A NOISE WITHIN SPRING 2021 STUDY GUIDE

William Shakespeare’s

A Midsummer
Night’s Dream Edu
STUDY GUIDES FROM A NOISE WITHIN
A rich resource for teachers of English,
reading, arts, and drama education.

Dear Reader,

We’re delighted you’re interested in our study

guides, designed to provide a full range of
information on our plays to teachers of all grade
levels.

A Noise Within’s study guides include:

•  eneral information about the play

G
(characters, synopsis, timeline, and more)

• Playwright biography and literary analysis

• Historical content of the play

• Scholarly articles

• Production information
(costumes, lights, direction, etc.)

• Suggested classroom activities

• Related resources (videos, books, etc.)

• Discussion themes

•  ackground on verse and prose

B
(for Shakespeare’s plays)

Our study guides allow you to review and share

information with students to enhance both
lesson plans and pupils’ theatrical experience
and appreciation. They are designed to let you
extrapolate articles and other information that best
align with your own curricula and pedagogic goals.

More information? It would be our pleasure. We’re Pictured: Carolyn Ratteray, Evan Lewis Smith, and Veralyn Jones, Gem of the Ocean
2019. PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ.
here to make your students’ learning experience as
rewarding and memorable as it can be!

All the best,

Alicia Green
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
 TABLE OF CONTENTS Special thanks to our Dinner On Stage donors
who kept the arts thriving this year by
Character Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 supporting our Student Matinees (SMATs):
Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SMAT PERFORMANCE SPONSOR
About the Author: William Shakespeare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ($5,000 AND ABOVE)
Richard Green Sheila & Alan Lamson
Timeline of William Shakespeare’s Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Jeanie & Terry Kay Barbara Lawrence
William & Priscilla Terri Murray
Historical Context: Elizabethan Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Kennedy Richard & Sally Roberts
Love Trouble: The Light and Dark of SCHOOL SPONSOR ($2,500 AND ABOVE)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Bill & Clarie Bogaard Julie & Lance Markowitz
Kathleen & Bruce & Valerie Merritt
A 16th Century Ovid: The Influence of James Drummy Lyn Spector
Classical Mythology on the Understanding Sheila Grether-Marion & Lois Tandy
of Shakespeare’s Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Mark Marion Liz & Rhodes Trussell
Barbara Henderson
Themes and Motifs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
CLASS SPONSOR ($1,000 AND ABOVE)
Verse and Prose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Molly Bachmann Eugene Kapaloski
Try Your Hand at Shakespeare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Meg Huntington Cajero Thomas & Gloria Lang
Jack & Becky Doody Jay Lesiger
Words Coined by Shakespeare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Fred & Sandy Engler Cynthia Nunes &
Armando Gonzalez Barbara Nye
The Art of the Shakespearean Insult. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Diane Grohulski Diana Peterson-More
Pre-Show Preparation: Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Schuyler & Gail Samuel &
Deborah Hollingsworth William Christian
Pre-Show Preparation: Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Robert & Jennifer Israel Margaret Sedenquist
Denise Jay Tribune Direct
Essay Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Miranda Johnson-Haddad Vickie Taylor
Molly Joseph
Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
WORKSHOP SPONSOR ($500 AND ABOVE)
Robert Cathcart Bob Low, in honor of wife
Cecilia Center Anni Frandsen Low,
A NOISE WITHIN’S EDUCATION PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY:
John Cushman Ph.D.
Ann Peppers Foundation Kenneth T. and Julie Daniels Alan Miller
Eileen L. Norris Foundation Patrick Garcia Julia Rodriguez-Elliott
Capital Group Companies Sandra Greenstein Janet Samuel
Michael J. Connell Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Selma Holo & Fred Croton Deborah Strang
David Holtz Donna Tucker, in memory
Foundation Shakespeare in American Forsight Creations of Beverly Parks
The Dick and Sally Roberts Communities: National Jim Kelly Tucker
Coyote Foundation Endowment for the Arts Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Loretta Vigil
in partnership with Jason King Marianne Wallace
The Jewish Community David & Julia Zuckerman
Arts Midwest.
Foundation Elyse Klein
Steinmetz Foundation
The Green Foundation BUS SPONSOR ($350 AND ABOVE)
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund Wendy Alden Allan Mohrman
Anonymous Scott Myers
Julie Fox Blackshaw Norma Richman
Mary Hacker Edmund Roberts
Ilona Linden Daniel Rothmuller
Nancy Macky Chromatic
Joan Mills Interactive Media

ADDITIONAL DONORS
Jerry Gallagher & Jan Sanders
Gerard Clarke Linda Saurenman
Margaret Grossman Stuart Semigran
Margaret Koch Angela Conner &
Irene Lacher Kevin Speaks
Mark Nelson Sallie Strang

This project is part of Shakespeare in

American Communities, a program of
the National Endowment for the Arts
in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Cover Image: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Gustave Doré, c. 1870

4 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

CHARACTER MAP
ATHENIAN COURT THE LOVERS

Theseus Hippolyta Lysander Hermia

The Duke The warrior Queen Another young A young lover and
of Athens, of the Amazons, lover. In love with the daughter of
Theseus, is Hippolyta, is Hermia. Egeus.
betrothed to betrothed to
Hippolyta. Theseus.

Egeus
The father
Philostrate of Hermia.
The master of the revels to Duke Theseus’ court.

Helena Demetrius
Another young Another young
The Mechanicals lover. In love lover. Egeus’ pick for
with Demetrius. Hermia.

Nick Bottom
Peter Quince
weaver and
A carpenter and
one of the
the director of the
“mechanicals.” THE FAIRES
“mechanicals.”
Plays Pyramus.
Supernatural

Francis Flute Tom Snout

A bellows mender, A tinker, also Titania Oberon
also one of the one of the The Queen of The King of
“mechanicals.” Plays “mechanicals.” the fairies. the Fairies.
Thisbe. Plays a Lion.

Snug Robin Starveling Fairies Puck

A joiner, also one of A tailor, also attend to Titania. Oberon's servant.
the “mechanicals.” one of the Peaseblossom A.k.a. Robin
Plays a Wall. “mechanicals.” Cobweb Goodfellow.
Plays Moonshine. Moth
Mustardseed
5 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

