Midsummer's+Dream

====Egeus has brought his daughter and two suitors to Theseus because of a dispute. His daughter does not want to marry the suitor he has chose for her, but would like to marry some other courter. Egeus expects him to uphold the ancient law of Athens and give him the right to take the life of his daughter if she does not comply.====

====The proper role for women in Athenian society is to submit to the will of men, according to Egeus and Theseus. Theseus's ruling concerning Hermia is to give her three options; submit to her father's will, lose her life, or become a nun.====

====7. Identify Hermia’s basic dilemma. What are the choices outlined for her by Theseus and her father? What other choice does Lysander suggest? ====

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====Their quarrel brings natural disasters, such as fogs and floods, Here are some quotes: ** " **Small streams have been flooded and over flown there banks.","Crows have gotten fat eating all the drowned sheep and diseased cattle.", "The fields have been ploughed and planted for no reason because of the rain.", the seasons are changed such that winter feels like summer, and Puck plays tricks on humans to make Oberon feel better.====

====Oberon tells Puck to pour some of the juice on the eyes of a youth dressed in Athenian garb, so that he will love Helena. Puck puts it in the eyes of Lysander by mistake; Oberon was talking about Demetrius.====

====In the dream Lysander is smiling at a snake which is eating Hermia's heart. It is a sad reflection of reality because Lysander has just fallen in love with Helena and now no longer loves Hermia. His love for her has, in effect, been eaten by a metaphorical snake.====

====They will inform the ladies that Pyramus is not really Pyramus but Bottom the Weaver, and he does not really kill himself, while saying that the lion is but a man like other men, while showing half his face through the costume.====

====They will present the play during a full moon and open the windows to obtain moonlight, they will use a person as a wall, and he will open his fingers such that it forms a crack through which the lovers will speak.====

====Hermia and Helena have been very close in the past; they were the best of friends. "//Is all the counsel that we two have shared, //====

====Lysander treats Hermia like trash; he says he does not love her anymore; she can't believe what he says because, as she says, only "Since night you loved me; yet since night you left me." She does not understand the sudden transition for love to hate.====

====Helena is afraid of Hermia because Hermia threatens to dig her nails into Helena's eyes.//"[...]that my nails can reach unto thine eyes. //"====

Puck's trickery works extremely well; he manages to lead the two men astray until they fall asleep.
==== **Review Question: The climax, or turning point, of //A Midsummer Night’s Dream// comes at the end of Act 3. In point form describe the major plot points of Act Three starting from when Titania falls in love with Bottom leading to the climax or turning point of the play near the end of act three.** ====
 * ==== Titania falls in love with Bottom ====
 * ==== Puck tells Oberon about the predicament involving Titania and Bottom. ====
 * ==== Oberon realizes that a mistake has been made and says that he and Puck will have to remedy it ====
 * ==== Hermia accuses Demetrius of killing Lysander ====
 * ==== Puck anoints Demetrius's eye's with the flowerjuice while the latter is asleep ====
 * ==== Demetrius wakes up and falls in love with Helena ====
 * ==== Lysander arrives and he and Demetrius fight over Helena ====
 * ==== Hermia arrives and fights with Helena because she believes Helena has stolen her lover ====
 * ==== Puck is sent to prevent Lysander and Demetrius from fighting by making them hopelessly lost ====
 * ==== The four lovers all end up falling asleep ====
 * ==== Puck anoints Lysander's eyes with the love potion so that he will love Hermia again ====

49. What explanation does Demetrius make? Why does he compare his love for Hermia to an illness?
====He says that he heard about their stealth from Helena, who followed him while he was tracking them down. He says however, he once again loves Helena, and no longer loves Hermia; he compares his brief time loving Hermia as a sickness that he is now cured from.====

53. What opinion do the other artisans now have of Bottom since they think he is lost?
====The other artisans now believe that Bottom is the greatest. Here are some quotes: " It is not possible: you have not a man in all Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he", "No, he hath simply the best wit of any handicraft man in Athens" and " The best person too; and he is a very paramour for a sweet voice"====

**Extending the thought process.**
====**a) The fourth act opens and ends with Bottom at center stage. What is your opinion of Bottom’s character? How might he be the antithesis, or opposite, of Theseus’s character?**====

