A+MIdsummer+NIght's+Dream

= = =**__ A Midsummer Night's Dream __**=

__ ACT 1, SCENE 1 __
Hippolyta says the next our days and four night will pass quickly while, Theseus can not wait (literally) for the day to come. In other words, he is impatient and she is rather calm and not as impatient. Egeus brought his daughter and her two suitors to the Duke because he wants his daughter to marry Demetrius but Hermia is in love with Lysander. So Egeus wants permission to kill his daughter if she does not marry the man he has chosen for her. Egeus expects Theseus to agree wiith him but on the contrary, Theseus gives Hermia another option. The "proper" role for woman in Athenian society is to follow her father's say. So marry the man of her father's choosing. Theseus' ruling his that on their wedding day Hermia must choose between three options; to marry Demetrius, to die, or to become a nun. Lysander's comment complicates things because Demetrius claims that he loves Hermia but if he had an affair with Helena not too long ago, it brings into question Demetrius' statement. That statement being in love with Hermia. The plan on running away to Lysander's aunt house, which is right outside of Athens, so the Athenian rules don't apply. They plan on getting married at his aunt's place an then running away together. They tell Helena for to reasons. One reason being they are overjoyed with excitement of finally being together. Two, they tell Helena that she will finally be able to be with Demetrius because Hermia is out of the picture. Helena decides to tell Demetrius because she believes if she tell him of Hermia and Lysander plans, Demetrius will fall in love with her again. =7. Identify Hermia’s basic dilemma. What are the choices outlined for her by Theseus and her father? What other choice does Lysander suggest? = Hermia basically has four choices, she can either marry Demetrius or be killed by her father (Egeus' choices). She can become a nun (Theseus choice) or she can run away and get married to Lysnader (Lysander choice).
 * 1. How is Hippolyta’s reasoning concerning how quickly the next four days will pass different from that of Theseus?**
 * 2. Why has Egeus brought his daughter and her two suitors to Theseus? What does Egeus expect him to do?**
 * 3. What was the proper role for women/daughters in Athenian society according to Egeus and Theseus? What is Theseus’s ruling concerning Hermia?**
 * 4. How does Lysander’s comment about Demetrius’s previous love affair with Helena complicate things?**
 * 5. What do Lysander and Hermia plan to do about this seemingly impossible situation? Why do they tell Helena?**
 * 6. Even though Helena loves Demetrius and is Hermia’s best friend, why does she decide to tell Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander’s plans?**

__ ACT 1, SCENE 2 __
Nick Bottom wants to play all the parts because he believes he is better than everyone else and he would do a better job at playing the parts. For example when Quince told Snug he would be playing the lion, Bottom tried showing everyone he could play the lion part excellently by showing them his interpretation of a lion roaring. This scene is funny because you get to see the reality of how stupid the idea is that a man has to play a woman's part. I believe Shakespeare included this scene to poke fun at the rules and regulations of the theater in the Elizabethan Era. The actors are meeting in the forest to rehearse the play in secret but at the same time Lysander and Hermia are due to meet there to run away together. Bottom acting ability is not the greatest, he is definetely a loud character but not good and acting out a different person other then hisself. Bottom though, thinks he is an amazing actor and as no flaws in his acting ability, I believe this is also affecting his acting abilities. He thinks so highly of himself he does not try to improve because he does not believe there is room for improvement when in fact there is.
 * 8. Why does Nick Bottom want to play all the parts?**
 * 9. In what way is this scene funny? Why do you suppose Shakespeare included this scene?**
 * 10. Where are the actors to meet the following night? Who else is meeting there at the same time?**
 * 11. How would you describe Bottom’s acting ability? What is Bottom’s own opinion of his acting ability? **

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Holly and Imogen- Podcast 1

= __ACT 2, SCENE 1__ = We find out that Oberon and Titania don't particulary like each other. They indicate thate whenever the two are near each other they tend to create a storm. The two have come to Athens for Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding even though, Oberon has had an affair with Hippolyta and Titania is in love with Theseus.
 * 10. What does the reader find out about the current relationship between Oberon, King of the Fairies, and Titania, Queen of the Fairies, from Puck and the first fairy?**
 * 11. How have Oberon and Titania been involved in the past with Theseus and Hippolyta; why have they come to Athens?**

