A+MidSummer+Nights+Dream

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Act I, Scene 1 1. How is Hippolyta’s reasoning concerning how quickly the next four days will pass different from that of Theseus? 2. Why has Egeus brought his daughter and her two suitors to Theseus? What does Egeus expect him to do? 3. What was the proper role for women/daughters in Athenian society according to Egeus and Theseus? What is Theseus’s ruling concerning Hermia? 4. How does Lysander’s comment about Demetrius’s previous love affair with Helena complicate things? 5. What do Lysander and Hermia plan to do about this seemingly impossible situation? Why do they tell Helena? 6. Even though Helena loves Demetrius and is Hermia’s best friend, why does she decide to tell Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander’s plans? 7. Identify Hermia’s basic dilemma. What are the choices outlined for her by Theseus and her father? What other choice does Lysander suggest?
 * She thinks that the 4 days are going to pass quickly, but Theseus' response is that it will be very slow.**
 * He wants Theseus' to convince his daughter that she has to listen to her father or else that he has to kill her.**
 * According to Egeus and Theseus women/daughters in Athenian society must listen to here fathers or husbands or they'll be punished in Hermias case killed if she doesn't marry Demetrius; but Theseus suggests that she could go to a nunnery if she doesn't want to marry him as another choice.**
 * It complicates things because it makes Demetrius seem like he switches his affection for another woman and isn't faithful.**
 * They plan to elope to Lysander's aunt's house to marry. They tell Helena because they hope she can try to make Demetrius fall in love with her once they're gone.**
 * She decides to tell him because she thinks for some odd reason that if she tells him about their plans he might fall in love with her again.**
 * Hermia's dilemma is that she can either marry Demetruis or die but Theseus goves her another choice of joining a nunnery. Lysander, however also gives her another choice of eloping with him.**

Act I, Scene 2 8. Why does Nick Bottom want to play all the parts? 9. In what way is this scene funny? Why do you suppose Shakespeare included this scene? 10. Where are the actors to meet the following night? Who else is meeting there at the same time? 11. How would you describe Bottom’s acting ability? What is Bottom’s own opinion of his acting ability?
 * He wants to play all the parts because he thinks that he is just that good.**
 * They weren't allowed to have girls on the stage, so it was played by all guys and they all had to do the girl scenes.**
 * In the forest. Lysander and Hermia will also be meeting there.**
 * I would say that his acting skill is quite good but it seems that he is a little too full of himself. I'd say that Bottom thinks his acting is the best and therefore he could play all the parts with one hand behind his back.**

Act II, Scene 1

10. What does the reader find out about the current relationship between Oberon, King of the Fairies, and Titania, Queen of the Fairies, from Puck and the first fairy? 11. How have Oberon and Titania been involved in the past with Theseus and Hippolyta; why have they come to Athens? The past between the four of them is that Oberon liked Hippolyta and Titania liked Theseus. They've come to athens to see the wedding ceremony of Theseus and Hippolyta. 12. What effect has their quarrel had on nature, on the seasons, on humans? 13. Why won’t Titania give up the changeling to Oberon? 14. What does Oberon send Puck to find? 15. What are Oberon’s plans for Titania? 16. How does Helena react to Demetrius’s verbal abuse? 17. What is her response to his threats of physical abuse? 18. In what way is Helena’s behaviour inappropriate for Athenian women? 19. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about Demetrius and Helena?
 * The reader finds out that every time they meet they always argue.**
 * It created storms and other bad weather affects.**
 * She won't give up the changeling to Oberon because the changelings mother was one of her fairies and she died, so Titania feels compelled to take care of the changeling.**
 * He sends puck to find a flower that cupids arrow struck.**
 * His plans for her is to make her fall in love with an animal or something strange so it will embarrass her.**
 * She reacts like it doesn't even bother her and says that she loves him.**
 * Her response is that she doesn't feel like he would do such a thing.**
 * It's inappropriate because the women are the ones that should be wooed but she is doing the exact opposite.**
 * He tells puck to anoint the athenian mans eyes because he isn't returning her feelings.**

Act II, Scene 2 20. Why does Oberon want Titania to wake and fall in love with some vile thing? 21. Why does Hermia insist Lysander sleep a little ways from her? 22. Why does Puck anoint Lysander’s eyes? 23. How does Helena react to Lysander’s sudden love for her when he awakens? 24. How is Hermia’s dream a reflection of reality?
 * Oberon wants to make Titania fall in love with a vile thing because it would make her seem like she's in a bad dream that she can't wake up from.**
 * Hermia insists because they aren't married yet.**
 * Puck anoints Lysander's eyes because he thought that he was the man his master, Oberon, talked about.**
 * She reacts to it by thinking that he is making fun of her.**
 * It was a reflection of reality because lysander left after Helena and doesn't like her anymore.**

