1. Print: iambic w/s; slide 8 & 13

2. A Midsummer’s
Night Dream
http://www.cambio.com/2011/10/03/a-midsummer-nights-dream/#

3. Anachronistic: something
that is out of harmony
with the period in which
The Basics it is placed
Believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596, it is unknown
exactly when A Midsummer Night's Dream was written or first performed,
but on the basis of topical references and the reference to courtiers being
afraid of a stage lion (this may allude to an incident in Scotland in August
1594), it is usually dated 1594 or 1596.
Some have theorised that the play might have been written for an
aristocratic wedding (for example that of Elizabeth Carey, Lady Berkeley),
while others suggest that it was written for the Queen to celebrate the
feast day of St. John. No concrete evidence exists to support this theory. In
any case, it would have been performed at The Theatre and, later, The
Globe.
Although notionally it is set in Athens, the play could almost be set in a
pastoral British environment. Many of Shakespeare’s comedies are set
abroad or in fictional realms. Some people believed this was helpful
because it prevented Shakespeare from upsetting anyone in Britain and
negated any censorship. Even though the play is set in Greece, it still
contains many images, words and ideas from British society of the time.
This can make some concepts anachronistic.
Like the model set in previous centuries. Shakespeare realised that the
best kind of comedy is generated by a series of mix-ups where disorder is
rife and life is turned upside down. All of his comedies look at the
foolishness of human beings.

4. Midsummer Day
June 24th is the Feast of the Nativity of St John the
Baptist. It falls only three days after the Summer
Solstice, the day on which the sun reaches its highest
glory, and thereafter begins to decline. Anciently, it was
a fire-festival of great importance when, through
countless centuries, the sun was ritually strengthened by
bonfires burning everywhere on Midsummer Eve, by
torchlight processions through the streets, or by flaming
tar-barrels.
Midsummer’s Eve, June 23rd, is believed to be the most
magical night of the year. It was believed that on
Midsummer Night that the fairies and witches held their
festival. To dream about Midsummer Night was to
conjure up images of fairies and witches and other
similar creatures and supernatural events.

5. Shakespeare’s Language
Because Shakespeare wrote nearly four hundred
years ago, some of the conventions that he uses
in his plays are unfamiliar to modern audiences.
Shakespeare's writing falls into three categories:
1) Rhyming Verse
2) Blank Verse
3) Prose
MSND is 80% verse, 20% prose. There are fairly
high incidents of rhyme, including deliberately
bad rhyme in ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’.

6. Shakespeare’s Language
1. RHYMING VERSE (“poetry” as we generally think of it):
There is a distinct rhythm, and the ends of sentences or
phrases rhyme (usually an exact rhyme, but sometimes
words are used that almost rhyme).
In general, comedies use rhyming verse throughout the
dialogue, and fairies and witches always use it to cast spells
or weave enchantments. When characters in a play speak
rhymes they do it to emphasize what they're saying, to
reflect the language of love or to make the speech light-
hearted or comic.
Romeo: If I profane with my unworthy hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this—
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

7. Shakespeare’s Language
2. BLANK VERSE:
Lines written in a poetic meter but the ends of sentences or
phrases do not rhyme.
Shakespeare's blank verse is usually in iambic pentameter;
which means that there are five measures (pentameters)
and two syllables within each measure, with the accent (or
emphasis) placed on the second syllable. [Note: "penta"
means "five" and "meter" means measure; iambic refers to
where the accent is placed]. Thus, there are generally 10
syllables to a Shakespearean line of blank verse; this is
considered "regular". It is important to realize that
“iambic” is the natural rhythm of the English language. If
you are a native English speaker, you will automatically
emphasize every second syllable.
‘I think I’d like to have a cup of tea.’ Is this the sort of thing we
say every day? Write it out in the same way as the examples on
the previous page. Is it iambic pentameter?

