AMND+Questions

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

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? 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?
 * Hippolyta says that the days will pass and slowly grow closer at night. But Theses thinks the days pass way to slow for him. He wants it to be really fast.**
 * Egeus wants his daughter to marry Demetrius but she loves Lysander. And Egeus wants Theseus to say that she marries Demetrius or her father will kill her.**
 * They were supposed to obey there fathers rules and get married to who ever there father wanted them to marry.**
 * Lysander says that Demetrius isn't really in love because he loved a different girl a week ago. And then suddenly he is in love with Hermia.**
 * They are going to run away in the night to Lysander's Aunts house. They tell Helena because she is sad and they are her friends.**
 * She hopes that Demetrius will be so happy that he will fall back in love with her. And forget about Hermia.**
 * Hermia can either marry Demetrius, go to a nunary, or die. Lysander suggested that they run away to his aunts house which is outside of town.**
 * Nick Bottom wants to play all the parts because he thinks he is the best actor. He wants to be the star of the play.**
 * It's kind of funny because Nick bottom thinks he is so good at everything. But really he is a bad actor. It's just funny watching him try to do everything.**
 * The actors are meeting in the forest to practice. Hermia and Lysander are going into the forest on the same night.**
 * Bottom thinks he is a very good actor and he is better than everyone. But he isn't a very good actor at all. He has a really big ego.**


 * Podcast Assignment- A Midsummer Night's Dream**
 * Morgan & Ross**

media type="file" key="Act 1.m4a" width="300" height="50"

12. 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? 13. How have Oberon and Titania been involved in the past with Theseus and Hippolyta; why have they come to Athens? 14. What effect has their quarrel had on nature, on the seasons, on humans? 15. Why won’t Titania give up the changeling to Oberon? 16. What does Oberon send Puck to find? 17. What are Oberon’s plans for Titania? 18. How does Helena react to Demetrius’s verbal abuse? 19. What is her response to his threats of physical abuse? 20. In what way is Helena’s behaviour inappropriate for Athenian women? 21. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about Demetrius and Helena? Act II, Scene 2 22. Why does Oberon want Titania to wake and fall in love with some vile thing? 23. Why does Hermia insist Lysander sleep a little ways from her? 24. Why does Puck anoint Lysander’s eyes? 25. How does Helena react to Lysander’s sudden love for her when he awakens? 26. How is Hermia’s dream a reflection of reality
 * Oberon and Titania are married. But they don't live with each other and they fight all the time. They are always accusing of each other of not being truthful.**
 * Oberon and Titania accuse each other of cheating with theseus and Hippolyta. Oberon thinks Titania is cheating with Theseus. And Titania thinks that Oberon had an affair with Hippolyta.**
 * Whenever Oberon and Titania fight bad things happen around the world. Things like natural disasters like earth quakes and floods.**
 * Titania doesn't want to give up the child because his mom was one of Titania's servants. And she wants to stay loyal to her even though she is dead by taking care and raising her son. And oberon wants to make him into a warrior.**
 * Oberon sends Puck to find the flower that cupid shot with an arrow. Because it is a love juice that can make someone love anyone.**
 * Oberon plans to put this love juice in her eyes while she is sleeping. And then when she wakes up she will fall in love with whatever she sees first. He hopes it will be a cruel beast.**
 * Helena doesn't take offense to any thing he says. She always has something to say. She says him hating her just makes her love stronger for him.**
 * When he threatens Helena about being alone in the forests and it could be dangerous. She says that she isn't alone because when she looks at him she sees the world. So the whole world is there with her.**
 * The way Helena is acting isn't very appropriate because she is being wild and chasing a man around. She is all dirty running through the forest. Which wasn't very appropriate for an Athenian woman.**
 * Oberon tells Puck to go get the love juice and put in in Demetrius's eyes. And to make sure Helena was there so when he woke up she would be the first person he say. And than he would fll in love with Helena because he was being a jerk.**
 * Oberon wants Titania to wake and fall in love with a beast because she didn't give him the child. Oberon wants the child so bad because it makes him jealous.**
 * Hermia doesn't want to get into anything with Lysander because they are still not married. And she doesn't want to get any bad reputation or anything like that.**
 * Puck thinks that Lysander is Demetrius so he put the love juice in his eye. Because he was told he was wearing athenian cloths. And Lysander had put on a sort of robe thing to sleep in. so puck thought this was the right guy.**
 * Helena is shocked. She thinks it is a cruel joke and that he is being mean to her.**
 * Hermia's dream is kind of realistic because the dream was she had her heart eaten out and Lysander sat there and laughed. And he is in love with Helena now so Hermia's heart will be broken. And Lysander wont care because he loves Helena.**