SYNOPSIS
Theseus, Duke of Athens, after
conquering the warrior Amazons
in battle, is in turn conquered
by the charms of their Queen,
Hippolyta, and they are now
planning to marry. To speed the
time until their wedding night,
Theseus orders amusements to
be staged. In the spirit of loyalty,
Bottom the weaver and other
tradesmen decide to prepare a
play for the Duke and his bride.
The preparations are interrupted
by Egeus, an Athenian, who
brings his daughter, Hermia, and
her two suitors before Theseus,
entreating him to command A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Robert Fowler, c.1900
Hermia to wed Demetrius.
Hermia begs to be allowed to marry Lysander, The four lovers are greatly confused. Oberon finds
whom she loves. The duke orders Hermia to obey that Puck put the potion on Lysander’s eyes and
her father under penalty of death or confinement not Demetrius, so Oberon uses another potion to
in a convent. Hermia and Lysander, thinking that break the spell. When Demetrius wakes up, he sees
the decree is too harsh, agree to secretly meet in a the neglected Helena being wooed by Lysander. His
nearby forest and escape to another city. They tell own love for her returns, and he is ready to fight
their plans to Helena, the former lover of Demetrius Lysander to win back the love of Helena. Helena,
who still dotes on him. To win back his love, Helena having been so rejected, thinks that both men are
informs Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander’s escape mocking her, and Hermia is dazed by the rejection
plan. of her lover, Lysander. The fairies prevent conflict
by causing the four to wander around in the dark
Meanwhile, in the forest, the fairy king and queen, forest until they tire and fall asleep. Puck corrects
Oberon and Titania, are at odds. In spite, Oberon his mistake by smearing Lysander’s eyes to undo
asks Puck to obtain a special love potion to pour on the love potion. This way, when everyone wakes up,
Titania’s sleeping eyes. This will cause her to love the Lysander will love Hermia and Demetrius will love
first thing she sees upon waking. Just then, Oberon Helena.
sees Demetrius looking for the meeting place
chosen by Hermia and Lysander. Instead, much to Titania entertains Bottom as her true love until
his distaste, Demetrius meets Helena. Upon seeing Oberon, whose anger has cooled, removes the spell
Helena’s distress from being rejected by Demetrius from her eyes. Bottom is restored to his human
yet again, Oberon asks Puck to smear Demetrius’ form and rejoins his friends in Athens. On an early
eyes with the love potion so that he may love morning hunting trip, Theseus comes upon the four
Helena. But, when Lysander and Hermia arrive, Puck lovers in the forest. When all is explained, Theseus
mistakenly smears Lysander’s eyes with the love withdraws his order to Hermia and grants permission
potion, and, as Helena wanders by, Lysander falls in for her to marry Lysander, also allowing Helena to
love with her and abandons Hermia. marry Demetrius.

This same enchanted spot in the forest is the place A wedding feast for all three couples is spread at
selected by Bottom and his company of tradesmen the Duke’s palace. Bottom’s acting troupe comes to
for the final rehearsal of their play. The mischievous the wedding feast and presens the “comic” tragedy
Puck magically crowns Bottom with the head of an of Pyramus and Thisbe, which is performed in a
ass, which terrifies the other players into running wondrous and hilarious style. After the company
away. Puck takes Bottom near Titania, awho awakes retires for the night, the fairies dance through the
and gazes upon this human-turned-ass, falling palace to spread blessings and goodwill on the three
instantly in love. couples. ♦
6 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare, a poet, playwright, and
actor, was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-
upon-Avon, England, to John Shakespeare and
Mary Arden. While Shakespeare’s plays and poetry
have endured the test of time and are of the most
well-known works in Western literature, very little
documentation of Shakespeare’s life exists beyond
public records of his birth, death, marriage, and
financial transactions.
Shakespeare’s education began at home. The fact
that Shakespeare’s mother was the executor of
her father’s will suggests that she was literate.
Shakespeare would have grown up hearing fairytales
and fables from his parents. He would have learned
to read the Bible at home. In addition to his home
education, Shakespeare most likely attended the
King’s New School, a grammar school in Stratford,
where his studies would have been almost
exclusively in Latin.
When Shakespeare was 18 he married Anne
Hathaway, who was 26 years old. The two had
a rushed marriage because Anne was already
pregnant at the time of the wedding. The couple
welcomed their first child, Susanna, six months
after the ceremony. Anne later gave birth to twins
Hamnet and Judith; however, Hamnet died when he
was just eleven years old.
From 1585 to 1591, not much is known about William Shakespeare associated with John Taylor, c. 1600-1610.
Shakespeare’s life with this period often referred
to as the “lost years.” However, it is clear that he
moved to London to pursue theatre at some point Over the course of about twenty years, Shakespeare
during this time (probably around 1587). In 1592, created a staggering body of work including 154
Shakespeare had established his reputation as sonnets, 3 narrative poems, and 38 plays that
an actor and playwright in London. In that same continue to be performed around the world today.
year, it is believed that the Lord Strange’s Men, a Sometime between 1610 and 1612, Shakespeare
prominent acting company at the time, performed retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died in
one of Shakespeare’s plays—most likely Henry VI, 1616 at the age of 52. It is believed that he died on
Part I. Shakespeare later became an original member the same day he was born, April 23rd. He is buried
of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, one of the two in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-
theatrical companies legally approved to perform Avon. ♦
within London city limits at the time. During his
time as a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men,
Shakespeare wrote many of his most prolific works.
In 1599, Shakespeare became the chief shareholder
of the Globe Theatre, a newly built performance
space in London. His plays were regularly performed
there until 1613, when a fire that began during a
production of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII burned the
theatre down. The Globe was rebuilt by 1614, but
was destroyed again in 1644, two years after the
Puritan English government closed all theatres.
7 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

TIMELINE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S LIFE

1564 William Shakespeare is born on April 23 in
Stratford-upon-Avon to John Shakespeare and
Mary Arden.
1582 William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway.
Their marriage license is issued on November
27th.
1583 Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna, is born
in May, just six months after the wedding of
Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. Susanna is
baptized on May 26th.
1585 Anne Hathaway gives birth to twin, Hamnet and
Judith. They are baptized on February 2nd.
The Original Globe Theatre, artist unknown.
1585-1591 “The Lost Years.” No records of
Shakespeare’s life during this period
exist. At some point, he moves to 1596 Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, dies at age 11.
London. 1599 The Globe Theatre opens in London.
1590-1592 Shakespeare begins to write plays Shakespeare becomes a shareholder of the
during this time. His earliest works are theatre.
The Taming of the Shrew, Henry VI, 1600-1610 Shakespeare writes several of his most
Parts I, II, and III, The Two Gentlemen of prolific tragedies including Hamlet, King
Verona, Titus Andronicus, and Richard III. Lear, and Macbeth.
The exact dates these plays were written
and first performed is unknown. 1603 Queen Elizabeth I dies and King James I
ascends the throne. He becomes the patron
1592 While it is unclear when Shakespeare left of Shakespeare’s theatre company, The Lord
Stratford-upon-Avon, by this time, Shakespeare Chamberlain’s Men, who change the name of
has established a reputation in London as an their company to The King’s Men in honor of
actor and a playwright. A plague breaks out in King James I.
London and theatres are closed.
1604 Shakespeare writes Othello, which is performed
1593 Shakespeare writes Venus and Adonis, a long, for the first time in court on November 1st by
narrative poem based on Book 10 of Ovid’s the King’s Men. Richard Burbage—the leading
Metamorphoses. actor of the company—originates the role of
1594 Theatres re-open after the plague. Shakespeare Othello, presumably wearing blackface makeup
becomes a founding member of The Lord to indicate Othello’s race.
Chamberlain’s Men. The Comedy of Errors is 1609 Shakespeare’s sonnets are published.
performed for the first time. Shakespeare is believed to have written the
sonnets at some point during the 1590s.
1613 The Globe Theatre burns down during the first
performance of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII.
1614 The Globe Theatre is rebuilt.
1616 Shakespeare dies at the age of 52 in Stratford-
upon-Avon. It is believed he died on April 23rd.
He is buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity.
1623 John Heminges and Henry Condell collect and
publish Shakespeare’s plays in Shakespeare’s
Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. This
publication is also known as The First Folio.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon.