8. Shakespeare’s Language
The placement of punctuation, choice of words, the sound of words (harsh
consonant sounds vs. soft vowel sounds), help keep regular blank verse
lines from sounding alike.
All of the lines below have ten syllables, with the accent on the second
syllable of each meter, but they sound very different when pronounced
out loud.
First, divide the lines into five meters. Then speak
each line out loud. Keeping the accent on the
second syllable, experiment with how much
A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse! emphasis you place on each word. See if the
emotion changes with more or less emphasis. For
instance, in the first line, the word “horse” is
She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd. always the accented syllable (the second syllable
in a meter). But you might not place equal stress
Methought I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more!" on the word all three times.a What willstress, and
the first two "horses" have medium
happen if
the last gets a heavy emphasis. How does this
As I do live by food, I met a fool, make the speaker feel? Or, how do you feel if you
place the most emphasis on the first "horse", then
less on the second and even less on the third?
Tis but thy name that is my enemy Experimenting with the amount of stress is a
great way to start exploring what the character is
going through in the moment.

9. Shakespeare’s Language
Irregular Blank Verse:
Although most of the lines in Shakespeare are written in regular
blank verse, there are many which have more or less than 10
syllables. The reasons for adding or taking away syllables, or
reversing the accent often help to clarify meaning, add emotional
weight, or allow room for a change of thought.
Some lines begin with the accent on the first syllable, which is
determined by the sense of the line. These are called trochaic
measures:
Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling,
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel…
OTHER CLUES TO UNDERSTANDING MEANING, EMOTION AND MOTIVATION:
Once we know the basic rules of verse, we can look at lines or
sections of text and use other information to find out more about
its meaning.

10. Shakespeare’s Language
3. Prose has:
• Run-on lines (unlike iambic pentameter)
• No rhyme or metric scheme
• The qualities of everyday language
You can easily spot dialogue written in prose because
it appears as a block of text, unlike the strict
rhythmic patterns of Shakespeare’s verse.

11. Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare used prose to tell us something about his characters
by interrupting the rhythmic patterns of the play. Many of
Shakespeare’s low-class characters speak in prose to distinguish
them from the higher-class, verse-speaking characters. Many short,
functional lines like “And I, my lord,” and “I pray you leave me” are
written in prose to give the play a sense of realism. In some longer
speeches, Shakespeare allowed the audience to identify more
closely with his characters by using the everyday language of the
time. Shakespeare used it to create comic effect. Some of
Shakespeare’s low-class comic creations aspire to speak in the
formal language of their superiors, but do not have the intelligence
to achieve this and therefore become objects of ridicule. It can also
suggest a character’s mental instability.
In Shakespeare’s day, it was conventional to write in verse, which
was seen as a sign of literary excellence. By writing some of his
most serious and poignant speeches in prose, Shakespeare was
fighting against this convention. It is interesting that some plays like
Much Ado About Nothing are written almost entirely in prose – an
exceptionally brave move for an Elizabethan playwright.

12. The Comic Plot
The plot of MSND is quite complicated. There are
three plot threads, but they are interconnected. The
working-class characters and the lovers bump into the
fairies within the wood. The wood is a significant
space for these events to be occurring in. Think of the
wood as a space outside of the law, where people can
hide (like Robin Hood!).
Each group of characters has a problem that needs to
be resolved: the Athenian lovers want to marry the
right partners, the tradesmen want to successfully put
on the play for Duke Theseus’s wedding, while Oberon
and Titania are in disagreement over a changeling boy.

13. Look back at your notes on the
The Comic Plot
characteristics of dramatic comedy
and the development of dramatic
comedy (Greek, Roman and
To understand a Shakespearian comedy it is useful to consider the Medieval). Think about:
overarching structure of the play. Consider the stage directions at •Where and with who does the play
begin? What world is this?
the start of each scene (printed below). What do these suggest
•Where does the action move to
about the patterns and structure of comedy in the play?
next? What type of people are these
characters?
• Act 1 Scene 1 Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, Philostrate, with •In Act 2 the action moves to the
Attendants. wood. What might this suggest?
Which world is this? Whose entry
• Scene 2 Enter Quince the Carpenter; and Snug the joiner; and
reinforces this?
Bottom the Weaver; and Flute the Bellows-mender; and Snout the
•In Act 3 what do you notice about
Tinker; and Starveling the Tailor. the mixture of characters? What
• Act 2 Scene 1 Enter a Fairy at one door, and Puck at another. might this show us about the plot?
• Scene 2 Enter Titania, Queen of the Fairies, with her Train. •How does Act 4 add to this?
• Act 3 Scene 1 (Titania still lying asleep) Enter Quince, Botton, •Thinking about the features of a
comic structure, what part of the plot
Snug, Flute, Snout and Starveling.
would we expect to be going on in
• Scene 2 Enter Oberon, King of the Fairies, Acts 3 and 4?
• Act 4 Scene 1 Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia, still lying •What about Act 5? Where are we
asleep. Enter Titania, Queen of the Fairies, and Bottom; now? What does this show?
Peaseblosson, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and other Fairies; •Philostrate is the Master of Revels –
Oberon, the King, behind, unseen. the coordinator of the wedding
entertainment. What does his
• Act 5 Scene 1 Enter Theseus, Hippolyta; Lords and Attendants,
presence at the end tell us?
among them Philostrate.