**In my opinion, Bottom is a arrogant fool who believes who knows everything, though he knows but little. He demands much of his servants, while Theseus is more reserved and fair, and helps his servants solve their problems.** ====**b) How do most of the dreamers respond to the dream experience upon waking? Which character is changed permanently by the dream experience?**====

Upon waking, most of the dreamers are confused and whether what just happened was but a dream. Demetrius is permanently changed by the dream experience as he now loves Helena, as opposed to Hermia. ====**c) In this act, several characters look back at prior infatuations with disbelief. What do you think Shakespeare is saying about love and infatuation?**====

====**Act 4 Podcast: Bottom decides to commission Peter Quince to write a ballad called “Bottom’s Dream.” On your own or with a partner, imagine that you have been asked to write the lyrics and compose the musical accompaniment. Remember that at the beginning of act 4, Bottom told the fairies that he likes to listen to the “tongs and bones” (act 4, scene 1, line 30). Tongs were pieces of metal struck against each other and bones were actual bones. These instruments were used in comical or in less sophisticated musical performances. Write the poetry for the ballad ( a minimum of 2 stanzas, 4 lines each), then put it to music!**==== ====media type="file" key="Bottomless Band.mp3" width="240" height="20" ==== ||
 * According to Shakespeare, love and infatuations are** like a dream; they are vivid and scary while they last, but then are gone. And when it has gone, you can't believe how you used to feel - you look back in absolute disbelief and wonder how you could have possibly come about to have this infatuation.


 * ====Act V====

====Theseus chooses this play, which is supposed to be both tragic and funny and brief but tedious, because he believes that this is something which would be difficult to accomplish and wishes to see how it is done.====

He bravely broach'd is boiling bloody breast** " **The letter b is repeated quite often, and excessively.
====** breaking the play’s illusion of reality: ** Pyramus: Cursed be thy stones for thus deceiving me! Theseus: The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse again. Pyramus: No, in truth sir, he should not. "Decieving me" is Thisby's cue:she is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall." Pyramus breaks the illusion of reality and tells the audience what will happen next. ====

====a) In reading the play-within-a-play, we become the audience for the drama played out by Theseus, Hippolyta, and the others. These performers, in turn, form the audience for the reenactment of Pyramus and Thisbe. How does observing another audience help you understand the relationship between audience and performers?====

====Observing another audience permits us to see the mechanics between the audience and performers, and see what the audience truly thinks of the performers. We can learn a great deal by knowing what they say and their facial expressions, and body language. This seems to suggest that Shakespeare's plays were meant to directly connect with the audience. By observing another audience, we can better understand the message Shakespeare was trying to convey.====

====b) Modern television shows often create comic effects by having a silly, innocent, or “clueless” character and a sarcastic, knowing, clever character play off of each other. What examples can you think of?====

====A good example would be Spongebob, who is silly, innocent, and clueless, and Squidward who is always sarcastic, is quite clever, and knows a great deal. Other examples include Michael (innocent, silly and clueless) who plays off of Jim (knowing, clever, often sarcastic) in The Office, the Roadrunner and the Coyote and Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.====

====c) Identify ways in which Pyramus and Thisbe might be unsuitable for a wedding celebration. Are there any ways in which the play might be appropriate? In what ways is the play-within-a-play an ironic commentary on what the two pairs of young lovers (Demetrius and Helena, Lysander and Hermia) have gone through earlier?====

Pyramus and Thisbe might be unsuitable for a happy event such as a wedding celebration as it is the tale of two lovers that die and is quite tragic. The play might be appropriate because it is the tale of two lovers who love each other very much, which goes with the theme of romance in a wedding. The play-within-a-play is ironic because Hermia and Lysander did very much the same thing Pyramus and Thisbe did by running away to be together, braving everything. Puck is the metaphorical lion, because he separated the lovers by putting the flower juice onto the lovers eyes so that they would like different people; he almost separated Hermia and Lysander.

Completion 25/25 Effort 23/25 Content 23/25 Total 71/75

Podcast 1 - 20/20 Podcast 2 - 19/20 ||