8 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: ELIZABETHAN SOCIETY

Social Structure Women in Elizabethan England
Shakespeare was a prominent playwright during late While Queen Elizabeth I famously decided not to
Elizabethan Era. This historical era began in 1558, marry, instead ruling England as the sole monarch,
when Queen Elizabeth I became the ruling monarch women in Elizabethan England at large were not
of England. The structure of English society during granted the same liberties as men of the time.
this period was rigid and provided little opportunity For example, women were only able to inherit
for social mobility for members of lower classes. property under rare circumstances, such as being a
Opportunities for social advancement for women widower or an only child; however, they could never
and people of color were even more limited. inherit their father’s titles. Any property belonging
In Elizabethan society, a person’s birth often to a woman’s family would be passed down the
determined his or her social status. The tiers of family’s eldest son. A woman’s financial status and
Elizabethan social structure can be broken down as stability depended entirely on the men in her life.
follows from highest to lowest status: In childhood and adolescence, girls depended, on
their fathers for financial backing, and in marriage,
• The Queen women depended on their husbands. While girls
• The Court were able to attend grammar school, they were
not allowed to attend university. Much of a young
o Made up of the English Nobility
woman’s education centered on how she might be a
• Merchants proper wife.
o tradespeople with limited royal connections. Arranged Marriages in Elizabethan England
Individuals in this social class often took
As mentioned above, women in Elizabethan England
positions in town councils and local
were treated as property. Marriage was the way that
government.
women were moved from the control of their father
• Livery Companies to their husbands. Marriage was often arranged so
o Institutions that controlled what was bought that both families would benefit, socially and/or
and sold. Companies specialized in certain financially. It is interesting to note that this meant
products such as wine, cloth, and jewelry. that the men were also traded by their families in the
same way the women were. Often, the couples met
• Apprentices for the first time on their wedding day. ♦
o Young men who paid workers in Livery
Companies in exchange for experience Edited from:
learning trades.
https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/the-social-structure-in-
• The Poor elizabethan-england

o The lowest status of citizen. By 1569, a https://www.elizabethi.org/contents/women/

welfare system was in place in the City of
London to help the able poor find food and
work.
9 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

LOVE TROUBLE THE LIGHT AND DARK OF

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
CHARLES ISHERWOOD | THE NEW YORK TIMES
It should not be strange to
encounter any of Shakespeare’s
plays at any time of the year,
so firmly ensconced are they
in the canon. And yet there’s
something a little startling in
the arrival of a production of
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
opening in November, as Julie
Taymor’s upcoming production
at Theater for a New Audience
will. The play is among
Shakespeare’s most beloved
and most frequently produced,
but it has mostly become a rite
of summer, often performed
outdoors, with picnickers sharing
bottles of wine and children
romping on grass.
The title, naturally, has
something to do with the play’s
usually being relegated to the Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing by William Blake, c. 1786
sticky months. But “Dream” is
also one of the most surefire comedy, and the sunlit ending, but instead the
comedies ever written, and it features not one, not darkness from which all this benevolence emerges.
two, not three, but four journeys (of sorts) ending “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” may have earned its
in lovers’ meeting. Shakespeare comedies often high berth on the Shakespeare hit parade because
conclude with nuptials in the offing, but this play it’s a bundle of high-spirited hijinks, but its view of
offers a stage full of contented lovers, gathering to love—the primary theme of the play—is decidedly
watch a hilariously amateurish enactment of a love divided. I noticed, among other things, how
story—the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe—that ends variations on the word “hate” recurs with startling
rather more unhappily. frequency, and how each of the four romances
depicted is shadowed by moments of betrayal,
That scene is among the most reliably hilarious in
cruelty, deception—or worse.
any Shakespeare play, and so is the scene in which
Lysander and Demetrius, now both passionately Consider the often-breezed-by opening moments, in
declaring their love for a bewildered Helena, are which Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and his beloved
joined by a dumbfounded Hermia, and a four-way Hippolyta, are preparing for their nuptial festivities.
game of verbal fisticuffs ensues. These passages Rather bluntly, in what is just his second speech,
rarely fail to engender merriment, which is another Theseus recalls, “Hippolyta, I wooed thee with
reason why “Dream” has become so popular: it’s my sword, and won thy love doing thee injuries.”
the rare production, amateur or professional, that (Some versions of the story have Theseus capturing
doesn’t nail at least these bits. Hippolyta while waging war on the Amazons.)
Plus: fairies flitting around the stage, the Yikes! Not exactly what you’d expect a fellow to
wonderfully dopey Bottom, perhaps the greatest of bring up during the wedding planning. Of course his
Shakespeare’s comic doofuses, and a fairly breezy next lines are a gallant vow to wed her in “another
running time. key,” but the strange note of violence between men
and women that has been so quickly struck will
But what struck me most upon a recent re-reading
recur again and again throughout the play.
of the play was not the dizzy joyousness of its
1 0 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

LOVE TROUBLE CONTINUED...

It is only moments later, in fact, that Theseus is hearts, but by the manipulations of magic.
threatening a young woman with death, when Egeus After the young lovers have been put to sleep and
comes to the Duke to demand that his daughter the proper love matches made by another sprinkling
Hermia obey his wish that she marry Demetrius, of the magic potion, Oberon says, “When they
a desire she insists on flouting due to her love for next wake, all this derision shall seem a dream and
Lysander. fruitless vision,” and so of course it does. The play’s
Love, it appears in this most love-struck play, can last two acts enact a reconciliation between all
get you in deep, potentially fatal trouble. As in much the warring lovers, and the fatal follies of love are
of Shakespeare, the human heart and its movements merrily mocked when the Rude Mechanicals make
are depicted as arbitrary, fickle, unreasonable and such a delightful hash of the tragedy of Pyramus
prey to outside influences. But few of his works offer and Thisbe.
as many and as memorable examples of the manner The genre of romantic comedy would not, of course,
in which love can go awry. exist if the progress of love were depicted without a
In the realm of the fairies, too, love is inconsistent few speed bumps along the road; the speed bumps
and inspires brutality when it is thwarted. The fairy supply the jokes. But seeing “Romeo and Juliet”
king and queen, Oberon and Titania, are already and “Midsummer Night’s Dream” in close proximity,
mid-quarrel when they arrive on the scene. The illuminates how differently love is depicted in both
primary beef between them is Oberon’s rather plays (despite their being written in close proximity).
arbitrary demand that Titania hand over one of In the tragedy, love is depicted as an ennobling
her young attendants. The boy means much to emotion, one that brings Romeo and Juliet to
her - in a moving, lyrical speech she describes how a sudden maturity and inspires them to flights
his mother, a great friend, died in childbirth- but of superlative lyricism. Their love is pure and
Oberon’s insistence on being given the “changeling uninflected by doubt, thwarted only by outside
boy” seems motivated only by a desire to assert his circumstances and the enmity between their
power. families.
And of course the method by which Oberon In the comedy, by contrast, the lovers spend as
punishes Titania for her refusal to grant his whim— much time warring with each other as they do
by bewitching her into making love to an ass—is offering lyric speeches of devotion. (Actually, the
peculiarly perverse and humiliating (albeit, of play is rather short on those). Love is depicted as a
course, very funny). volatile thing, a source of confusion and contrariness
While you might chalk up the discord in these as much as harmony.
relationships to the usual spats between long- It’s only after many trials have been endured—and the
partnered adults, the play shows that young lovers female characters, in particular, have been subject to
can be equally wanton in their loves, equally considerable amounts of humiliation and abuse—that
brutal in their passions. An uncomfortable note of the men and women of “Midsummer Night’s Dream”
humiliation is struck again when Helena pleads to can rest easily in the arms of their romantic partners.
Demetrius, “Use me but as your spaniel—spurn me, Or should I make that uneasily?. ♦
strike me.” He’ll have none of that, even: “For I am
sick when I do look on thee.”
Edited from:
Small wonder, then, that when Lysander and
Isherwood, Charles. “Love Trouble, The Light and Dark of ‘A
Demetrius, under the influence of that fairy dust, Midsummer Night’s Dream’.” The New York Times, The New York
both suddenly switch their amorous desires from Times, 31 Oct. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/theater/the-
Hermia to Helena, Helena believes their oaths of love light-and-dark-of-a-midsummer-nights-dream.html.
are cruel jokes. “Can you not hate me, as I know you
do,” she wails, “but you must join in souls to mock
me, too?”
In the playing, of course, much of the venomousness
comes across—as it should—as hyperbolic, and
therefore comic. And it’s of course true that Titania,
Lysander and Demetrius have all been led into their
romantic follies not by the yearnings of their own
1 1 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