14. The Comic Plot
These stage directions offer some useful ideas on the patterns and
structure of comedy in the play. At the beginning we see the Athenian
world, where the central problem will be established. Philostrate is found
at the beginning and end of the play and, as the Master of Revels, his role
is to orchestrate the wedding that signals the happy ending required of a
comedy. The high-order world of the Athenian gentry soon swaps to the
working class world of the men who wish to rehearse their play. There
professions help to define their characters.
The move to the wood suggests that disorder is imminent and this is
reinforced with the entry of Puck in the next scene. The opposition is set
up – Puck enters from another door to the other fairy, suggesting his
independence and function. Titania is then introduced and linked in the
next scene with the Mechanicals, suggesting how the human and fairy
worlds are colliding. In Act 4 this is enhanced further, showing how the
lovers are also embroiled in this world. Acts 3 and 4 are precisely where
we should expect most comic confusion.
By Act 5 we are back to the order of Athens and seemingly events of the
play have been resolved. Philostrate’s presence indicates some kind of
celebration.

15. Homework:
1. Research and make notes on
Shakespeare’s sources for the story
and characters in MSND.
Ensure you research fully e.g. if the source of part of the story
is another text or a historical event you will need to research
that text/event too.
2. What was happening in 1594-1596?
What were the issues, ideas and
interests for British society at this
time? Warning!
There will be a test on
the characters, plot
and themes in MSND
on Friday. You must
score at least 85%

16. • Feminism
• Male dominance is one thematic element found in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysander and Hermia escape into
the woods for a night where they do not fall under the laws of Theseus or Egeus. Upon their arrival in Athens, the couples are married. Marriage is
seen as the ultimate social achievement for women while men can go on to do many other great things and gain societal recognition.[17] In his article,
"The Imperial Votaress", Louis Montrose draws attention to male and female gender roles and norms present in the comedy in connection with
Elizabethan culture. In reference to the triple wedding, he says, "The festive conclusion in A Midsummer Night's Dream depends upon the success of
a process by which the feminine pride and power manifested in Amazon warriors, possessive mothers, unruly wives, and wilful daughters are
brought under the control of lords and husbands."[18] He says that the consummation of marriage is how power over a woman changes hands from
father to husband. A connection between flowers and sexuality is drawn. The juice employed by Oberon can be seen as symbolising menstrual blood
as well as the sexual blood shed by virgins. While blood as a result of menstruation is representative of a woman's power, blood as a result of a first
sexual encounter represents man's power over women.[19]
• There are points in the play, however, when there is an absence of patriarchal control. In his book, Power on Display, Leonard Tennenhouse says the
problem in A Midsummer Night's Dream is the problem of "authority gone archaic".[20] The Athenian law requiring a daughter to die if she does not
do her father's will is outdated. Tennenhouse contrasts the patriarchal rule of Theseus in Athens with that of Oberon in the carnivalistic Faerie world.
The disorder in the land of the fairies completely opposes the world of Athens. He states that during times of carnival and festival, male power is
broken down. For example, what happens to the four lovers in the woods as well as Bottom's dream represents chaos that contrasts with Theseus'
political order. However, Theseus does not punish the lovers for their disobedience. According to Tennenhouse, by forgiving of the lovers, he has
made a distinction between the law of the patriarch (Egeus) and that of the monarch (Theseus), creating two different voices of authority. This
distinction can be compared to the time of Elizabeth I in which monarchs were seen as having two bodies: the body natural and the body politics.
Elizabeth's succession itself represented both the voice of a patriarch as well as the voice of a monarch: (1) her father's will which stated that the
crown should pass to her and (2) the fact that she was the daughter of a king. [21] The challenge to patriarchal rule in A Midsummer Night's Dream
mirrors exactly what was occurring in the age of Elizabeth I.
•

