Course Hero Logo

A Midsummer Night's Dream | Study Guide

William Shakespeare

Get the eBook on Amazon to study offline.

Buy on Amazon Study Guide
Contents
Cite This Study Guide

How to Cite This Study Guide

quotation mark graphic
MLA

Bibliography

Course Hero. "A Midsummer Night's Dream Study Guide." Course Hero. 11 May 2017. Web. 3 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream/>.

In text

(Course Hero)

APA

Bibliography

Course Hero. (2017, May 11). A Midsummer Night's Dream Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream/

In text

(Course Hero, 2017)

Chicago

Bibliography

Course Hero. "A Midsummer Night's Dream Study Guide." May 11, 2017. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream/.

Footnote

Course Hero, "A Midsummer Night's Dream Study Guide," May 11, 2017, accessed June 3, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream/.

A Midsummer Night's Dream | Infographic

Share
Share
Email Facebook Pinterest Twitter Google+
Click to copy
Embed
Click to copy code

Check out this Infographic to learn more about William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

a-midsummer-nights-dream-william-shakespeareSources: Bardweb, Biography.com, IMDb, Introduction to A MidsummerNight’s Dream by Harold Bloom, Introduction to Shakespeare’s Comedy ofA Midsummer-Night’s Dream by Katharine Lee Bates, Shakespeare Online, Universe Today Copyright © 2017 Course Hero, Inc.EnchantsLovesMarriedLoves under spellLysander, Act I, Scene IThe course of true love never did run smooth.A Midsummer Night’s Dreamby the NumbersDays before the new moon that A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes placeTimes the word dream or dreams appears in the text of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Year British astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus's two largest moons, later named Titania and OberonYear the Academy Award–winning film A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring James Cagney as Bottom, was released 19354161787The feast day of St. Johnthe Baptist is celebratedin England every June 24 (Midsummer Day). Some people believed fairies held their own festivity that night. English playwright William Shakespeare wrote the comedy A MidsummerNight’s Dream about what chaos might occur if fairies and humans mixed on midsummer eve.WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE1564–1616AuthorMain CharactersPuckMischievous fairy; sows chaos through enchantmentBottomOblivious weaver; overconfident actorHelenaYoung woman in lovewith DemetriusHermiaSmall, self-consciousyoung woman; object oftwo men’s affectionsLysanderIn love with Hermia;victim of magicTitaniaStubborn queenof the fairiesDemetriusStubborn young man Hermia must marry under the lawOberonDisgruntled kingof the fairiesThemesOrder vs. DisorderAthenian laws demand obedience and cause tragedy, but in the woods, disorder delivers an unexpected blessing. Love as a Magical ForceMagic causes mayhem in the forest while bringing to light the power of love and attraction.PatriarchySocial order puts men incharge and is disrupted when women take the reins.Set in ancient Athens, A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows four young lovers and six rough tradesmen into the wild woods, where they become embroiled in a quarrel between the king and queen of the fairies. In the fairy realm, a flower nectar love potion rearranges romantic partners, causing confusion throughout the dreamlike night.A MostFair VisionSYMBOLSWoodsSymbolize untamed nature and unpredictable fairy magic MoonAs a powerful force, stands for love, dreams, and chaos FlowersRepresent both nature and love’s magic by causing people to fall in and out of love