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Year 8 - English

'A Midsummer Night's Dream': Puck - obedient servant or irreverent joker?

'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils read and explore Shakespeare's comedy 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. They focus on the character Puck and the theme of the supernatural, and analyse their role and importance at different points in the play. Finally, they plan and write an essay about Puck and the supernatural.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explore the way Puck treats the Rude Mechanicals in Act 3 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and consider how this is different or similar to his words and actions in Act 2.

Key Notes

  • Arguably, Puck is first presented as an irreverent character.
  • Shakespeare develops Puck's character by contrasting his initial presentation to his interactions with Oberon.
  • Puck's language when he speaks to Oberon suggests he respects the hierarchy.
  • Puck's language when he first meets the Rude Mechanicals suggests he has contempt for them as low status characters.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • irreverent: disrespectful
  • contemptuous: insulting
  • Rude Mechanicals: the phrase Puck uses to describe the poor Athenian actors, referencing their day jobs as skilled manual labourers
  • crude: humour that relies on rude words or ideas
  • hierarchy: a system whereby people or things are ranked, with some being higher than others

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Puck is a disrespectful character.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Arguably, Puck is first presented as an irreverent character. Shakespeare develops Puck's character by contrasting his initial presentation to his interactions with Oberon.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'irreverent'

disrespectful.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Puck is a disrespectful character. Correction: Puck's disrespect is targeted at particular characters. He is shown as respectful to Oberon, for example, and other high status characters.

More Lessons In This Unit

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