Starter quiz
- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', which characters are supernatural?
- Bottom
- Puck ✓
- Titania ✓
- Theseus
- Oberon ✓
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- What type of play is 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
- supernatural
- history
- myth
- comedy ✓
- tragicomedy
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- When we talk about Shakespeare's plays, we give them genres. What does genre mean?
- the amount of humour in a text
- the style or type of text ✓
- the ending of a text
- when the text was written
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- Shakespeare wrote just under 40 plays. What genre of plays did he write?
- horrors
- comedies ✓
- tragedies ✓
- histories ✓
- epilogues
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- 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a comedy. What are some of the key features of a Shakespearean comedy?
- They end in chaos and disorder.
- They include chaos and disorder. ✓
- They include the supernatural.
- They end in marriage(s). ✓
- They have intricate plots. ✓
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- A pupil said: "Shakespeare created the name and character of Puck/Robin Goodfellow". How would you correct them?
- Robin Goodfellow was a well known figure in Elizabethan folklore. ✓
- Shakespeare stole these names from another playwright.
- The word "puck" was a common name for an evil fairy in Elizabethan England. ✓
- The name Puck was famous, but he came up with Goodfellow to show Puck is kind.
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Exit quiz
- 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a ______ whereas 'Macbeth' is a tragedy.
- 'comedy' ✓
- 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' includes supernatural characters. How do we know Shakespeare was interested in the supernatural more generally?
- He stands out as the only Elizabethan interested in the supernatural.
- His work is divided into tragedies, comedies and magical plays.
- He created folklore about the supernatural.
- He includes the supernatural in lots of his plays. ✓
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- Some argue that Puck, a central character in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', is presented in an ambiguous way. What does this mean?
- His character is loyal to Oberon.
- His character is supernatural.
- His character is open to interpretation. ✓
- His character likes practical jokes.
- His character is famous in Elizabethan folklore.
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- It can be useful to compare different characters from different Shakespeare plays. In what ways are the witches in 'Macbeth', then, different to Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
- The witches never appear on stage; Puck is often on stage.
- The witches lead to the tragic ending; Puck leads to the comic ending. ✓
- The witches obey no-one; Puck obeys Oberon. ✓
- The witches are presented as evil; Puck is more mischievous. ✓
- The witches have magical powers; Puck has to use a magical potion.
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', in what ways is Puck presented as an ambiguous character?
- His actions can only be interpreted as harmless fun.
- His actions can only be interpreted as evil.
- He could be interpreted as mischievous or more malevolent. ✓
- He is only ever presented as loyal to Oberon.
- His actions and words could be interpreted in a range of ways. ✓
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', in what ways is Puck central to making the play a comedy?
- He has an epilogue at the end of the play.
- He causes chaos and confusion. ✓
- He gets married at the end of the play.
- He helps restore order at the of the play. ✓
- He creates a moment of physical comedy by transforming Bottom. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Shakespeare explored the supernatural in many of his plays.
- Sometimes Shakespeare presents the supernatural as clearly evil.
- In ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, the character of Puck is presented in an ambiguous way.
- Despite this ambiguous presentation, Puck is central to making ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ a comedy.
Common misconception
You should only ever consider one Shakespearean play at a time. Comparing plays and characters is irrelevant and confusing.
Comparing characters can be an excellent way to deepen your understanding of Shakespeare as a writer, and to understand the significance of how a particular character has been created.
Keywords
Supernatural - things that can’t be explained by the laws of nature
Folklore - stories and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation; these are not written down, but told verbally
Ambiguous - open to interpretation
Shakespearean comedy - a play designed to make you laugh, often involving misunderstandings and ending in marriage
'macbeth' - a play written by Shakespeare which includes the supernatural; it is a tragedy with a sad, violent ending
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