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?
 * The actors are going to make a prologue to tell people there not really killing themselves.**
 * There is going to be a moon on the same day as the play so they'll just open a window. And there going to get a man to play the wall and just stand there.**
 * The actors are frightened when bottoms shows up because he has a ass head. And they all think he is a monster.**
 * He is going to follow them around through bogs and bush's.**
 * He is kind of shocked but he likes all the attention from the fairies.**
 * Because Lysander and Demetrius just fell in love with Helena because they had the love juice which has no reasoning at all.**

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.**
 * Puck is going to go put the love juice in Lysander's eyes and have him love Hermia again.**
 * Helena does want Demetrius to love her, but she thinks that he is just playing a joke on her and he is trying to hurt her.**
 * Helena accuses her of being low and be meen because she thinks that Hermia is playing a cruel joke on her.**
 * Helena and Hermia had been close friends before everything happened.**
 * Lysander tells her that he hates her and doesn't care about her at all, and that he loves Helena. She cant believe this because just hours ago they were in love with each other.**
 * Hermia accuses Helena of stealing Lysanders heart from her.**
 * Helena is afraid of Hermia because she is viscous and she might hurt her. Hermia threatened to scratch her eyes out.**
 * Lysander and Demetrius are going off to fight.**
 * Oberon tells the Puck to separate the men and get them so tired they fall asleep.**
 * Oberon is going to go and try to get the Indian boy from Titania**
 * Oberon still as power during the day unlike the other fairies so t doesn't matter to him.**
 * He makes the men run in different directions then they both fall asleep.**

==== **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.** ====

**- Titania falls in love with bottom because she woke up to his singing** **- Titania's fairies are introduced to Bottom.** **- Puck tells Oberon that Titania is in love with an ass** **- Hermia and Demetrius show up and Hermia accuses him of killing Lysander** **- Demetrius falls asleep, and puck puts the love juice in his eye** **- Lysander and Helena show up and Lysander is in love with Helena** **- Demetrius awakes and falls in love with Helena** **- Lysander and Demtrius fight over Helena** **- Hermia accuses Helena of stealing Lysanders heart.** **- Lysander tells Hermia that he doesn't love her and he loves Helena.** **- Demetrius and Lysander decide to fight for Helena.** **- Puck confuses them and they fall asleep** **- Puck puts the love juice in Lysander's eyes**

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? 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?
 * Bottom adjusted nicely to all the attention. He tells the fairies to scratch his head and get him hay.**
 * Oberon is kind of uneasy and regretful of making Titania love an ass. He doesn't really want his wife to love an ass.**
 * When Hippolyta asked Theseus about what happened he changed the subject right away. And then when she asked him again he told puck to put some music on. He just totally avoided the question.**
 * They are out on the hound hunt before the wedding day. because its traditional.**
 * He thinks they wanted to come out early and join in the celebration.**
 * Demetrius says that his love for Hermia melted like snow. And that he now loves Helena. He said "like a sickness, I do loathe this food"**
 * Theseus decides to bring them all back and they will all get married on the same day.**
 * They think there still dreaming because they don't believe that Theseus would invite them all to the castle.**
 * He wants Quince to write a play about the dream he had.**
 * Now that Bottom is lost the actors are all praising Bottom of his talent and of how good of an actor he is.**
 * They all regret losing the money, but they mostly feel bad for Bottom. They said that he would lose sixpense a day.**
 * They need to get to the palace fast because the Duke is dining and they wont have much time to get there.**

