Today we broached one of Shakespeare’s most loved plays, his celebratory fantasy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We explored the ways in which Shakespeare in his opening scenes ricochets his audience from the high-sounding, poetical iambic pentameter of the Greek court through to the passionate language of the Romantic lurvers and then down into the depths of Bottom’s prosaic dramaturgy and then finally back up to the poetic heights of the kings and queens of fairyland. How does he manage to do this vocal ventriloquism and at the same time keep his story flowing so beautifully and crazilly? The weeks ahead are going to be a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare’s amazing linguistic versatility. So hold tight as you read and rollick through the pages of this play!
Here are some blog topics for your delectation:
1/ You are Bottom. In your own words tell the world what you are like, how you like performing, directing and…. encountering the queen of fairies……
2/ You are Hermia. You hate your father’s manipulation of your life. You write him a letter telling him what you are going to do and telling him where to go!
3/ You are Lysander. Passionately in love with Hermia. Angry at her father. Determined to have your way. Write a letter to Hermia declaring all that you feel and think about her and all that you think about her dad.
4/ You are Shakespeare telling a group of visitors from the 20th Century why you jostle your story around from kings and queens through to young besotted lovers, through to uneducated artisans putting on a play.
5/ Create a digital kit that presents a few of the many different film versions there have been of A Midsummer Night’s Dream over the last 100 years. Which version seems to get the best rave reviews? Tell your reader why you think this is.
Michael Griffith: Home Page- Literature and Life Summer 2023 