A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare around 1595, is about the events that take place in the woods near Athens on midsummers night. The story consists of four different plots th at are all intertwined with each other throug hout the play. These include two love stories between Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, as well as a pair of noblemen who wish to marry Titania.
1. What does Shakespeare accomplish by setting most of the action at night and in the wood?
Shakespeare accomplishes the setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at night and in the wood because it is more comedic. The confusion adds to the comedy, as well as all the time spent finding each other, running away from one another, etc… A lot of it can relate to Shakespeare’s life after he got married and had kids. A lot of his plays are about love, which he later became very good at playing the loving husband and father.
2. What role does Bottom play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Bottom is a weaver who gets turned into a donkey while A Midsummer Night’s Dream is playing in the woods. A donkey isn’t a specific animal, but rather means it is an ass, which means stupid and dumb. Bottom puts on a play to Shakespeare’s friends at their house in A Midsummer Night’s Dream after they decide not to use his play. A donkey wearing a lion’s skin is played by Quince, who is one of the guys putting on A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the woods with Shakespeare, who plays Lion King.
3. What characteristics are particular to A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a comedy?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy because A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends happily, but there are always obstacles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream , so Shakespeare adds to the funny by making them fail at times. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has a lot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream have mistaken identities, which can be funny to Shakespeare and his audience. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also a comedy because Bottom has a donkey head for half A Midsummer Night’s Dream , so he is very clumsy looking, but Quince thinks he is a lion, which makes A Midsummer Night’s Dream even funnier.
4. Who are the main characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
The main characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are Theseus and Hippolyta, who are husband and wife; Hermia, Lysander, and Helena, who are friends but Hermia loves Lysander; Demetrius, who also loves Hermia; A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy because A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends happily. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has mistaken identities that can be funny to Shakespeare and his audience. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also a comedy because Bottom has a donkey head for half A Midsummer Night’s Dream , so he is very clumsy looking, but Quince thinks he is a lion, which makes A Midsummer Night’s Dream even funnier.
A final plot features mischievous fairy folk under the spell of Oberon’s magic flower. All four plots are resolved by dint of various characters disguising themselves or being disguised by others so as to gain an advantage. A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains many elements that were borrowed from other contemporary writers, including Christopher Marlowe and even the medieval epic poem, Arthur.
Summary of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, featuring character descriptions and analysis. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most enduringly popular plays. A comedy about young love, it features some of his best-known lyrical passages and has been translated into many languages. A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows the story of four lovers whose lives are complicated by magical forces beyond their control. Plot Summary
A group of people in Athens find themselves on a forested hillside near Athens on May night, where they witness the mischief caused by fairies under the rule of Oberon (King of Fairies) and Titania (Queen Fairies). A young man named Egeus, who has one daughter named Hermia, insists that she should marry Demetrius, whom she does not love. A man named Lysander is in love with Hermia and the two men end up competing for her hand in marriage. A quarrel breaks out between them when they are found by Egeus, who demands that his daughter marries Demetrius.
A group of artisans called “the mechanicals” are preparing to perform a play about Pyramus and Thisbe for the Duke’s wedding celebration. A group of amateur actors decide to join in their play: Theseus (Duke of Athens), Hippolyta (Queen of the Amazons), and other go off into the forest to rehearse their lines. A boy, Peter Quince, decides that this would be the perfect time for his troupe of amateur actors to perform their play “The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe” in honor of the Duke’s marriage.
The young lovers and the artisans get lost in a forest and stumble upon various magical creatures: A group of fairies who have been quarreling over a changeling child which Oberon and Titania each wish to adopt. Because Oberon has switched the human child with an ass-headed Bottom (one of the weavers), he is wearing an ass’ head while Titania is holding him captive until she agrees to give up the child.
A group of amateur actors are rehearsing their play when Bottom wakes up, causing them to run off in fear. They soon meet Titania, who is charmed by Bottom’s manner and looks and gives him a kiss of love (which results in his transformation back into human form). A group of fairies carrying torches dance around Titania and Bottom and spread magical fairy dust on them (with Puck) which makes people fall in love with whomever they see next.
Puck takes some of this magic liquid and puts it into Lysander’s eyes while he is sleeping; then places some on Demetrius’ eyelids; then hides underneath Hermia’s feet so that she will wake up madly in love with Lysander. A confused and upset Hermia starts to run off and is drawn in the same direction as Lysander and Demetrius, following her beloved into the woods. A group of fairies catches up with them and throws more magic dust on the young lovers so that no matter which way they turn or where they go, they will be drawn to each other.
Eventually, all four wander into the forest together but none of them realize it due to their enchanted state of mind. Meanwhile, Oberon discovers that Titania has not honored her promise that she would give up the changeling child if he sprinkled Puck’s magic flower juice on her eyelids while she slept; instead she did the opposite by sprinkling some on his eyelids so that he now finds himself madly in love with the ass-headed man, thinking that he is a beautiful woman.
A group of artisans enter with Bottom who has just woken up from his dream and discovers that the head of an ass is stuck to his shoulders; he rips it off, throws it aside and decides to go home. A group of amateur actors enters next; they are still dressed as fairies, carrying their torches and singing songs (they were practising for the Duke’s wedding celebration). A group of fairy spirits suddenly appear before them and chase away all except Lysander and Demetrius.