A+Midsummer+Nights+Dream

media type="file" key="matthewact1.m4a" width="300" height="50" Act I 1. How is Hippolyta’s reasoning concerning how quickly the next four days will pass different from that of Theseus? Hippolyta believes that the four days will pass quickly, and that the wedding will be upon them quickly. Theseus, on the other hand thinks that the wait will last forever.

2. Why has Egeus brought his daughter and her two suitors to Theseus? What does Egeus expect him to do? Egeus brought them to show Theseus what the problem was. Egeus expects Theseus to allow him to kill Hermia

3. What was the proper role for women/daughters in Athenian society according to Egeus and Theseus? What is Theseus’s ruling concerning Hermia? To marry who their father wants them to marry, and to do so happily.

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? They decide to run away and get married. They tell Helena so that she can 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? Hermia's dilemma is that she must either marry a man she doesn't love, allow herself to be killed, or live in a nunnery for her whole live. The other choice, (the one Lysander suggested) is to run away with him and start a new life.

Act I, Scene 2 8. Why does Nick Bottom want to play all the parts? Because he believes himself to be a better actor than anyone else. 9. In what way is this scene funny? Why do you suppose Shakespeare included this scene? This scene is funny because Bottom is trying to get every part for himself and can't seem to decide on what part he wants. Shakespeare included this scene to poke fun at theatre and actors. 10. Where are the actors to meet the following night? Who else is meeting there at the same time? The palace wood, a mile outside the city. Incidentally, this is also where Hermia and Lysander are meeting. 11.How would you describe Bottom’s acting ability? What is Bottom’s own opinion of his acting ability? Bottom's acting is overly dramatic and insincere, and, not realizing this, he acts overly confident, approaching foppishness

Act II

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? That Titania has a changeling baby and Oberon wants it. Also, we learn that Titania and Oberon don't always get along, and that when the do, things go terribly wrong in the rest of the world 11. How have Oberon and Titania been involved in the past with Theseus and Hippolyta; why have they come to Athens? Oberon has had an affair with Hippolyta, and Titania has had an affair with Theseus 12. What effect has their quarrel had on nature, on the seasons, on humans? When they fight, they cause disasters like floods, famines, desease, and messed-up seasons 13. Why won’t Titania give up the changeling to Oberon? because the changeling is the son f one of her seasons 14. What does Oberon send Puck to find? the magical pansy, which will cause anyone who has it put on their eyes 15. What are Oberon’s plans for Titania? to put the juice of the pansy on her eyes, in the hope that she will wake up when some disgusting creature is nearby. 16. How does Helena react to Demetrius’s verbal abuse? Every time that Demetrius tries to threaten or insult her, she turns it around and makes it seem like she is flattered by it. 17. What is her response to his threats of physical abuse? that the more he hits her the more she'll love him 18. In what way is Helena’s behaviour inappropriate for Athenian women? Athenian women are supposed to obey men, and are definitely NOT supposed to follow them into the woods 19. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about Demetrius and Helena? To put the juice form the flower into Demetrius' eyes so that he will fall in love with Helena

Act II, Scene 2 20. Why does Oberon want Titania to wake and fall in love with some vile thing? So that she will be distracted, and will not notice him taking the changeling boy. As an added bonus, he will get to see her kissing some "vile creature" which will cause him no end of amusement 21. Why does Hermia insist Lysander sleep a little ways from her? Because as they are not yet married, it would be "improper" for them to sleep together 22. Why does Puck anoint Lysander’s eyes? Because he confused Lysander with Demetrius, because he was sleeping away from Hermia 23. How does Helena react to Lysander’s sudden love for her when he awakens? She thinks that he is mocking her 24. How is Hermia’s dream a reflection of reality? She dreams that a snake rips her heart out, and this reflects reality because a snake (Puck) has made Lysander fall in love with Helena instead of Hermia

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? By explaining that they are not in fact lions or suicidal men, but actors. 26. How are the actors going to manage the setting/scenery such as the moonlight and the wall? they will have a lantern for the moon, and one of their actors will cover himself with plaste and stannd like a wall. 27. Why do the rest of the actors run off when Bottom reappears? Because he had the head of a donkey 28. What does Puck plan to do when he follows after the other actors? to have a bit more fun 29. How does Bottom react to Titania and the other fairies? He he treats them courteously, and hardly seems surprised at all 30. Bottom says, "…reason and love keep little company together nowadays." Why is this such an apt statement at this point in the play? Because the pansy makes people fall in love with whatever they see, and quite often what they end up loving is something which they would never reasonable love.

