A Midsummer Night s Dream

Transcription

1 A Midsummer Night s Dream Worksheet One. A Midsummer Night s Dream takes place in the Greek city of Athens. TASK: Find a map of Greece. Your map should be A4 size. Clearly label the major Greek cities. On a separate sheet, find out all you can about Athens during the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Include subheadings for the different aspects of life at this time. Worksheet Two. The Globe Theatre TASK: Find out as much as you can about the Globe Theatre. Remember that there is also a Globe Theatre that has been recreated that presently exists in London You should include information about the building, the performances and the theatre goers. Worksheet Three. TASK: Write a story or play which involves a modern day A Midsummer Night s Dream story. You may wish to base this on a modern television show or film. Key Elements. Four young lovers from very different backgrounds. An arranged marriage, love triangle. A supernatural world controlling humans. (cont.) Theatre company putting on a play.

2 Conflict between several characters over various issues. Misfortune turning into a good outcome. Happy ending. Worksheet Four. TASK: Write a parody of a song about A Midsummer Night s Dream. A parody keeps the basic structure of a song, but changes some of the words, usually in a humorous way. Worksheet Five. TASK: Imagine you are Helena or Hermia. After Demetrius or Lysander have pledged their eternal love in the forest, write your diary entry. Include a description of how you met both of them, what they looks like and your dreams for a future with one of them. Worksheet Six. TASK: Write a love poem or sonnet to a special or imagined friend. Worksheet Seven. TASK: Create a poster which displays clothing worn by Shakespeare and/or his actors. You will need to label features of the clothing and include information about the materials from which they were made and the construction of each garment.

3 Worksheet Eight. Love Songs 1. Make a collection of love poems or songs, both old and modern ones 2. When you have at least 10 poems or songs either: - find any two to compare and contrast - write up a discussion of the themes and recurrent ideas in love verse, as represented by your collection Worksheet Nine. Lecturette Prepare a talk inspired by A Midsummer Night s Dream on a theme that interests you, such as: - A Midsummer Night s Dream from a feminist perspective - A Midsummer Night s Dream and the history of romance - Love and fate - A Midsummer Night s Dream as a cautionary tale - Why do fairies appear in A Midsummer Night s Dream? Worksheet Ten. Hot Seat Treatment Place each character from A Midsummer Night s Dream into the hot seat asking them to explain themselves and justify their actions. Write both answers and questions in script format. Worksheet Eleven. Director s Notes Write a set of stage or film director s notes in which you choose any scene from the play and carefully explain how you would produce it. (cont.)

4 Describe casting choices and reasons, the actions, gestures you would have characters make, props and costumes, etc. Worksheet Twelve. Costumes Make detailed notes for the costumes design of a production of A Midsummer Night s Dream. This should involve: - preliminary research on Renaissance Roman/Greco dress (thirteenth or fourteenth century) - coloured sketches of costume for all the main characters Worksheet Thirteen. A Midsummer Night s Dream Model 1. Build a shoebox diorama of a major scene from A Midsummer Night s Dream 2. Produce an accompanying sheet describing what is happening in the scene, and use at least one quote from the play Worksheet Fourteen. Old Music Investigate Renaissance and Elizabethan musical instruments, producing either a short project presentation on them or give a talk. Either illustrations or recordings or both should be added to the presentation.

5 Worksheet Fifteen. The first meeting Read again A Midsummer Night s Dream s falling in and out of love from relevant scenes. 1. Draw a series of cartoons in which you show the hand and face gestures that they would make during their first conversations. 2. Find unusual metaphors used and explain what do such references add to our sense of their love and repulsion? Worksheet Sixteen. The Forest Scenes Reproduce the one of the interchanges as a series of cartoons/pictures, including brief quotes OR Summarise the scene in your own words, with no less than six key quotations Worksheet Seventeen. The play about Pyramus and Thisbe Act 5, Scene 3 Reproduce the play as a series of cartoons/pictures, including brief quotes OR Summarise the scene in your own words, with no less than six key quotations

