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INSPIRED BY SHAKESPEARE’S A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
A Comedy for Adolescents and Adults
WORKPACK
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(It’s a good idea to read the synopsis and morals before watching the play)
CHARACTERS
Puck
Oberon
Titania
Hermia (audience)
Helena (audience)
Lysander
Demetrius
Female fairies
Male faeries
Donkey(audience)
SYNOPSIS
Puck, a naughty spirit, will tell us his side of a story: Oberon, the King of Fairies, and Titania, the Queen of Fairies, have terrible quarrels.
So Puck, Oberon’s assistant and jester, is told to look for a special magic juice to oint Titania’s eyes so as to make her fall in love with the first beast that comes next to her in revenge.
While Puck goes looking for the flower, some Athenians arrive at the woods: Lysander loves Hermia, and Hermia loves Lysander. Helena loves Demetrius; Demetrius used to love Helena but now claims to love Hermia and rejects Helena, Helena is desperate…
So…Puck decides to help them because: “when love is wronged, someone has to make it right…” And...of course, everything is mixed up...
MORALS Love ultimately triumphs in the end (but it usually presents pitfalls).
Appearances are deceiving. Real love should have nothing to do with social status or looks.
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VOCABULARY (It’s a good idea to teach or revise these words before
coming to the theatre)
Adjectives
naughty – jealous – cute – cool – spooky – smart – brave – ugly -noble – hilarious –
embarrassing – humiliating
Nouns loser – jester – juice - spirit – stuff – scorn
mockery – vow – villain – tricks – riddle - lullaby
Verbs frown – pursue – dew– praise – ease – crush - perish
Useful expressions to be kidding – fooling around – never mind – to wrong someone– fall for someone – to keep an unwanted bond
to act like a wandering knight – to make things right
ACTIVITIES
For teachers: This workpack is divided into different levels,
taking into account learners’ age and level of language acquired.
As you may notice, the same play may cater for an ample age range. This is due to an important innovation meant to suit different students’ needs and interests. This means that while different age groups may be viewing the same play the various
pre and post language activities in the workpack attend to a different level.
Teachers are thus able to provide students with details about the story and the characters before they come to the theatre, and also with
follow-up activities.
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ACTIVITY 1: Talking about films based on Shakespeare’s plays:
1) Do you know any the films above? If so, can you write a brief comment on one of them? You can share some information with your classmates
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2) Do you like watching films inspired by theatrical plays?
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3) How often do you go to the cinema? And to the theater?
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4) Can you complete the chart with different kinds of films or plays? What kind do you like most?
CARTOON
HORROR
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ACTIVITY 2: Look at these adjectives connected with personality. Which ones are positive, which are negative and which are neutral?
IMPOLITE GORGEOUS STUBBORN EASY-GOING STINGY
NAÏVE GENEROUS TROUBLESOME HONEST
THOUGHTFUL AMBITIOUS TALKATIVE BOSSY SILLY
INTELLIGENT NARROW-MINDED FIGHTENED MOODY
CHILDISH NASTY SHY CLEVER TRUSTWORTHY
SENSITIVE SENSIBLE ADVENTUROUS IMMORAL
DISHONEST LOYAL FIDGETING
Underline some of them that describe what you expect to find in the main character (Puck)-come back and check your answer after you see the play.
POSITIVE NEGATIVE NEUTRAL
ACTIVITY 3:
Let’s discuss magical powers…
1- If you were to have one, what would you choose?
flight
invisibility
strength mind-
reading speed
nothing I don't want a magical power!
2- How do you feel about Magic
It’s real and necessary
It’s silly to believe in Magic
Amazing and fascinating
Makes a good folktale and nothing more
Not sure
Makes me feel safe, I want to believe…
3. What would you use your magical power for?
to show right and wrong and to make a better world
to play some tricks on people I think are annoying
just to make my life easier
to save the world and involve in adventures while at it
help people who are lonely and/or sad
maybe to take over the world…
Activity 4
CRITICAL THINKING Answer the questions and give reasons
a) Did you like the play? Why?
b) Give your opinion about the costumes. Justify it.
c) Do you believe in love at first sight? Why?
d) Is it important to read and study Shakespeare’s plays? Why?
e) Which famous “love stories” do you know? Why do you remember them?
USE OF ENGLISH
ACTIVITY 5:
Write an opposite adjective:
Charming
Generous
Handsome
Disrespectful
Rebel
Well-off
Match one of them with each Athenian
DEMETRIUS HERMIA LYSANDER HELENA
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ACTIVITY 6:
Finish these sentences with ideas you remember from the play:
1. Puck thinks
2. Demetrius is not interested in
3. Oberon is
4. Titania will definitely
5. The fairies have to
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ACTIVITY 7
Match the key word and its definition
1) HELENA
2) OBERON
3) SHAKESPEARE
4) WOODS
5) LYSANDER
6) MIDSUMMER
7) DREAM
8) LOVE
9) FLOWER
a) A Night's Dream
b) Hermia loves him
c) Loves Demetrius
d) King of the Fairies
e) Where Lysander & Hermia agree to
meet
f) Author of MND
g) A Midsummer Night's
h) Feeling Helena has for Demetrius
i) Oberon sends Puck to find one struck
by Cupid's arrow.
COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
ACTIVITY 8:
Are these sentences TRUE or FALSE?
At the beginning of the play Demetrius is in love with Hermia
At the beginning of the play Lysander is in love with Hermia
Hermia’s father wants her daughter to marry Lysander
Titania is in love with Oberon
Puck is Titania’s jester
Oberon orders Puck to bring him a purple flower
The purple flower had been hit by Cupid’s arrow
Puck turns Oberon into a donkey
ACTIVITY 9:
Answer these questions:
a) Who was Titania? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
c) Who did Helena love? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
d) What kind of spirit is Puck? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
e) How does Demetrius react when Puck uses the flower’s juice on him? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
f) Was Oberon in love with Titania? Why was he mad? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
g) Why was Lysander suddenly in love with Helena? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
h) Did Puck have fun with all the mess made by him? Why? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
.
LEVEL 2 AFTER WATCHING
THE PLAY
(Some activities from level 1 can be also used or adapted to this level)
.
ACTIVITY 1
Choose your favorite character in the play and write a short description of him/her. You can use some adjectives from the chart:
MEAN GORGEOUS STUBBORN EASY-GOING STINGY NAÏVE GENEROUS TROUBLESOME HONEST THOUGHTFUL AMBITIOUS TALKATIVE BOSSY SILLY INTELLIGENT NARROW-MINDED FIGHTENED MOODY
CHILDISH NASTY SHY CLEVER TRUSTWORTHY SENSITIVE SENSIBLE ADVENTUROUS IMMORAL
DISHONEST LOYAL FIDGETING HANDSOME HUMOROUS DULL SCARED
ACTIVITY 2 Finish these sentences with ideas you remember from the play:
1. If I were Puck,
2. Hermia secretly wishes
3. The fairies (Use passive voice)
4. If I were Oberon’s jester,
5. If Puck could
ACTIVITY 3 Crossword:
ACROSS 1. Who says, "I love thee not; therefore pursue me not." 4. Who says, "That you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear." 5. Titania is queen of what? 7. This play takes place in and around which Greek city? 9. Girl who chases Demetrius even though
he hates her at first. 11. King of the Fairies 17. Hermia wants to run away with this man.
DOWN 8. Egeus does not want Lysander to marry this girl. 15. Oberon asks Puck to find him this in the forest
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COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
ACTIVITY 4
Answer these questions
1. What does Oberon want that Titania refuses to give him?
(A) er obedience
(B) Her magic wand
(C) Her fairies
(D) Her unconditional love
2. How does Puck prevent Demetrius and Lysander from fighting?
(A) By freezing them
(B) By transforming their weapons to weeds
(C) By squeezing the love potion onto their eyelids
(D) By mimicking their voices and causing each to get lost in the forest
3. Whom does Demetrius love at the end of the play?
(A) Titania
(B) Puck
(C) Helena
(D) Hermia
4. With whom does Titania fall in love due to the potion?
(A) a fairy
(B) Puck
(C) a donkey
(D) a boy
LEVEL 3 AFTER WATCHING
THE PLAY
(Some activities from levels 1 and 2 can be also used or adapted to this level)
ACTIVITY 4: USE OF ENGLISH
Past Modal Verbs and Conditional Sentences
Finish these sentences with ideas you remember from the play:
a. If Demetrius hadn’t rejected Helena
b. If Oberon had
c. The fairies would have
d. If I had been in Helena’s shoes
e. Puck will if
f. Titania could have
g. If I had been in Puck’s shoes
h. The relationship between Demetrius and Helena changed when
ACTIVITY 5: COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
Answer these questions:
1. Which of the young Athenians is first affected by the love potion?
(A) Lysander
(B) Helena
(C) Hermia
(D) Demetrius
2. Who first thinks of using the love potion on Titania?
(A) Puck
(B) Oberon
(C) Lysander
(D) a fairy
3. Why is the flower whose juice Oberon seeks special?
(A) Titania has kissed it.
(B) One of Cupid’s arrows struck it.
(C) It was a traditional symbol of love in English folklore.
(D) Fairies sleep in it.
4. Who blesses the lovers with a magical charm at the end of the play?
(A) Puck
(B) Oberon
(C) Titania
(D) Oberon and Titania
CRITICAL THINKING
ACTIVITY 6
What’s your opinion about these issues?
The plot
The morals
The actors
The setting and costumes.
Activity8 Word Search Words are placed backwards, forward, diagonally, up and down. Clues listed below can help you find the words.-(extra clue: number of letters per word) Circle the hidden vocabulary words in the maze.
A Midsummer Night's _ (5)
A Night's Dream (9)
Arranges to meet Lysander in the woods (6)
Author of MND (11)
Feeling Helena has for Demetrius (4)
Helena loves him, but he is to marry Hermia.(9)
Hermia loves him. (8)
King of the Fairies (6)
Oberon commands Puck to anoint Demetrius's as he sleeps. (4)
Oberon sends Puck to find one struck by Cupid's arrow. (6)
Animal Titania falls for. (3)
Queen of the Fairies (7)
Robin Goodfellow (4)
Tells Hermia's plans to Demetrius (6)
Where Lysander & Hermia agree to meet