Starter quiz
- How might we define Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
- as a history play
- as a Greek myth
- as a comedy ✓
- as a tragedy
- as a tragicomedy
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', there are a number of sets of different characters. What sets of characters are there?
- rich Athenian nobles ✓
- talking animals
- rich Athenian actors
- powerful fairies ✓
- poor Athenian actors ✓
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', there is much chaos and confusion. Which characters are the source of the chaos and confusion?
- Egeus
- Demetrius
- Bottom
- Oberon ✓
- Puck ✓
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- Which characters marry each other at the end of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
- Lysander and Hermia ✓
- Titania and Bottom
- Titania and Oberon
- Demetrius and Helena ✓
- Demetrius and Hermia
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- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', which three characters have the magical love potion used on them?
- Puck
- Bottom
- Titania ✓
- Demetrius ✓
- Lysander ✓
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- Starting with the first plot point of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', put the plot points relating to the Athenian noble people in order.
- 1⇔Egeus and Theseus threaten to punish Hermia if she doesn't marry Demetrius.
- 2⇔Lysander and Hermia decide to run away from Athens.
- 3⇔Demetrius and Helena follow Lysander and Hermia into the magical forest.
- 4⇔Puck puts the magical love potion on Lysander, who falls in love with Helena.
- 5⇔Puck puts the magical love potion on Demetrius, who falls in love with Helena.
- 6⇔Puck removes the magical love potion from Lysander; he loves Hermia again.
- 7⇔The four Athenian noble people return to Athens and get married.
Exit quiz
- The First Folio - the first collection of Shakespeare's plays published in 1623 - divides his plays into what categories?
- comedies ✓
- tragicomedies
- histories ✓
- romances
- tragedies ✓
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- A pupil said: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a tragedy." How would you correct them?
- The play is a comedy because it ends in a number of marriages. ✓
- The play is a comedy because nothing bad happens in it.
- The play is a comedy because it includes the supernatural.
- The play is a comedy because it involves misunderstandings. ✓
- The play is a comedy because some of it is set in a forest.
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- Shakespeare's plays are often defined by their genre. Match each genre to its key features.
- comedy⇔presents young people in love, and ends in marriage ✓
- tragedy⇔explores complex emotions like jealousy or ambition; ends in death ✓
- history⇔about English history; explore what it means to be a good monarch ✓
- tragicomedy⇔contain elements of comedy and tragedy ✓
- In order to discuss the genre of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' accurately, you could use a number of key terms. Match the key terms to their definitions.
- genre⇔the style or type of text: for example science fiction ✓
- Shakespearean comedy⇔a play that makes you laugh, involving misunderstandings and marriage ✓
- intricate⇔complicated ✓
- slapstick humour⇔physical comedy, sometimes violent but intended to make people laugh ✓
- First Folio⇔the first collection of most of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623 ✓
- The first published collection of Shakespeare's plays is called the ______.
- 'First Folio' ✓
- In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Titania falls in love with Bottom, who has had his head transformed into that of a donkey. Why does this plot point reinforce the idea the play is a comedy?
- they end up getting married, which is how comedies end
- it is a moment of slapstick comedy ✓
- it involves the supernatural
- Bottom doesn't know what has happened or why ✓
- it creates disorder and confusion ✓
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The First Folio divides Shakespeare’s plays into tragedies, histories and comedies.
- An additional genre - tragicomedies - has been used to describe plays which combine both tragic and comic elements.
- Shakespearean comedies usually focus on love, and end in marriage.
- The plots of comedies are often intricate and include a number of surprises and plot twists.
- Shakespearean comedies often include slapstick humour.
Common misconception
If a play is a comedy, it won't have any moments of sadness in it.
When thinking about genre, we consider the overall tone, plot and features of a play. However, many comedies have moments of sadness, just as many tragedies have moments of humour.
Keywords
Genre - the style or type of text: for example science fiction
Shakespearean comedy - a play designed to make you laugh, often involving misunderstandings and ending in marriage
Intricate - complicated
Slapstick humour - physical comedy, sometimes violent but intended to make people laugh
First folio - the first collection of most of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623 (seven years after his death)
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