A 16TH CENTURY OVID: THE INFLUENCE OF CLASSICAL

MYTHOLOGY ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS
EMILY GRAY | INQUIRIES JOURNAL, VOL. 9

William Shakespeare is commonly believed to be

the single greatest writer and poet of the English
language, as well as one of the most distinguished
and esteemed dramatists in the entire world.
With the majority of the writing of his known
works occurring between 1589 and 1613, both
Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies were heavily
influenced by the resurgence in popularity of
classical mythology, particularly the works of the
Roman writer, Ovid, that took place during the early-
Elizabethan period.
Following Arthur Golding’s “monumental translation”
of the fifteen books comprising the Metamorphoses
in their entirety in 1567, the English people began to
regard Ovid as an unparalleled mythographer and a
valuable source of literary inspiration (Roe 32). As
Shakespeare’s plays are fraught with mythological
allusions, it is obvious that the great English
playwright is no exception to this way of thinking
The abundance of mythic allusions present in nearly Ovid, copper engraving c. 1600
all of Shakespeare’s works are evidence of the
rude mechanicals’ version of Pyramus and Thisbe
continued cultural influence of Greek and Roman
leads to the “delicious burlesque” of an originally
mythology in the period during which he wrote. At
somber Ovidian story (Root 11). As told in Book Four
the same time, they highlight the importance of the
of the Metamorphoses, the story of Pyramus and
readers’ previous knowledge of classical mythology
Thisbe is the tragic tale of the two most beautiful
in order to fully experience Shakespeare’s work.
Babylonian youths who have fallen in love with each
When examined with special attention to the
other and desire to move towards marriage. Because
classical mythological influence, Shakespeare’s
their fathers have forbidden their romance, the
comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream epitomizes
young lovers are resigned to communicating solely
the dynamic role of classical mythology in literature
through the hole in their shared wall.
of both providing context for the events of the
play and helping the reader to come to a fuller This separation and secrecy only makes their
understanding of the implications associated with passions burn hotter, finally causing them to make
Shakespeare’s chosen allusions. plans to meet under cover of night outside the
city. When she reaches the rendezvous point,
Believed to be written between 1590 and 1595,
Thisbe is frightened by a lion and drops her veil.
this play is representative of the humorous and
Pyramus, seeing the blood-stained shawl lying on
playful treatment of mythology that characterizes
the ground, assumes his beloved to have been killed
Shakespeare’s earlier works composed when the
and commits suicide. Shortly thereafter, Thisbe
influence of Ovid is most evident within his writing.
returns and, finding Pyramus’s corpse, follows suit
Like his contemporaries, Shakespeare found in Ovid,
and kills herself (Kline). While the gravity of this
and by extension the whole of classical mythology,
story is undeniable, Shakespeare manipulates and
a “treasure-house of fascinating stor(ies)” with
satirizes the same features that cast Ovid’s original
previously established and easily recognizable plots
as a romantic tale to show the production of the
and morals (Root 8). The influence of these selected
tradesmen as a complete farce, thereby forcing
allusions, although treated whimsically, adds a
readers to confront the wider implications and
deeper level of meaning to an otherwise light-
influence the presence of this myth wields over the
hearted production, while simultaneously affecting
remainder of the play.
the readers’ interpretation of this comedic work.
Shakespeare introduces the inversion and
Easily the most prominent and well-developed
manipulation of traditional mythology from the first
allusion in all of Shakespeare, the presence of the
1 2 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

A 16TH CENTURY OVID CONTINUED...

moment Bottom and his fellow tradesmen begin
contemplating performing a play for the Duke’s
upcoming wedding. When searching for a suitable
drama, Peter Quince proposes that the hodgepodge
troupe put on a play entitled “The Most Lamentable
Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and
Thisbe” (1.2.8-9). This obvious combination of
paradoxical adjectives in the title of mechanicals’
play can be viewed as Shakespeare’s deliberate
attempt to add an element of humor to the
otherwise grave narrative, accordingly setting the
stage for the rest of the group’s equally entertaining
and disastrous performance. Shakespeare goes
on to include such verbal absurdities as Bottom’s
line, “I see a voice; now will I to the chink/ to spy
an I can hear my Thisbe’s face” (5.1.190-191) and his
unnecessary description of the night as being “ever
art when day is not” (5.1.169). Pyramus and Thisbe by Lucas van Leyden, 1514

By making it impossible for Bottom and his

colleagues to be taken seriously as their respective
classical characters, Shakespeare forces readers
to search for echoes of Ovid’s classical mythology
in a different source within his own play. In the
gauche version of the myth presented by Bottom’s
ensemble of rude mechanicals, the story of Pyramus
and Thisbe parodies the relationship of Lysander
and Hermia. Just as Pyramus and Thisbe’s youthful
love has been prohibited by their fathers, Hermia’s
stern, controlling father, Egeus, has proscribed her
from marrying her chosen suitor and is insisting that
she submit to his will by marrying Demetrius (1.1.
22-27).
Throughout the drama, Shakespeare’s repeated and Scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream Titania and Bottom by
extensive incorporation of elements from classical Edwin Landseer, c. 1960
mythology into A Midsummer Night’s Dream adds
a second level of meaning to that already present Ultimately, the influence of Ovid’s Metamorphoses
in the text of the play. By calling upon iconic over the writings of Shakespeare is neither confined
characters from antiquity in the forms of Theseus to his casting of Theseus and Hippolyta nor to
and Hippolyta, Shakespeare is able to successfully the theme of young love depicted by Hermia and
invoke the influence of these characters’ respective Lysander but is felt, albeit in varying degrees of
and entangled myths to not only give readers significance and strength, over the course of the
a truer sense of his own characters, but also to entire play. ♦
provide context for their actions within the comedy. Edited from:

Through his inclusion of the distorted and Gray, E. (2017). “A 16th Century Ovid: The Influence of
Classical Mythology on the Understanding of Shakespeare’s
caricatured telling of Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe, Plays.” Inquiries Journal, 9(02). Retrieved from http://www.
the playwright requires readers to look elsewhere inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1545
for the gravitas traditionally associated with this
tragic tale. In doing so, Shakespeare lends a sense
of seriousness and legitimacy to his account of the
relationship between Lysander and Hermia that
would otherwise be overshadowed by the lunacy
and hilarity of their misadventures in the woods.
1 3 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

THEMES AND MOTIFS

Theme refers to the fundamental and often universal MAGIC
ideas explored in a literary work. There is magic afoot in the Fairy Kingdom. Oberon
The principal themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream wishes to make use of his magic to torment
are: The Difficulties of Love • Magic • Dreams • Titania for the injuries she has done him in denying
Order and Disorder • Jealousy his request for the changeling child and for
reconciliation.

THE DIFFICULTIES OF LOVE Oberon sends Puck, his servant, to find a certain
flower which was struck by Cupid’s arrow:
The most apparent example of the difficulties of
love is the plight of Hermia and Lysander. Indeed, The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid
Lysander and Hermia discuss the problem in Act 1, Will make man or woman madly dote
Scene 1, when Lysander remarks: Upon the next live creature that it sees.
The course of true love never did run smooth —Oberon, Act II, Scene I
But there is also potential trouble between Theseus While Oberon is planning to use this magic to get
and Hippolyta, the soon to be married Duke of revenge on Titania, he overhears a conflict between
Athens and Queen of the Amazons. This courtship Helena and Demetrius, during which Helena pledges
was unconventional, to say the least, since Hippolyta her love and Demetrius begs her to leave him alone
became the intended bride of the Duke only after to pursue Hermia. Oberon unintentionally complicates
he defeated her in battle and took her from her the human plot by commanding Puck to
homeland in Southern Russia. While Theseus states:
 ake thou some of it, and seek through this
T
Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, grove.
And won thy love, doing thee injuries; A sweet Athenian lady is in love
But I will wed thee in another key With a disdainful youth. Anoint his eyes;
With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling. But do it when the next thing he espies
—Theseus, Act I, Scene I May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man
We never hear Hippolyta’s answer due to the By the Athenian garments he hath on.
entrance of Egeus stating his problems with Hermia
and Lysander. Effect it with some care, that he may prove
And let us not forget the other couple made More fond on her than she upon her love.
unhappy due to the conflict raised by Egeus. Hermia —Oberon, Act II, Scene I
has been promised to Demetrius, who dotes on
Puck uses his magic further to transform Bottom,
her. But, Hermia’s friend—Helena—also dotes on
an actor in the play within the play—which will be
Demetrius, who had once pledged his love to her
performed for the Duke’s marriage celebration—
before he fell in love with Hermia and won Egeus’
giving him the head of an ass. As a combination
approval to marry her.
of this magic and the act of Oberon in spreading
The last illustration of the difficulties of love is the magic potion on the eyes of Titania, Bottom
within the fairy community where Oberon and his becomes the creature most beloved of Titania as the
wife Titania are fighting and estranged. The wrongs fairy queen awakes.
and accusations that are talked about between the
two seem to be many, but the major conflict in the
action of the play has to do with a changeling boy DREAMS
that Titania has and which Oberon wants. The contrasting of dream and reality in
Shakespeare’s world is clear in A Midsummer Night’s
Dream. In the forest world there are dreams abound
and reality is suspended as Oberon and Puck begin
to influence the behavior of the Athenian couples,
Helena, Lysander, Hermia, and Demetrius.
1 4 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

THEMES AND MOTIFS CONTINUED...

They all fall asleep in the forest and Puck influences The order of nature is also broken and restored
the behavior of Helena, Lysander and, Demitrius. within the Fairy’s realm. The argument between
Hermia awakes, deserted by the others, and the Fairy King and Queen result in the order of the
declares: seasons being disrupted:
Help me, Lysander, help me! Do thy best
The spring, the summer,
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast! The chiding autumn, angry winter change
Aye me, for pity! What a dream was here! Their wonted liveries, and the mazèd world
By their increase knows not which is which.
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear.
Methought a serpent eat my heart away, — Titania, Act II, Scene I
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey. Only after Oberon and Titania’s reconciliation can
—Hermia Act II, Scene II all of this be made right. Without the restoration
of natural order, the happiness of the play’s ending
Indeed, the dream reflects the reality of Lysander’s could not be complete.
transferred affections, thanks to Puck’s magic.
Titania awakes from her potion induced “dream”
believing she has been JEALOUSY
Enamored of an ass The theme of jealousy is most notable between
the four lovers. In the beginning of the play, Helena
— Titania, Act IV, Scene I becomes jealous of Hermia because she manages to
which has indeed been the case as she doted on gain the affection of both Lysander and Demetrius,
while Helena is in love with Demetrius. Demetrius
Bottom, transformed by Puck. And leaving no doubt, is then jealous of Lysander, who Hermia is in love
Puck ends the plays by cautioning: with. When the love potion makes Lysander fall for
If we shadows have offended, Helena, Hermia falls into her own jealous rage.
Think but this, and all is mended, Jealousy is also present in the Fairy world. In Act
II, we learn that King Oberon and Queen Titania
That you have but slumbered here have fallen in love with Hippolyta and Theseus,
While these visions did appear, respectively. They both accuse each other of loving
another person:
And this weak and idle theme,
Titania:
No more yielding than a dream,
But that, forsooth, the bouncing Amazon,
Gentles, do not reprehend,
Your buskined mistress and your warrior love,
If you pardon we will mend. Oberon:
—Puck, Act V, Scene I How canst thou thus for shame, Titania,
Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?
ORDER AND DISORDER —Act II, Scene I
A Midsummer Night’s Dream also deals with This ends with Oberon commanding Puck to cast
the theme of order and disorder. Egeus’ family a love potion on Titania so that she falls back in
is threatened by his daughter's wishes to marry love with him. This is the catalyst for the rest of the
against his will; however, the social order to the state chaos.
demands that a father’s will should be enforced.
When the city dwellers find themselves in the wood,
away from their ordered and hierarchical society, For Discussion:
order breaks down and relationships are fragmented. Have students follow the five themes throughout the
Puck aided in this disorder when he put the love play as they read the text, to determine where the
potion on the incorrect people. The relationships, themes intersect and where they become confused.
however, are soon rebuilt in the free atmosphere of Ask students to determine which, if any, is the
the wood before the characters return to society. main theme and which are the sub-themes. When
1 5 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

