___________
English
'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Starter quiz

  • Starting with the first section, order the structure which could be useful to follow when writing an essay about 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
    • 1
      ⇔
      introduction
    • 2
      ⇔
      main body paragraph 1
    • 3
      ⇔
      main body paragraph 2
    • 4
      ⇔
      main body paragraph 3
    • 5
      ⇔
      conclusion
  • Shakespeare has two settings in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. What are they?
    • the magical forest  ✓
    • the magical city Athens
    • the city of Athens  ✓
    • Elizabethan England
    • the theatre
  • Shakespeare sets 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in Athens and in a magical forest. What are some of the differences between the two places?
    • Athens is supernatural; the forest is not.
    • Athens has a hierarchy; the forest does not.
    • Athens is very structured and ordered; there is chaos in the forest.  ✓
    • Athens is ruled by humans; the forest is ruled by fairies.  ✓
    • There is no conflict in Athens; there is a lot of conflict in the forest.
  • In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what are some of the supernatural things that occur?
    • the use of the magical potion  ✓
    • the conflict between Oberon and Titania
    • Puck transforming Bottom  ✓
    • Puck making a mistake
    • Lysander falling in love with Helena  ✓
  • Shakespeare wrote 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' for an Elizabethan audience. What were some of their views on the supernatural?
    • That the supernatural could be evil and connected to the devil.  ✓
    • That the supernatural only existed in plays and songs.
    • That fairies could be sometimes be kind and helpful.  ✓
    • That their monarch was supernatural.
    • That Shakespeare invented the supernatural.
  • Why might we describe the presentation of the supernatural in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' as ambiguous?
    • Puck is clearly meant to be evil.
    • Elizabethans would have connected all the supernatural events to the devil.
    • Sometimes Puck seems mischievous, and sometimes more malevolent.  ✓
    • It is unclear if we should trust Puck during his epilogue.  ✓
    • The supernatural creates chaos, but it also restores order.  ✓
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