The quarrel between Oberon and Titania effect nature by changing the weather, by starting a vicious storm. They change the season by changing a childing autumn to an angry winter. Their quarrel has effected the humans by teaching them evil and hate because they are the parents and children learn from example (Parents tend to be the example of their children).
 * 12. What effect has their quarrel had on nature, on the seasons, on humans?**

Titania won't give up the changeling because the child is her best friend's child. Her friend died during child birth and before she died, Titania promised her she would take care of him. So Titania feels obligated to keep and care for the child.
 * 13. Why won’t Titania give up the changeling to Oberon?**

Oberon sends Puck to go find a once milk-white flower (now purple from Cupid's arrow). Back then the maidens called it " love-in-idleness".
 * 14. What does Oberon send Puck to find?**

Oberon plans on sprinkling the flower juice on Titania's eye lids. So that when she wakes up she will fall hopelessly in love with the first thing she sees. Oberon is hoping that the first thing Titania sees is an ugly beast.
 * 15. What are Oberon’s plans for Titania?**

Even though Demetrius is obviously not in love with her because of his use of verbal abuse, she still is expressing that she is in love with him by contradicting everything he says. For example, when Demetrius says that he is sick when he looks at her, Helena responds with that she is sick when she //doesn't// look at him.
 * 16. How does Helena react to Demetrius’s verbal abuse?**

She responds that she does not care and if he does physically abuse her she will still love him. Demetrius says that she was stupid leaving the city alone, in the dark and Helena responds that //he// is her world, so when he is near it feels like the whole word is near.
 * 17. What is her response to his threats of physical abuse?**

Helena's behaviour is inappropriate because she is practically throwing herself at Demetrius and not "holding her head high" like a strong Athenian woman. She is forgetting all about self respect and also the respect of Demetrius. Yes, Demetrius is not the nicest to her but there is also a time when enough is enough and I don't think Helena realizes what she is annoying not only for Demetrius but for others too.
 * 18. In what way is Helena’s behaviour inappropriate for Athenian women?**

Oberon watches the whole scene/fight that goes down between Demetrius and Helena and he comes up with a plan. His plan his that Puck will sprinkle the same juice from the flower he used on Titania, on Demetrius. Hopefully Demetrius will wake up and see Helena first and fall deeply in love with her.
 * 19. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about Demetrius and Helena?**

=__ **ACT 2, SCENE 2** __= I think Oberon wants Titania to fall in love with an ugly beast for two reasons. One is that Oberon hopes Titania will be blinded by love that she will give up the changeling Oberon has be lusting. Two, I think Oberon is a bit hurt that Titania has found love in this child. Yes, they both had their affairs but I think Oberon thought that they would eventually fall in love like Theseus and Hippolyta.
 * 20. Why does Oberon want Titania to wake and fall in love with some vile thing?**

Hermia insists that Lysander sleep a little ways away from her because she wants to keep her modesty and I think I bit of her independence before she gets married. In Hermia's mind when she gets married a bit of her independence is lost and she wants to keep that bit for as long as she can.
 * 21. Why does Hermia insist Lysander sleep a little ways from her?**

Puck anoints Lysander's eyes because Oberon says to look for a man dressed in Athenian garb, who is with a woman. Lysander is dressed in Athenian garb and is with a woman, Hermia. I also think that the fact that the two aren't sleeping next to each other plays a part in Puck mistaking Lysander for Demetrius.
 * 22. Why does Puck anoint Lysander’s eyes?**

Helena believes Lysander is playing a sick joke on her. Helena has seen how Lysander acts towards Hermia and when those strong feelings are suddenly reversed to her, she believes Lysander is just acting out how she acts towards Demetrius; expressing undying love for her.
 * 23. How does Helena react to Lysander’s sudden love for her when he awakens?**

Hermia dreams that a snake was eating her heart and Lysander just stand and watched. This reflects the reality because Hermia has this dream about the same time that Lysander expresses his love for Helena. So Hermia's heart was torn out by Lysander because he stopped loving her.
 * 24. How is Hermia’s dream a reflection of reality?**