THEMES AND MOTIFS CONTINUED...

are the themes used to move the action along and
when are they actual pieces of the storyline which
are necessary for our understanding of the tale
Shakespeare is telling? ♦
The discussion points suggested here relate to the English-
Language Arts Content Standards Grades Nine & Ten, Sections
3.0 Literary Response and Analysis and 3.1 Structural Features of
Literature
1 6 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

VERSE AND PROSE

VERSE is language with a set rhythm.
The majority of Shakespeare’s plays are
written in verse for two primary reasons:
tradition and memorization. Since the
beginning of theatre, plays had been
written in verse, and verse is easier to
memorize than prose. Shakespeare was
one of the first playwrights to utilize
both prose and verse when it suited
him. Shakespeare used verse to denote
members of the nobility and the upper
class.
Shakespeare used a verse form called
blank verse. While blank verse does not
contain rhyme, each line has an internal
rhythm and a regular rhyme pattern, like a
heartbeat.
Shakespeare is known for utilizing iambic
pentameter. An iamb is a poetic foot with one PROSE is language without a set rhythm or
unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. structure.
A pentameter means that there are five feet in a line.
An iambic pentameter is then five iambs, forming a Prose is the form used by the common citizens
ten syllable line with a total of five stressed and five in Shakespearean drama. There is no rhythm or
unstressed syllables per line. meter in the line. It is everyday language that
Shakespeare’s audience would recognize as their
Verse Example own language. In Shakespeare’s plays, prose is
Hermia: rarely used by nobility or members of the royal
family. Prose is what someone speaks when they
One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;
are reading aloud or when they are crazy or acting
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth. crazy.
Prose Example
Lysander: Bottom:
Nay, good Lysander. Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best
For my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet. Do not to play it in?
lie so near.
—Act II, Scene II Quince:
Why, what you will.
One turf shall serve as pil low for us both
One heart, one bed, two bo soms, and one truth Bottom:
I will discharge it in either your straw-color
*In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the lovers talk to one another in beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-
rhyming couplets. When Hermia speaks to her father, Theseus, grain beard, or your French-crown-color beard,
she does not speak in rhymes.
your perfit yellow. Some of your
—Act I, Scene II

*note that all of the Mechanicals speak in prose

1 7 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

TRY YOUR HAND AT SHAKESPEARE

The following expressions are a result of William Shakespeare’s creativity with words.
You may have heard some of them used. Or perhaps you have used them yourself.

as luck would have it sharper than a serpent’s tooth make a virtue of necessity
green-eyed monster blinking idiot tower of strength
not slept one wink it smells to heaven elbow room
as white as driven snow stood on ceremony merry as the day is long
give the devil his due budge an inch vanish into thin air
one fell swoop laugh yourself into stitches for goodness sake
bag and baggage the more fool you my own flesh and blood
hold a candle to but me no buts what the dickens
seen better days laughing stock foul play
be all and end all too much of a good thing not a mouse stirring
in a pickle dead as a doornail without rhyme or reason
Try your hand at using some of these phrases to create your own short story or poem.
1 8 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

WORDS COINED BY SHAKESPEARE

Accused—Richard II, Act I, Scene I
How Shakespeare used it: To describe the person Bedazzled—The Taming of the Shrew, Act IV, Scene V
being charged with a crime or offense. This is the “Pardon, old father, my mistaking eyes, that have
word’s first known use as a noun. In this case Henry been so bedazzled with the sun that everything I
Bolingbroke and Thomas Mowbray are the accuser look on seemeth green.”—Kate
and the accused—Bolingbroke (the accuser) argues
that Thomas Mowbray (the accused) is “a traitor and Dwindle—Macbeth, Act I, Scene III
a miscreant.” How Shakespeare used it: In this scene from
“Then call them to our presence; face to face, Macbeth, the First witch tells the other two witches
And frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hear that she has been torturing a sailor whose wife was
The accuser and the accused freely speak: rude to her and explains to them how she will “drain
High-stomach’d are they both, and full of ire, him dry as hay” until he “dwindle, peak and pine”.
In rage deaf as the sea, hasty as fire.”—King Dwindle in this sense is used to mean waste away.
Richard II "I myself have all the other,
Modern Definition: someone charged with a crime or And the very ports they blow,
offense (particularly relating to a criminal case). All the quarters that they know
I’ th’ shipman’s card.
Addiction—Othello, Act II, Scene II I’ll drain him dry as hay.
How Shakespeare used it: meaning a strong Sleep shall neither night nor day
preference for or inclination towards something.
The herald encourages everyone to take pleasure in Hang upon his penthouse lid.
whatever most delights them or in whatever they are He shall live a man forbid.
most inclined towards (their addictions.) Weary sev’nnights nine times nine
“It is Othello’s pleasure, our noble and valiant Shall he dwindle, peak and pine." —First Witch
general, that, upon certain tidings now arrived, Modern Definition: to gradually become smaller.
importing the mere perdition of the Turkish fleet, Fashionable—Troilus and Cressida, Act III, Scene III
every man put himself into triumph; some to
dance, some to make bonfires, each man to what How Shakespeare used it: Ulysses describes time
sport and revels his addiction leads him.”—Herald through a series of metaphors and similes. One of
the comparisons he makes is with a fashionable host.
Modern definition: noun—an intense and destructive In this context, fashionable means a host who abides
need to have or do something excessively. by the most current etiquette—who follows customs
Assassination—Macbeth, Act I, Scene VII that are of the current fashion.
How Shakespeare used it: The word assassin was “For time is like a fashionable host that slightly
already known, but Shakespeare used assassination shakes his parting guest by the hand, and with
to describe a murder, or deed done by an assassin. In his arms outstretch’d, as he would fly, grasps in
this soliloquy, Macbeth contemplates the murder or the comer: welcome ever smiles, and farewell
assassination of Duncan. goes out sighing.”—Ulysses
"If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well Modern definition: Representing a popular trend or
It were done quickly. If the assassination influence, particularly regarding personal styles.
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch Inaudible—All’s Well That Ends Well, Act V, Scene III
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here, “Let’s take the instant by the forward top; for we
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, are old, and on our quick’st decrees the inaudible
We’d jump the life to come."—Macbeth and noiseless foot of Time steals ere we can
effect them.”—King of France
Modern Definition: The act of assassinating someone,
where assassinate means to kill someone who is
usually famous or important, often for political
reasons.
1 9 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