6 Worksheet Eighteen. Dramatis Personae The Cast 1. Draw a diagram which sets out the key characters in each of the 3 sub-plots, the lovers, fairies and actors. 2. Indicate the relationships between them. Worksheet Nineteen. Helena/Hermia 1. List all the things that are said about the girls family members 2. Find at least six quotes by Demetrius/Lysander, describing one or both of the women. Worksheet Twenty. Demetrius/Lysander 1. List all the things said about Helena/Hermia 2. Find at least six quotes from the women, describing describing one or both of the men. Worksheet Twenty One. Oberon 1. Write a thumbnail sketch (brief summary) of the character of Oberon. Look particularly at his appearances in the forest and his exchanges with Titania. 2. Find a picture from a magazine of a face that would suit the character of Oberon, and add that to your description

7 Worksheet Twenty Two. Puck 1. Make a poster illustrating the character of Puck 2. Choose a photo from a magazine that you think captures his essential qualities and then use information from the quotes in the play to describe his appearance and personality. Worksheet Twenty Three. Titania and Nick Bottom 1. Look at how the Titania and Nick Bottom are contrasted in their love scene. 2. What are your impressions of both? Worksheet Twenty Four. Lysander Lysander is the other man in the love triangle, yet he is quite a sympathetic character. - What is his attitude towards Hermia? - Quote one line and refer to at least one scene which shows his feelings for her. Worksheet Twenty Five. Social Context: Female 1. Find examples of the way in which the female characters acted or were expected to act in this play Choose any two from the list Hermia, Helena, Titania, Hippolyta.

8 2. What differences are there between female role expectations then and now? 3. In what ways did these role expectations contribute to the story? Worksheet Twenty Six. Social Context: Male Roles The roles of men, as well as women, were governed by certain strict codes of behaviour. 1. Investigate the male code of honour, or chivalry. Especially as it relates to challenges and duels. 2. Also investigate the chivalric idea of the romantic gentleman. How was he expected to behave? 3. In what ways did these role expectations contribute to the story? Worksheet Twenty Seven. Literary Context: other love stories There have been many stories written by Shakespeare with comic endings. 1. Choose any one of these plays. Write a brief summary of what happened, and why. 2. Compare and contrast it to the story of A Midsummer Night s Dream. Worksheet Twenty Eight. Social Context: Customs Try to find as many customs as you can (at least five) which were obviously important in the world of the play but are no longer current in our society.

9 Worksheet Twenty Nine. Stage Directions Stage directions are sometimes included separately, and are sometimes built into a character s speech. Find and quote two examples where the directions are built into the dialogue. Worksheet Thirty. Elizabethan Theatre Draw a diagram of a typical Elizabethan theatre and explain how it is different from theatres of today. Worksheet Thirty One. Prose and Poetry Shakespeare uses both prose and poetry when composing his dialogue. Select two speeches, one in prose and one in poetry, and explain the differences, showing what purposes Shakespeare puts each to. Worksheet Thirty Two. Elizabethan Drama A Midsummer Night s Dream would not have been played in 16 th Century the way a modern company would play it. What would be the differences and similarities?

10 Worksheet Thirty Three. Staging A Midsummer Night s Dream Take one scene from the play. Block it (work out where and when characters move) and devise a set of director s notes. Worksheet Thirty Four. TASK: In a group with some other students, re-enact a chosen A Midsummer Night s Dream scene for the MAX. You may wish to change the words, change to a modern setting or use some or all of Shakespeare s language. You may wish to provide costumes and film the production as well. Worksheet Thirty Five. Renaissance Dance 1. Research Renaissance dance 2. Give a demonstration and/or provide illustrations to show what dances the original wedding ball might have involved Worksheet Thirty Six. Create an MSN, Facebook or text message conversation with you and a friend. Write a second copy using Shakespearian language.