Act III, Scene 2 31. What does Hermia accuse Demetrius of doing? Pretending to love her to mock her as a cruel joke. 32. How are Puck and Oberon going to correct Puck’s earlier mistake? By anointing the eyes of the right couples with the pansy juice. 33. Why is Helena upset when Demetrius says he loves her? Isn’t this what she had wanted all along? Because she believes that he is in on the joke as well. 34. Of what does Helena accuse Hermia? Of also bing in on the joke 35. How close had Hermia and Helena been in the past? Very much so 36. How does Lysander treat Hermia? Why can’t she believe what he says? He treats her as if he would do anything for her (which he would), when seconds before he seemed devoted to Helena 37. Of what does Hermia accuse Helena? Being in on the joke. 38. Why is Helena afraid of Hermia? 39. What are Lysander and Demetrius going off to do? Fight to the death 40. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about the two young men? To trick them into running away from each other so they don't fight 41. What is Oberon going to do about Titania? he is going to anoint her eyes again, 42. Why doesn’t Oberon fear the coming of day? becaus epuck can still finish their work. 43. How well does Puck’s trickery work? Perfectly. Act IV, Scene 1 44. How has Bottom adjusted to the attention of Titania and her fairies? He felt completely at home, and ordered them around constantly 45. What is Oberon’s reaction to Titania’s infatuation with Bottom? Jealousy and a bit of guilt, for putting her in that position. 46. What sort of explanation will Oberon make to Titania’s question about what happened to her? That she was dreaming. 47. Why are Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus, and the others out in the woods so early in the morning? to go up to the top of a mountain and watch the sun rise. 48. What is Theseus’s first explanation of why the young people are asleep in the woods? To "observe the rite of may" 49. What explanation does Demetrius make? Why does he compare his love for Hermia to an illness? He says that he was wrong in loving Hermia and much prefers Helena. He says that his love for Hermia was an illness, which he had recovered from 50. What is Theseus’s decision concerning the four young people? that they can all marry who they want to marry, and that they will have a triple wedding at the dukes castle 51. Why can’t the young people be sure whether they are awake or dreaming? because everything that happened the night before now feels like a dream, even though at the time it felt real 52. Bottom believes he too has had a dream. How is he going to use that to entertain the Duke? by having one of his friends write a song; entitled "bottom's dream" Act IV, Scene 2 53. What opinion do the other artisans now have of Bottom since they think he is lost? they remember him as being much better (at everything) than he actually was. 54. What do they most regret losing by not being able to perform the play? their lives (possibly), if they cant perform. 55. Why must the artisans hurry to the Duke’s palace? So that they will be there in time to perform.

Act V 56. Why does Theseus dismiss the stories of the four young people? Because they seem fanciful and unrealistic. 57. Why does Theseus choose to see the play about Pyramus and Thisby rather than the other entertainments? Because he thought that the play by the workers would be the most down-to-earth and honest. 58. Why does Philostrate try to keep Theseus from seeing the play? What does he say is wrong with it? That it will be bad, simply //because// it's made by workers 59. What does Theseus mean by the lines, "For never anything can be amiss, when simpleness and duty tender it"? that the play can't really be //that// bad, so long as the actors are doing their honest best. 60. What is accomplished by having the Prologue tell the whole story that the actors are then going to enact? Making sure the women aren't scared by the (in the actor's opinion) amazingly acted, unbelievably realistic death scenes 61. How does Shakespeare use comments from the audience to enhance the humour of the play that they are watching? He mimics the mutterings of the elizibethan audience so tha theycan see what they look like 62. What is Hippolyta’s reaction to the play? She doesn't seem to take it seriously. 63. In what way is Thisby’s final speech humorous? She asks Pyramus if he's asleep even though he has a sword sticking out of his gut. 64. What does Oberon tell the fairies to do? To bless the couples with long and happy marriages. 65. What is the purpose of Puck’s final speech? To bring a definite end to the show, and also to apologize to anyone who mught have been offended. 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: when the lion addresses the audience directly (the quote is too long to put here) using the wrong word or name: " Since lion vile hath here deflower'd my dear" repeating a word excessively: " Now die, die, die, die, die." ridiculous metaphor: " O dainty duck! O dear!" ===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?===

**In Elizabethan theatre,** the audience heckled and mocked the actors constantly. including the main characters as the audience in this scene helps the audience relate to th main characters.
===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?===

===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?=== The play is unsuitable because it features the lovers dying, which is definitely NOT something you want talked about during a weding ceremony. The play might be appropriate in that it unwittingly parodies dying lovers, which may help with any anxiety the lovers may feel about death. Pyramus and Thisbe is an ironic commentary in that it shows (in a rather humorous way) what could have concievably happened in the woods.

Completion 8/10 Effort 6/10 Content710

total: 21/30

7/40 - 3 missing podcasts!