= __ACT 3, SCENE 1__ = The actors have decided that before both those scenes they will do a prologue. A prologue is a scene apart from the play that describes what is going to happen during the scene presiding it. So before those two scenes, the actors are going to explain what happens and who is playing the characters. For the moonlight, the actors are going to leave the window open so the natural moonlight shines in. If it is a cloudy night or something goes wrong with that plan, someone is actually going to be playing the part of the moonlight. For the wall they are going to have someone dress up in wall-like clothes and make the "okay" sign with his hand. The actors run off because Bottom appears with a donkey's head and they are scared. They believe they have been cursed by a monstrous beast. Puck plans on scaring the actors even more by chasing them making animal sounds, making the actors believe they are being hunted by several beasts. I believe Bottom is a bit skeptical of Titania and her fairy folk but then I think he realizes that there is someone who finally realizes what great talent he has and he decides to go with it. I think this statement reflects what is going on during this point of the play. Lysander has just fallen out of love with Hermia and in love with Helena, which makes no sense to Hermia. And then Helena is in love with Demetrius which makes no sense at all because he treats her like dirt.
 * 25. How are the actors going to keep from scaring the ladies when Pyramus kills himself or when the lion roars?**
 * 26. How are the actors going to manage the setting/scenery such as the moonlight and the wall?**
 * 27. Why do the rest of the actors run off when Bottom reappears?**
 * 28. What does Puck plan to do when he follows after the other actors?**
 * 29. How does Bottom react to Titania and the other fairies?**
 * 30. Bottom says, "…reason and love keep little company together nowadays." Why is this such an apt statement at this point in the play?**

= __**ACT 3, SCENE 2**__ = Hermia accuses Demetrius of killing Lysander because Hermia can not fathom any other reason why Lysander all of a sudden got up and disappeared. Oberon has decided that they will put the juice of the flower on Demetrius' eyes so he will fall in love with Helena and then they will put the antidote on Lysander's eyes so he will fall back in love with Hermia. Helena is upset because she believes that Demetrius is just playing a cruel joke on her just like Lysander is. Even though all she wanted was Demetrius to love her back, she does not believe that he could fall so quickly in love with her and so quickly out of love with Hermia. Helena accuses Hermia of put both guys up to playing this cruel joke on her. She believe that since both guys love Hermia, they will do anything for her, including playing a nasty trick on her best friend. Hermia and Helena have basically grown up together so they are very close. The used to stay up all night gossiping and playing with each other. It is similar to the relationship between Titania and her best friend, who died. Lysander treats Hermia like she means nothing to him and she is a piece of trash. He treats her with no respect. Hermia does not believe what Lysander is saying because she does not believe that he could of falling in love with Helena and out of love with her so quickly and when they are about to go get married. Hermia accuses Helena of stealing Lysander from her, therefor she gets extremely angry and the fights begin. Even though Hermia is tiny and shorter then Helena, she can scratch and his very strong. Helena knows that if Hermia really wnated to, she could hurt her. Lysander and Demetrius go off into the forest to have a fist-fight over who gets Helena. Oberon tells Puck to trick the two men into following him instead of each other so that he can put the antidote on Lysander's eyes and make everything right. Oberon is going to ask or steal the changling from Titania. Titania at the moment is so blinded by love that she is not going to care or even know what she is doing with the boy. Oberon does not fear the coming of day because he think everything is set straight and everything will go accordingly to his first plan. Only time will tell if this actually happens. Puck's trickery works splendidly. He got everyone in the same place, and put the antidote on Lysander's eyes. So hopefully everything goes accordingly to plan when they wake up.
 * 31. What does Hermia accuse Demetrius of doing?**
 * 32. How are Puck and Oberon going to correct Puck’s earlier mistake?**
 * 33. Why is Helena upset when Demetrius says he loves her? Isn’t this what she had wanted all along?**
 * 34. Of what does Helena accuse Hermia?**
 * 35. How close had Hermia and Helena been in the past?**
 * 36. How does Lysander treat Hermia? Why can’t she believe what he says?**
 * 37. Of what does Hermia accuse Helena?**
 * 38. Why is Helena afraid of Hermia?**
 * 39. What are Lysander and Demetrius going off to do?**
 * 40. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about the two young men?**
 * 41. What is Oberon going to do about Titania?**
 * 42. Why doesn’t Oberon fear the coming of day?**
 * 43. How well does Puck’s trickery work?**