THE ART OF THE SHAKESPEAREAN INSULT

When we think of Shakespeare, we usually think of COLUMN 1 COLUMN 2 COLUMN 3
his plays and poetry. However, Shakespeare has also
penned some of the most amazing insults. Far more Artless Base-court Apple-john
interesting and colorful than the curse words we Bawdy Bat-fowling Baggage
usually hear in modern conversation, the witty and Bootless Beef-witted Barnacle
acerbic Shakespearean insult is truly an art form. Churlish Beetle-headed Bladder Boar-
Next time you feel additional color is required in Clouted Boil-brained pig
your conversation, try something Shakespearean! Go Craven Clapper- Bugbear Bum-
ahead! Currish clawed bailey
Dankish Clay-brained Canker-blossom
Below are a few of Shakespeare’s well-known insults: Dissembling Common- Clack-dish
“Thou art a boil, a plague sore, an embossed Droning kissing Clotpole
carbuncle in my corrupted blood.” Errant Crook-pated Coxcomb
“Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell” Fawning Dismal- Codpiece
Fobbing dreaming Death-token
“I do desire we may be better strangers” Forward Dizzy-eyed Dewberry
“I am sick when I do look on thee” Frothy Doghearted Flap-dragon
Gleeking Dread-bolted Flax-wench
“Poisonous bunch-backed toad!” Flirt-gill
Goatish Earth-vexing
“Thou lump of foul deformity” Gorbellied Fat-kidneyed Foot-licker
Infectious Fen-sucked Fustilarian
Jarring Flap-mouthed Giglet
ACTIVITY Loggerheaded Fly-bitten Gudgeon
Make Your Own Insult! Combine one word from each Lumpish Folly-fallen Haggard
of the three columns, then preface your combination Mammering Fool-born Harpy
with “Thou” to create your own Shakespearean Mangled Full-gorged Hedge-pic
Insult! Mewling Guts-griping Horn-beast
Paunchy Half-faced Hugger-mugger
Pribbling Hasty-witted Lewdster
Puking Hedge-born Lout
Puny Hell-hated Malt-worm
Qualling Idle-headed Mammet
Rank Ill-breeding Measle
Reeky Ill-nurtured Minnow
Roguish Knotty-pated Miscreant
Ruttiesh Milk-livered Moldwarp
Saucy Motley-minded Mumble-news
Spleeny Onion-eyed Nut-hook
Spongy Pottle-deep Pigeon-egg
Surly Pox-marked Pignut
Tottering Reeling-ripe Puttock
Unmuzzled Rough-hewn Pumpion
Vain Rude-growing Ratsbane
Venomed Shard-borne Scut
Villainous Sheep-biting Skainsmate
Warped Spur-galled Vassal Whey-
Wayward Swag-bellied face
Tardy-gaited
Tickle-brained
Toad-spotted
Urchin-snouted
2 0 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

PRE-SHOW PREPARATION: RESEARCH

Purpose:
These research prompts will help students develop an understanding
of the historical and social context of William Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night's Dream

Prepare:
To prepare for seeing Midsummer, have students break into small groups
and research the following topics, either as groups or individually. When they
are finished, have students present their findings to the class.

The Elizabethan Era A Midsummer Night’s Dream

• The social structure hierarchy • Shakespeare’s source material for the play
• Social norms and morals • Performance history
• The role of women and women’s rights
• Theatre and its role in society Love
• Prominent theatre companies and playwrights • The psychology behind love and marriage
• Prominent political figures • Typical patriarchal roles

Greek and Roman Mythology William Shakespeare

• Theseus and Hippolyta • His life
• Zeus and Hera • His work
• Eros and Cupid • His legacy
• Pyramus and Thisbe in Ovid’s Metamorphoses
2 1 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

PRE-SHOW PREPARATION: ACTIVITIES

Purpose:
These activities will prompt students to think critically about the themes in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

REWRITE SHAKESPEARE
In this activity, students will have the opportunity to • Facilitate a class-wide discussion about the
use their creative writing skills to engage with the overarching meaning of the speech.
text of Midsummer by translating a speech from the • After the discussion, have students break into
play into contemporary language. groups, and rewrite the speech line by line
• Have students read Shakespeare’s Midsummer, using contemporary language.
or provide students with a contextual overview • Allow students to present their translations to
of the events in the play. the class.
• Pass out the text of a speech from the play • Lead a discussion about the differences
to students. Possible speeches include the between Shakespeare’s original text and the
following: translations. Some questions to ask during this
o Helena’s Act I, Scene I speech beginning discussion include
with “How happy some o’er other some can o What is added or lost in the translations?
be!...”
o Is the meaning of the speech still clear? Is
o Pucks Act V, Scene I speech beginning with the meaning of the speech more clear?
“If we shadows have offended...”
o How does the process of translating the text
o Bottom’s Act IV, Scene I speech beginning add to your understanding of the speech?
with “When my cue comes call me, and I will
answer...”

DETECTIVE LOVE
In this activity, students will have the opportunity each group create a board with pictures of
to explore the difficulty of love in Midsummer each character.
by creating a visual guide to keeps track of the • After reading each act, allow students to
different love triangles. connect the pictures of the characters with
• Facilitate a class-wide discussion about love different colored strings of yarn or arrows to
o How do you define love? represent who is in love with who. Much like a
crime scene investigation board.
o How has the definition of love evolved?
• Allow each group to present their completed
o What are different types of love? love board as if they were presenting a case.
o Why is love difficult? Ask students to provide reasoning of why
the characters are together. Ask students
o What is the psychology of love?
to explain how Puck played a role in the
• Assign groups of students to each act. Have relationships.
2 2 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

PRE-SHOW PREPARATION: ACTIVITIES CONTINUED...

DREAM JOURNAL
In this activity, students will have the opportunity to • After reading the play, have students choose
discover the role that dreams play in A Midsummer one character and their quotes and create
Night’s Dream by creating short scenes that unpack what they believe would be that character’s
how different characters view dreams. dream. It can be a visual representation, a
• Facilitate a class discussion about Dreams story, a monologue, a scene, etc.

o What is the psychology of dreams? • Encourage students to consider how the

character views dreams; do they see them as
o What are different definitions of dreams? helpful or hurtful, do they believe in them.
o What are your dreams? • Allow students to present their creation.
• While reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
have students notate quotes from characters
when they speak about dreams in a journal.
• Allow students to also keep track of their own
dreams in the journal (optional)

THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER

In this activity, students will have the opportunity to • In creating their images, ask students to
explore how jealousy manifests by creating a visual incorporate any images they believe are iconic
representation of their understanding of jealousy. to jealousy.
• Facilitate a class-wide discussion about • Allow students to present their work to the
jealousy. class.
o What is the definition of jealousy?
o What is the psychology of jealousy?
o What are some images that come to mind
when you think of jealousy?
• After the discussion, instruct students to create
an image of how they each view jealousy.
This image can be hand-drawn, a collage or
collection of printed images, or a combination
collage-drawing.

TELEPHONE
In this activity, students will have the opportunity • When the phrase has made its way around the
to explore the speed with which information can be circle, the last person to hear the phrase will
distorted as it is spread. say what he or she heard.
• Have students sit in a circle. • Often, you will discover, the phrase changes as
• Designate one leader. This person will come up it is passed around the circle.
with a phrase and then whisper that phrase to • Play through these steps a few times.
his or her neighbor in the circle. That person • Facilitate a discussion about the tendency for
will then pass what they heard on to his or her information to be distorted or changed as it is
neighbor. passed along.
• Each person in the circle will pass what they
hear from the previous person in the circle
onto the next person in the circle.
2 3 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. How are different aspects of love shown within the different relationship
pairings in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Hermia and Demetrius, Hermia and
Lysander, Oberon and Titania...

