Drill

Watch the following scene. Pick two parts of the scene and explain why someone might find them humorous.

Today We Will…

Identify elements of comedy in Shakespeare

Read and comprehend Act I, Scene I of Shakespeare’s, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Shakespeare

-Who’s heard of this guy?

-1564-1616

-Actor and playwright

-Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems

-Played a huge role in shaping the English language

“He was not of an age, but for all time!” - Ben Johnson

“In Shakespeare the birds sing, the bushes are clothed with green,

hearts love, souls suffer, the cloud wanders, it is hot, it is cold, night

falls, time passes, forests and multitudes speak, the vast eternal

dream hovers over all. Sap and blood, all forms of the multiple

reality, actions and ideas, man and humanity, the living and the life,

solitudes, cities, religions, diamonds and pearls, dung-hills and

charnelhouses, the ebb and flow of beings, the steps of comers and

goers, all, all are on Shakespeare and in Shakespeare.”

- Victor Hugo

Aspects of Shakespearean Comedy

Happy ending

Marriage

Light-hearted tone

Emphasis on situations

Young lovers overcoming difficulty

Separation and re-unification

Deception

Multiple plots

All styles of comedy

Before Reading

Without further ado, let’s preview!

To summarize…

Multiple Plots

Hippolyta & Theseus

Queen of the Amazons

To marryTheseus

Duke of Athens

Won Hippolyta through sword

“…our nuptial hour/Draws on apace.”

Philostrate

Theseus & Hippolyta

“Full of vexation come I…”

Theseus

Hermia

Egeus

Lysander

Demetrius

Egeus, Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius

Theseus

Hermia

Egeus

Lysander

Demetrius

Hermia – Daughter of Egeus

Betrothed to Demetrius

Wants to marry Lysander

Lysander – Wants to marry Hermia

Demetrius – Wants to marry Hermia

Once courted Helena

“There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee.”

“…he no more shall see my face.”

HelenaWants to marry Demetrius

Act I, Scene I

Split into groups of 5 or 6. Select each group member to be a character in the scene. Together, read Act I, Scene I.

A Midsummer Night’s DreamWritten by William Shakespeare

Read by Awesome Honors Students!

In Closing…

How far did your group get in the reading?

What do you think will happen next?

How is Shakespeare setting the stage for something funny to happen?

For Next Time…Act I, Scene I &

Act I, Scene II

Have 3 Questions

Italicized questions in text