**Plot in Point Form:**
media type="file" key="Bottoms ballade.m4a" align="center" width="300" height="50"
 * Titania falls in love with Bottom
 * Bottom sings to Titania
 * Bottom is escorted by Titania's fairies to get cleaned-up
 * Puck and Oberon talk about their previous night
 * Puck and Oberon watch Hermia get mad at Demetrius for allegedly killing Lysander
 * Puck tells Oberon that he did not juice Demetrius' eyes but Lysander's
 * Hermia runs off - Demetrius falls asleep
 * Oberon juices Demetrius eyes
 * Lysander tries to win over Helena
 * Demetrius wakes up and falls in love with Helena
 * Demetrius, Lysander fight for Helena`s love, while Helena believes it is a cruel joke
 * Hermia arrives
 * Lysander tells Hermia he does not love her anymore but he loves Helena
 * Hermia and Helena fight - Demetrius and Lysander defend Helena
 * Lysander and Demetrius leave to have a fight to see who gets Helena
 * Oberon tells Puck to fix his mistake and out the antidote on Lysander`s eyes
 * Pucks leads Demetrius and Lysander away from each other
 * Demetrius and Lysander fall asleep
 * Helena and Hermia fall asleep (They all end up asleep at the same spot)
 * Puck squeezes antidote on Lysander`s eyes
 * Scene ends

Holly and Connor- Podcast 2 =__ ACT 4, SCENE 1 __= Bottom has adjusted really well to the attention of Titania and her fairies. I believe he is in fact enjoying the attention, it seems that all Bottom's life he has been rejected and not had a lot of attention. So this attention from Titania and her fairies is different for him and he finally feels appreciated. Oberon is most excited with Titania's new found love with Bottom. He has finally gotten what he has always wanted, the changeling boy. Titania gave up the boy willingly because she was so obsessed with her love for Bottom. Although he also pities her because a worthy Queen like herself has fallen in love with a low life donkey. Oberon will lie and say that Titania was only dreaming and none of what happened was real. They are all out for a hunt. Theseus says that the four lovers wanted to observe the hunt and therefor rose up early and came to the clearing to meet up with Theseus, Hippolyta and their train. Demetrius says he went out to the wood to find Hermia and Helena, being in love with him, followed him. He then goes on to say that his love for Hermia has melted and he now loves Helena. He compares his for love for Hermia to an illness because he explained that when you are sick, your favorite food might not taste so good but when you become well again, your natural taste for your favorite food comes back. So he compares this explanation to his love for Hermia switching to that of Helena. Theseus decides that he will allow Hermia and Lysander to marry and Helena and Demetrius as while. They are unsure whether they are awake or dreaming because their mid is a bit foggy and they are having a hard time remembering what exactly happened the night before. Bottom decides that he is going to get Peter Quince to write a ballad for him titled "Bottom's Dream'. He will title it so because the ballad has no bottom and he will sing this ballad at the end of the play before the Duke. = **__ACT 4, SCENE 2__** = **53. What opinion do the other artisans now have of Bottom since they think he is lost?** Now that Bottom has "disappeared", the artisans are really sad and upset that he is going and realize that Bottom was a really important person and not just an obnoxious man. **54. What do they most regret losing by not being able to perform the play?** The regret losing the money that came along with performing the play. **55. Why must the artisans hurry to the Duke’s palace?** As soon as Bottom reappears, he tell the other artisans that they need to run to the Duke's palace because they have to preform their playon time.
 * 44. How has Bottom adjusted to the attention of Titania and her fairies?**
 * 45. What is Oberon’s reaction to Titania’s infatuation with Bottom?**
 * 46. What sort of explanation will Oberon make to Titania’s question about what happened to her?**
 * 47. Why are Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus, and the others out in the woods so early in the morning?**
 * 48. What is Theseus’s first explanation of why the young people are asleep in the woods?**
 * 49. What explanation does Demetrius make? Why does he compare his love for Hermia to an illness?**
 * 50. What is Theseus’s decision concerning the four young people?**
 * 51. Why can’t the young people be sure whether they are awake or dreaming?**
 * 52. Bottom believes he too has had a dream. How is he going to use that to entertain the Duke?**

