Study Guides

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 explain the plot and main themes of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

Key Notes

• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a Shakespearean comedy.
• There are three sets of characters in the play.
• The play starts and ends in Athens; in the middle, the play is set in a magical forest.
• The play ends with a number of marriages.
• A summary of the plot helps us understand some of the play's main themes.

Vocabulary To Learn

• midsummer: the middle of the summer.
• theme: the main ideas in a text which are explored in a number of different ways.
• Act: the way in which a play is divided (like a book is divided into chapters); all of Shakespeare's plays have five.
• Shakespearean comedy: a play designed to make you laugh, often involving misunderstandings and ending in marriage.
• Athenian: someone from Athens.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The magical potion is removed from everyone's eyes at the end of the play.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Act 2, Scene 1: Titania and Oberon's conflict Study Guide
• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': How is Puck presented in Act 3, Scene 2? Study Guide
• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': powerful topic sentences about Puck Study Guide
• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': Puck - obedient servant or irreverent joker? Study Guide
• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': Puck's epilogue in Act 5 Study Guide
• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': reviewing and refining an essay about Puck Study Guide
• 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': Shakespeare and the supernatural Study Guide
• Act 3 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': disorder in the forest Study Guide
• Act 3, Scene 2 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': order is restored in the forest Study Guide
• Analysing Puck's epilogue in Act 5 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• Analytical paragraphs: Puck and the supernatural in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• Conclusions to essays: Puck and the supernatural in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• Creating an argument about the character of Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• Exploring key themes in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': love, power, disorder Study Guide
• Exploring the character of Puck in Acts 2 and 3 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• How is Puck presented in Act 2, Scene 2 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'? Study Guide
• How is Puck presented in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'? Study Guide
• Including context when writing about Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• Introductions to essays about Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• Model paragraphs about Act 2, Scene 1 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• The character of Oberon in Act 2, Scene 1 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• The character of Puck in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• The impact of the magical potion in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• The patriarchal world of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• The presentation of Egeus in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• The significance of the magical forest in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide
• Understanding the genre of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Study Guide