Act III, Scene 1 25. How are the actors going to keep from scaring the ladies when Pyramus kills himself or when the lion roars? 26. How are the actors going to manage the setting/scenery such as the moonlight and the wall? 27. Why do the rest of the actors run off when Bottom reappears? 28. What does Puck plan to do when he follows after the other actors? 29. How does Bottom react to Titania and the other fairies? 30. Bottom says, "…reason and love keep little company together nowadays." Why is this such an apt statement at this point in the play?
 * They're planning to have prologues.**
 * For the moonlight they might have a person dressed up to represent the moon or let the moonlight shine in throught the window. For the wall they're definitely having a person as a wall.**
 * They run away because they're scared that Bottom suddenly has a head of and ass(donkey).**
 * He plans to chase them around more and scare them by turning into various things.**
 * He reacts by enjoying all the attention and makes jokes.**
 * It's because that Titania fell in love with him for no reason and Lysander and Demetrius as well fell in love with Helena for no reason and everything is kind of messed up now.**

Act III, Scene 2 31. What does Hermia accuse Demetrius of doing? 32. How are Puck and Oberon going to correct Puck’s earlier mistake? 33. Why is Helena upset when Demetrius says he loves her? Isn’t this what she had wanted all along? 34. Of what does Helena accuse Hermia? 35. How close had Hermia and Helena been in the past? 36. How does Lysander treat Hermia? Why can’t she believe what he says? 37. Of what does Hermia accuse Helena? 38. Why is Helena afraid of Hermia? 39. What are Lysander and Demetrius going off to do? 40. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about the two young men? 41. What is Oberon going to do about Titania? 42. Why doesn’t Oberon fear the coming of day? 43. How well does Puck’s trickery work?
 * Hermia accuses Demetrius of killing Lysander behind her back.**
 * They're going to anoint Demetrius' eyes instead and put an antidote into Lysander's eyes.**
 * She's upset because she thinks they're all making fun of her because it isn't probable that people that didn't like her very much suddenly fall in love with her.**
 * She accuses her of bering in on the joke and make fun her too.**
 * Very close, at least close enough to share their secrets.**
 * Lysander treats Hermia very rudely and she can't believe what he's saying because he was in love with her a few hours ago.**
 * She accuses Helena of stealing Lysander's heart.**
 * Helena is afraid because she knows Hermia can beat her in a fight.**
 * They went off to fight to the death for Helena.**
 * He tells him to lead them on a merry chase and wear them down.**
 * He's going to give her the antidote and anoint her eyes with it and show her it wasn't a dream that she fell in love with a guy with a donkey head.**
 * He doesn't fear the coming of day because he can still use his powers during the day.**
 * Puck's illusions works quite well he managed to deceive both Lysander and Demetrius and tiring them without making them confront each other and fighting.**

Review Question: The climax, or turning point, of //A Midsummer Night’s Dream// comes at the end of Act 3. In point form describe the major plot points of Act Three starting from when Titania falls in love with Bottom leading to the climax or turning point of the play near the end of act three.
 * 1 )The actors meet in the forest to rehearse their play, to be found (and mocked) by puck.**


 * 2) Puck turns Bottom's head into that of an asses. the actors flee, and Bottom is left on his own**


 * 3) Titania awakes and is instantly attracted to Bottom through Oberon's spell, leading him off to pamper and delight in his presence.**


 * 4) Upon observing the four lovers, Puck and Oberon realize they have made a mistake. The lovers meet, confused and angry at one another**


 * 5) The lovers are at each other's throats, fighting over one another and accusing each other of deceit and betrayal.**


 * 6) Puck and Oberon step in to separate the lovers so that they may do no more harm, then anoint Lysander's eyes so that he may fall in love with Hermia once more.**
 * (According to them, that is the way things should be).**


 * 7) The Lovers fall asleep from weariness and exhaustion, not realizing that they are sleeping near one another.**

Act IV, Scene 1 44. How has Bottom adjusted to the attention of Titania and her fairies? 45. What is Oberon’s reaction to Titania’s infatuation with Bottom? 46. What sort of explanation will Oberon make to Titania’s question about what happened to her? 47. Why are Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus, and the others out in the woods so early in the morning? 48. What is Theseus’s first explanation of why the young people are asleep in the woods? 49. What explanation does Demetrius make? Why does he compare his love for Hermia to an illness? 50. What is Theseus’s decision concerning the four young people? 51. Why can’t the young people be sure whether they are awake or dreaming? 52. Bottom believes he too has had a dream. How is he going to use that to entertain the Duke?
 * He is well adjusted now because he wasn't as awkward when making jokes with them now and regained some of his former banter before turning into a donkey.**
 * His reaction is that he feels sorry for Titania for making her fall in love with an ass.**
 * He didn't give an explanation and just avoided the question.**
 * They were on a fox hunt.**
 * His first explanation is that they were there to congratulate them because he and Hippolyta were marrying on that day.**
 * He makes an explanation that says he doesn't love Hermia anymore but loves Helena instead. He compares Hermia to a illness because when you're sick you don't like eating the food you've always eaten you would want some thing different but when you healthy again you're fine with eating that food.**
 * His decision is that they all be wedded that day along with him and Hippolyta.**
 * They can't be sure because everything that happened in the past night seemed so absurd so they can't be sure if they were in reality.**
 * He is going to sing it in a ballad in the middle of the play.**