** 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? **
I believe believe by the end of the play, you almost feel sorry for Bottom. He is still the self absorbed person he was in the beginning but people also don't give him enough credit. I believe that Bottom is the way he is because people judge him so harshly, they don't see through his act to someone who just wants to be loved and appreciated. Bottom might be the opposite of Theseus, because Theseus wants everything to turn out right, not just for himself but for other too. He is not as self absorbed as Bottom is

** b) How do most of the dreamers respond to the dream experience upon waking? Which character is changed permanently by the dream experience? **
====When the dreamers wake up, they just brush the dream off as something odd. The only person who changed permanently by the dream experience would be Demetrius because he is in love with Helena now and not 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? **
I believe Shakespeare is trying to say that love can be unpredictable and make people do things they might not necessarily do in the first place. He is saying that when you are in love or think you are in love, you do crazy things and later when you look back, you can't believe you did that. = **__ACT 5__** = **56. Why does Theseus dismiss the stories of the four young people?** I believe Theseus dismiss' the stories of the four young people because to him, the seem so unrealistic. I also believe that Theseus wanted to see all four lovers happy, how they got that way, I don't think he cares about that. **57. Why does Theseus choose to see the play about Pyramus and Thisby rather than the other entertainments?** Theseus chooses to see the play done by the artisans because all the other sorts of entertainments, he had already seen or just didn't interest him. **58. Why does Philostrate try to keep Theseus from seeing the play? What does he say is wrong with it?** Philostrate says that they play is not that good and when he saw it, he cried but not sad tears but tears from laughing at how horrible it was. Philostrate just wants to spare his Duke, the pain of watching something so horrific. **59. What does Theseus mean by the lines, "For never anything can be amiss, when simpleness and duty tender it"?** I believe Theseus means that when you are careful enough with something, you won't mess up. **60. What is accomplished by having the Prologue tell the whole story that the actors are then going to enact?** By doing the Prologue, the artisans take out all the guessing and thinking that the audience enjoys doing during a play. They basically ruin the plot line for the audience. **61. How does Shakespeare use comments from the audience to enhance the humour of the play that they are watching?** The audience's comments are so hilarious and mean, that it makes reading this scene that much more funny. I believe it also shows that the audience thinks the play is ridiculous and it is not just you. **62. What is Hippolyta’s reaction to the play?**

**63. In what way is Thisby’s final speech humorous?** Thisbe's final speech was funny, because the actor took it so seriously but yet he was a man playing a love struck woman. Him taking off his wig makes it that much more funny, because you can completely tell the actor is a man. **64. What does Oberon tell the fairies to do?** Oberon tells his fairies to bless the wedding beds. **65. What is the purpose of Puck’s final speech?** I believe the purpose of Puck's final speech is to apologize for all his mistakes. You also get to see a different side of Puck, a softer side, where you see his feelings, showing that he actually does have feelings and is not just a mischievousness fairy who likes to play jokes on others. **Extending the thought process:**

**__Find at least one example of each of the following that occurs during the play within the play. Write down the quote that illustrates example :__** = **excessive alliteration - ** "Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade, He bravely broach'd his boiling bloody breast." = = **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. "Deceiving me" is Thisbe's cue; she is to enter now, and I am to spy her ** = = ** through the wall. ** = = **repeating a word excessively - "Now die, die, die, die, die, die, die." ** = = **ridiculous metaphor - "To spy an I can hear my Thisbe's face. Thisbe!" ** = = = Completion 21/25 Effort 22/25 Content 22/25
 * using the wrong word or name - "Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true." **

Total 65/75

Podcast 1 - 17/20 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff0000; font-family: Times,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Podcast 2 - 19/20