17. Additional analysis methods include:
• PUNCTUATION: The punctuation marks in Shakespeare's verse not only help us understand what is happening in the play, but can also indicate how
a character is feeling or thinking, or how a line can be delivered by an actor.
•
• Full Stops: Indicates the end or closing of a thought. Sometimes a sentence will continue for many lines before coming to a full stop.
•
• Period: indicates the end of a sentence and of a thought (just as in contemporary English)
•
• Exclamation point: reflects a moment of much emotion--anger, ecstasy, inspiration, surprise, pain, etc. Should be
delivered in a big way.
•
• Question Mark: indicates the end of a thought but makes sure the question asks a question.
• Change of Tone: In Shakespeare's verse, pauses and changes of vocal tone are very important.
•
• Colon (:) or Dash (—): tells us that it is not the end of the thought, therefore we should not come to a complete stop when speaking. It is
literally “connected” to what comes next, so there should be a noticable change of tone. Sometimes we can think of a colon or dash as meaning
“because”.
•
• Semi-Colon (;): again, this is not the end of the thought. Unlike a colon or dash, the tone change with a semi-colon is more of a side-
thought, and we can add a silent “and” in our speaking of the line.
•
• Comma (,): not really a pause—very important in identifying parenthetical clauses (see below) as well as lists of things.
•
• Parentheses (): sets a word or phrase inside a sentence apart from the rest (a thought within a thought). The information adds more
detail to clarify the larger thought. This requires the biggest change in vocal tone. Oftentimes a parenthetical statement will exist in Shakespeare
without the punctuation marks (either commas or parentheses), but you can hear the vocal shift when speaking the text out loud.

18. • IMAGERY: Shakespeare uses imagery in his verse just as any other poet would, and it occurs in
different ways. It can be a literal description of a real event or thing, or it can be a comparison
between two things (as in similes and metaphors). These descriptions generally use heightened
language that "paints" the images with words. Imagery can also be built up by the use of different
words that reflect the same concept (such as the repeated use of actual names and words that
describe names and titles in Juliet's balcony speech).
•
• REPEATED WORDS AND SOUNDS: Whenever Shakespeare repeats the same word (or root word) it
is an indication that this concept or meaning is very important. When speaking the text out loud,
repeated words should get extra emphasis. This allows us to discover what a character is trying to
achieve through repetition, depending on the word and the circumstance.
•
• There are also many repeated sounds, not just words, which add to the imagery and evoke
particular feelings or emotions.
•
• Alliteration: The repetition of two or more consonant sounds. There is a subtle build with
every repetition, and different sounds have different emotional effects (Bs and Ds have a different
feel than Ts and Ks for instance). Alliteration most often occurs at the beginning of each word
(tongue twisters are the most common form: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers); but
there are a lot of repeated consonant sounds within words in Shakespeare's verse. The following
speech of Iago's from Othello has many Ss, which can sound like hissing or whispering. Thus, we
might guess that Iago is up to no good.

19. • Assonance: Like alliteration, but vowel sounds are repeated instead. Think of Juliet’s
opening line in the balcony scene, with all those O sounds. When you say it out loud, and really let
the Os stretch out, what emotions do you feel?
•
• ONOMATOPOEIA: A word that sounds like what it describes (such as Buzz or Hiss). The use of
these words also creates an emotional response in both the speaker and the audience and should
be emphasized.
•
• SINGLE SYLLABLE
• WORDS: When a line of verse consists of many or all single syllable words, it
is an indication to slow down and make sure each word is given weight—it usually means the line is
meant to be emphatic.
•
• Understanding all of the hidden meaning in Shakespeare's verse is like reading a good mystery
story. There are clues throughout the language that tell us what characters are thinking and feeling,
and even whether they are telling the truth or lying. Using the methods explained above, you can
take a single speech in any of his plays, and find many layers and many messages. Ultimately,
however, Shakespeare's language was always meant to be spoken and heard, so these tools are
most important in conveying those hidden meanings to an audience.
•