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? ==== ====**Bottom loves attention and he is very loud and cocky. I think Bottom isn't a very happy man because I think his relationship with his wife isn't very good. This causes him to try to cover up his problems by being cocky and obnoxious. I don't think he enjoys life and not having a lot of money. He is the opposite of Theseus because he doesn't have money or power and Theseus is king. Theseus doesn't seem like he wants a lot of attention. While all Bottom wants is to have attention and be he star of everything.**==== ==== b) How do most of the dreamers respond to the dream experience upon waking? Which character is changed permanently by the dream experience? ==== ====**Most of the people think that they were still dreaming when they woke up because it was such a crazy incident. They finally realized it was real when they all said they had the same dream. Demetrius is the only one who will really be impacted by this incident because he loved Hermia and wanted to marry her. And now he is in love with Helena because of the love juice. So he will always love Helena unless Oberon puts the antidote 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? ====
 * In this play SHakespeare is trying to say that love is sometimes a rough ride. And there is always difficulties with it. But if you really love someone it will always work out. Like how Lysander loved Hermia but the love juice made there love difficult. But in the end it was all ok and Hermia and Lysander are together. Also Helena loved Demetrius but he didn't love her. There love isn't really true love because Demetrius doesn't love Helena but the love juice made him love Helena. **

==== Act 4 Podcast: Bottom decides to commission Peter Quince to write a ballad called “Bottom’s Dream.” On your own or with a partner, imagine that you have been asked to write the lyrics and compose the musical accompaniment. Remember that at the beginning of act 4, Bottom told the fairies that he likes to listen to the “tongs and bones” (act 4, scene 1, line 30). Tongs were pieces of metal struck against each other and bones were actual bones. These instruments were used in comical or in less sophisticated musical performances. Write the poetry for the ballad ( a minimum of 2 stanzas, 4 lines each), then put it to music! ====

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Act V

56. Why does Theseus dismiss the stories of the four young people?


 * Theseus believes that the young people are just in love and so happy right now that they are kind of going mad. Just seeing things about what happened.**

57. Why does Theseus choose to see the play about Pyramus and Thisby rather than the other entertainments?


 * The other plays that there were he already saw or thought that they wouldn't be appropriate for there wedding. And Pyramus and Thisby was a love story so he thought it would be good for a wedding.**

58. Why does Philostrate try to keep Theseus from seeing the play? What does he say is wrong with it?


 * He says that the actors are really bad and they have no idea what they are doing.**

59. What does Theseus mean by the lines, "For never anything can be amiss, when simpleness and duty tender it"?


 * He means that even if it's bad they put there heart into it and tried really hard. If they do that it doesn't matter how good they are.**

60. What is accomplished by having the Prologue tell the whole story that the actors are then going to enact?


 * The prologue tells the audience that no one is going to get hurt and don't be frightened because it's just a play.**

61. How does Shakespeare use comments from the audience to enhance the humour of the play that they are watching?


 * The audience mimics them after something funny or stupid that is said.**

62. What is Hippolyta’s reaction to the play?


 * Hippolyta thought the play was sort of silly and not very serious because the actors were so bad. But by the end she kind of changed her mind about it.**

63. In what way is Thisby’s final speech humorous?


 * It is kind of humorous because she took off her wig and it was a man and he looked really funny in the woman's costume.**

64. What does Oberon tell the fairies to do?


 * Oberon tells the fairies to put some music on so him and Titania could dance.**

65. What is the purpose of Puck’s final speech?


 * Puck's final speech shows how he made a mistake but it was all good and him sweeping up resembled him sweeping up the mistakes he made. But because he's a fairy he was able to fix it.**

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 **"For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering, gleams"**

breaking the play’s illusion of reality
 * "No, in truth sir, he should not. "deceiving me" is Thisbe's cue. **

using the wrong word or name
 * "I can hear my Thisbe's face.**

repeating a word excessively
 * On page 88 stanza 4 the word "O" is said 10 times in one paragraph.**

ridiculous metaphor


 * "monstrous mouse" because mice aren't big and strong there small and week.**

=== 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? === The audience made jokes and mimic the actors while they are doing the play. While they did this it kind of made the play a little bit more silly and not as serious. But when Thisbe was about to kill herself the whole play changed. It was more sad and serious because the actors were relating to the audience. The audience felt touched by that part of 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? === In the Simpson's Homer is kind of the stupid guy who is really funny. He makes the whole show. In Spongebob, Patrick the star fish is dumb and every one thinks he is really funny. === 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? === This play is appropriate because it's about lovers who love each other so much that they would die for each other. Which is a good story line for a wedding play. But the fact that they kill themselves and there is no happy ending is kind of sad. This part of the play doesn't really give people good thoughts at a wedding. The young lovers all went through problems to get to were they are now, just like in the play. It's Ironic because in the play were there is usually a happy ending the characters die. But in real life the lovers all get married and live good lives.