Act IV, Scene 2 53. What opinion do the other artisans now have of Bottom since they think he is lost? 54. What do they most regret losing by not being able to perform the play? 55. Why must the artisans hurry to the Duke’s palace?
 * They think he is a paragon now,**
 * They most regret not making any money from the play because they can't preform without Bottom.**
 * They must hurry because the time they must preform is drawing close.**

Extending the thought process.
==== a) The fourth act opens and ends with Bottom at center stage. What is your opinion of Bottom’s character? How might he be the antithesis, or opposite, of Theseus’s character? ====

**My opinion on Bottom is that he is full of himself and cares mostly for himself while Theseus is thinking about how Hippolyta is feeling while she is in the scene with him.**
==== b) How do most of the dreamers respond to the dream experience upon waking? Which character is changed permanently by the dream experience? ==== ====**They respond by thinking it was all a dream. The one that permanently changed was probably Demetrius because he is stuck loving Helena and won't stop because of the flower's juice that was anointed in his eyes.**==== ==== c) In this act, several characters look back at prior infatuations with disbelief. What do you think Shakespeare is saying about love and infatuation? ====
 * He is probably saying that people can easily fall out of love as they fall in love, and probably love can be infinite if you want it to be. **

Act V 56. Why does Theseus dismiss the stories of the four young people? 57. Why does Theseus choose to see the play about Pyramus and Thisby rather than the other entertainments? 58. Why does Philostrate try to keep Theseus from seeing the play? What does he say is wrong with it? 59. What does Theseus mean by the lines, "For never anything can be amiss, when simpleness and duty tender it"? 60. What is accomplished by having the Prologue tell the whole story that the actors are then going to enact? 61. How does Shakespeare use comments from the audience to enhance the humour of the play that they are watching? 62. What is Hippolyta’s reaction to the play? 63. In what way is Thisby’s final speech humorous? 64. What does Oberon tell the fairies to do? 65. What is the purpose of Puck’s final speech?
 * He dismisses it because it doesn't seem real.**
 * He chose to see it because it intrigued him.**
 * He tried to keep him from seeing the play because it was terrible, he says they made him cry nut not of sadness but of how bad it was because it was so bad it made him laugh until he cried.**
 * He means that ass long as they preform from the heart and try to make the performance good it will be fine.**
 * The thing that was accomplished is that they know what to expect and it won't be as enjoyable because you would have no use for a epilogue if the whole story is told in the beginning.**
 * It enhanced the humour of the play by pointing our their faults and what could have been better.**
 * Her reaction to it was she didn't like how Pyramus acted nut it was very interesting how they did the play.**
 * It was humorous in a way because when Hermia woke up in the forest alone in the end of act two she said almost those exact words.**
 * He tells the fairies to bless the lovers and the house then go back to him by daybreak.**
 * The purpose of it was to say if you didn't like it you could only think of it as a dream.**

Extending the thought process:
FInd at least one example of each of the following that occurs during the play within the play. Write down the quote that illustrates example. excessive alliteration: **"** **Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade, ** breaking the play’s illusion of reality : **"** **No, in truth, sir, he should not. 'Deceiving me' ** using the wrong word or name: **"Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true."** repeating a word excessively: **"** **O night with hue so black! ** ridiculous metaphor:" ** To spy and I can hear my thisbe's face ** "
 * He bravely broach'd is boiling bloody breast;" **
 * 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." **
 * O night, which ever art when day is not! **
 * O night, O night! alack, alack, alack" **

=== a) In reading the play-within-a-play, we become the audience for the drama played out by Theseus, Hippolyta, and the others. These performers, in turn, form the audience for the reenactment of Pyramus and Thisbe. How does observing another audience help you understand the relationship between audience and performers? === It helps you understand a bit by seeing that the audience is quite perceptive to certain things and can criticize the play better then you can when you're in the play.

=== b) Modern television shows often create comic effects by having a silly, innocent, or “clueless” character and a sarcastic, knowing, clever character play off of each other. What examples can you think of? === Some iconic examples of comic television shows that have "clueless" and "all-knowing characters playing off each other might be things the The Simpsons or Monty Python, where there will almost always be one laughable character who is either exploited or shunned by the more "intelligent" characters.

=== c) Identify ways in which Pyramus and Thisbe might be unsuitable for a wedding celebration. Are there any ways in which the play might be appropriate? In what ways is the play-within-a-play an ironic commentary on what the two pairs of young lovers (Demetrius and Helena, Lysander and Hermia) have gone through earlier? ===

I personally think that Pyramus and Thisbe are rather unsuitable for a formal wedding because of the inferences it makes on love and sacrifice, where both lover die before they can be married (a marriage is generally a celebration of the "joyous" time that a couple will have together for as long as possible). However, it does make a great play for a less formal wedding celebration when you consider that it emphasizes the almost unbreakable bond between true lovers, something that touches the heart of anybody in love. Even if the play is unsuitable for a wedding, it describes ironically the experiences that the young lovers have gone through, with perceived betrayal, restricting parents, an emphasis on the power of the night on people's desires and a look into the rather intangible concept of true love; whether it is a fragile, irrelevant concept or if it really has strong meaning.