2. What is the purpose of the different settings in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Describe each setting them choose one, such as The Woods, and detail its
significance.

3. Describe the parallels between Athens and the Fairy Realm. What is the
significance of the fairies and magic? Why did Shakespeare introduce them
into the plot?

4. To what extent does the fairies meddling in the relationships of the Athenian
lovers and Fairy lovers affect your idea of the relationship between love and
free will.
2 4 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ONLINE RESOURCES:

Folger Digital Texts’ free online publication of A Midsummer Nights Dream: https://www.folgerdigitaltexts.
org/download/pdf/MND.pdf
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Educational Resources:
https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/

ARTICLES:

Hemingway, Samuel B. “The Relation of a Midsummer Night’s Dream to Romeo and Juliet.” Modern
Language Notes, vol. 26, no. 3, 1911, pp. 78–80. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2916409.
Lamb, M. E. “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream: The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.” Texas Studies in
Literature and Language, vol. 21, no. 4, 1979, pp. 478–491. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40754586.
Mebane, John S. “Structure, Source, and Meaning in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Texas Studies in
Literature and Language, vol. 24, no. 3, 1982, pp. 255–270. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40754686.
Dent, R. W. “Imagination in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 15, no. 2, 1964, pp.
115–129. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2867882.

BOOKS:

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson. Published by HarperPress in 2007.

Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt. Published by W.W. Norton
in 2005.
Beyond a Common Joy: an Introduction to Shakespearean Comedy. By Paul A. Olson Published by
University of Nebraska Press in 2009.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream : an authoritative text, sources, criticism, adaptations by William Shakespeare
and Grace Loppolo. Published by W.W. Norton in 2018.

FILMS:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by David Kerr (2016)

VIDEO CLIPS:

SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED | The Lovers Untangled in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQSr_SAF79A
Why should you read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”? - Iseult Gillespie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCI6o-kbqrs
2 5 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

ABOUT THEATRE ARTS: KEY THEATRICAL TERMS

Today, movies and television blocking: The instructions a director proscenium stage: There is usually a
take audiences away from gives actors that tell them how and front curtain on a proscenium stage.
what was once the number where to move in relation to each The audience views the play from
one form of amusement: other or to the set in a particular the front through a “frame” called
going to the theatre. But scene. the proscenium arch. In this scenario,
attending a live theatrical all audience members have the same
performance is still one of character: The personality or part view of the actors.
the most thrilling and active portrayed by an actor on stage.
forms of entertainment. set: The physical world created on
conflict: The opposition of people or stage in which the action of the play
In a theatre, observers are forces which causes the play’s rising takes place.
catapulted into the action, action.
especially at an intimate setting: The environment in which
dramatic irony: A dramatic a play takes place. It may include
venue like A Noise Within,
technique used by a writer in which the historical period as well as the
whose thrust stage reaches
a character is unaware of something physical space.
out into the audience and
the audience knows.
whose actors can see, hear,
stage areas: The stage is divided
and feel the response of the genre: Literally, “kind” or “type.” into areas to help the director to
crowd. In literary terms, genre refers to note where action will take place.
the main types of literary form, Upstage is the area furthest from
Although playhouses in
principally comedy and tragedy. It the audience. Downstage is the area
the past could sometimes
can also refer to forms that are more closest to the audience. Center stage
be rowdy, participating in
specific to a given historical era, defines the middle of the playing
the performance by giving
such as the revenge tragedy, or to space. Stage left is the actor’s left as
respect and attention to
more specific sub-genres of tragedy he faces the audience. Stage right
the actors is the most
and comedy such as the comedy of is the actor’s right as he faces the
appropriate behavior at
manners, farce or social drama. audience.
a theatrical performance
today. Shouting out (or even motivation: The situation or mood theme: The overarching message or
whispering) can be heard which initiates an action. Actors main idea of a literary or dramatic
throughout the auditorium, often look for their “motivation” work. A recurring idea in a play or
as can rustling paper or when they try to dissect how a story.
ringing phones. character thinks or acts.
thrust stage: A stage that juts out
After this A Noise Within props: Items carried on stage into the audience seating area so
performance, you will have by an actor to represent objects that patrons are seated on three
the opportunity to discuss mentioned in or implied by the sides. In this scenario, audience
the play’s content and style script. Sometimes the props members see the play from varying
with the performing artists are actual, sometimes they are viewpoints. A Noise Within features
and directors. You may manufactured in the theatre shop. a thrust stage.
wish to remind students to
observe the performance
carefully or to compile
questions ahead of time
so they are prepared to
participate in the discussion.
2 6 A NOISE WITHIN 2020/21 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2021 Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream

ABOUT A NOISE WITHIN

A NOISE WITHIN A Noise Within produces Study Guides
classic theatre as an essential means to enrich
our community by embracing universal human A Noise Within creates study guides in alignment
experiences, expanding personal awareness, and with core reading, listening, speaking, and
challenging individual perspectives. Our company performing arts standards to help educators prepare
of resident and guest artists performing in rotating their students for their visit to our theatre. Study
repertory immerses student and general audiences in guides are available at no extra cost to download
timeless, epic stories in an intimate setting. through our website: www.anoisewithin.org. The
information and activities outlined in these guides
Our most successful art asks our community to are designed to work in compliance with the
question beliefs, focus on relationships, and develop California VAPA standards, The Common Core, and
self-awareness. Southern California audiences of all 21st Century Learning Skills.
ages and backgrounds build community together
while engaging with this most visceral and primal Study guides include background information on
of storytelling techniques. ANW’s production of the plays and playwrights, historical context, textual
classic theatre includes all plays we believe will analysis, in-depth discussion of A Noise Within’s
be part of our cultural legacy. We interpret these artistic interpretation of the work, statements from
stories through the work of a professional resident directors and designers, as well as discussion points
company—a group of artists whose work is critical and suggested classroom activities. Guides from
to their community—based on the belief that trust past seasons are also available to download from
among artists and between artists and audience the website.
can only be built through an honest and continuing
dialogue. Our plays will be performed in rotating Study Guide Credits
repertory, sometimes simultaneously in multiple
spaces, and buttressed by meaningful supporting Alicia Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education Director and Editor
programs to create a symphonic theatrical
Anika Perera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Author
experience for artists and audience.
Rachael McNamara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dramaturg
In its 27-year history, A Noise Within has garnered
Craig Schwartz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Photography
over 500 awards and commendations, including the
Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle’s revered Polly Teresa English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphic Design
Warfield Award for Excellence and the coveted
Margaret Hartford Award for Sustained Excellence.

More than 45,000 individuals attend productions

at a Noise Within annually. In addition, the
theatre draws over 18,000 student participants
to its Education Program. Students benefit from
in-classroom workshops, conservatory training,
subsidized tickets to matinee and evening
performances, post-performance discussions with
artists, and free standards-based study guides.
Geoff Elliott & Julia Rodriguez-Elliott
Producing Artistic Directors

ADDRESS 3352 E Foothill Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91107
TEL 626.356.3100
FAX 626.356.3120
EMAIL info@anoisewithin.org
WEB anoisewithin.org