Even though the island is lost at the end of the poem, why is the ending hopeful?
8. How does Wordsworth use language to make the island seem full of life? Look for lists, adjectives and
verbs which describe the island.

Comparison
Here Titania describes the moon in Act 2 Scene 1:
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,

Here Oberon describes the sea calming and stars moving to listen to a mermaid’s song (also in Act 2 Scene
1):
Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath
That the rude sea grew civil at her song
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
To hear the sea-maid's music.

9. Highlight or underline the words or phrases that best present nature in these extracts.
10. Which techniques do these extracts use to present nature?
11. How is the presentation of nature (the sea, the moon etc) in these extracts similar to the presentation of
nature in ‘Floating Island’? Write one paragraph.

Comparing Tips
When comparing, still use the paragraph structure we have looked at but make sure your Topic Sentence
refers to both texts. You should also include quotations from both texts in your Paragraph Details.

Make sure you use connectives to link or contrast ideas (e.g. similarly, however, whereas, likewise).

55
Story Assessment

Assessment Task: Write a story about a group of friends who get lost in a wood.

Plan:

1) Use the plot structure diagram to plan your story. Your story should have a maximum of
4 characters and take place over the course of a single day (could be less if you want).

2) Write your story. Focus on using the skills and techniques we have been working on with
our sentences and writing

Success Criteria
- Plot structure is clear (diagram used).
- Simple, Compound and Complex sentences used accurately.
- Adverbs and Double Adjectives used to start sentences.
- Good use of Show Not Tell (and other descriptive language).
- Pathetic Fallacy used to describe setting and create atmosphere.
- Speech and speech punctuation used effectively.
- Spelling, punctuation and grammar is accurate.

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Terminology and Vocabulary
Sentence Types and Techniques
1 Simple Sentence A sentence with a subject and a verb (also known as a main clause).
2 Compound Sentence Two main clauses joined by one of the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
3 Complex Sentence Two main clauses linked by a subordinating conjunction (e.g. because, although).
4 Semi-Colon Used to link two related (and complete) sentences (;).
Word Types
5 Noun The name of a person, place, concept or object.
6 Adjective A word that describes a noun.
7 Verb A word of doing or being.
8 Adverb A word that describes a verb.
Speech Punctuation
9 New speaker New line.
10 Punctuation goes… Inside speech marks (e.g. ‘Shut the door!’ he screamed.
11 Capitals at… The start of speech.
12 If the speaker comes Put a comma outside of the speech marks (e.g. He said, ‘Don’t worry.’
first…
Terminology
13 Imperative A verb used as a command (e.g. Shut the door).
14 Personification Giving a non-human thing human characteristics.
15 Pathetic Fallacy Giving the weather human characteristics.
16 Show Not Tell Avoiding the obvious description by focusing on less obvious, more detailed
description.
Vocabulary
17 Patriarchal Governed or controlled by men.
18 Allegory A story where characters or settings represent or symbolise something or someone
else.
19 Moral Adjective – Doing the right thing. Noun – Message or meaning (of a story).
20 Infatuated Obsessively in love with someone or something.
21 Shakespearean Relating to or having the qualities of the work of Shakespeare.
22 Elizabethan Relating to the period Queen Elizabeth I was queen (1558-1603).
23 Imply/Implies Suggests, hints at
24 Portray/Portrays Presents
25 Convey/Conveys Gets across
26 Defiant Rebellious, Resistant
27 Patronise To treat someone in an unkind or unhelpful way, showing a sense of superiority.
28 Supernatural Magical or miraculous, relating to actions or events that go beyond the explanation
of science.

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