A+mid+Summers+night+dream

media type="file" key="Bottom's Ballad by V and G.mp3" width="240" height="20" Genevieve and Varada 17/20

Podcast #1 - NHI “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Act I, Scene 1 1. How is Hippolyta’s reasoning concerning how quickly the next four days will pass different from that of Theseus? Hippolyta is excited she thinks that the days will past fast and they will be able to spend their life together.

2. Why has Egeus brought his daughter and her two suitors to Theseus? What does Egeus expect him to do? Egeus brought them to Theseus because he didn't want Hermia his daughter to marry the an she loved. He wanted her to marry some one called Demetrius who Hermia did not love. Egeus wanted Theseus to either make Hermia marry Demetrius or die, Theseus decided that Hermia could mary Demetrius, die or be a nun.

3. What was the proper role for women/daughters in Athenian society according to Egeus and Theseus? What is Theseus’s ruling concerning Hermia? According to Athenian rule woman have to either marry who their father wants them to marry or die.

4. How does Lysander’s comment about Demetrius’s previous love affair with Helena complicate things? It complicated things because Egeus thought very highly of Demetrius and claimed he had good morals and then Lysander sort of prooved him wrong when he claimed he slept with Helena.

5. What do Lysander and Hermia plan to do about this seemingly impossible situation? Why do they tell Helena? Lysander and Hermia plan to escape to Verona where Lysander's aunt lived, they were to get married there and then get away from the Athenian rule. Hermia and Lysander told Helena because Helena was deeply in love with Demetrius and Demetrius was in love with Hermia so if Hermia escaped that would leave Helena to love Demetrius alone, with no Hermia to get in the way.

6. Even though Helena loves Demetrius and is Hermia’s best friend, why does she decide to tell Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander’s plans? She decides to tell Demetrius because then he will go after Hermia and Helena will be able to follow Demetrius and convince him to love her.

7. Identify Hermia’s basic dilemma. What are the choices outlined for her by Theseus and her father? What other choice does Lysander suggest? Hermia is faced with some tough choices, Egeus her father tells her that she can either marry Demetrius or die. Theseus the duke tells her that either she can marry Demetrius or die or be a nun. But Lysander steps in a suggests that they run away or elope and get married. Act I, Scene 2 8. Why does Nick Bottom want to play all the parts? Nick Bottom wants to play all of he parts because deep down he feels insecure and he wants to earn respect from the people around him so he tries to get all the parts to make people think he is better than he thinks he is himself.

9. In what way is this scene funny? Why do you suppose Shakespeare included this scene? I find the scene funny because of the way Shakespeare pokes fun of the way woman can't act in plays. Shakespeare tries to point out how it is ridiculous that woman can't be in theater.

10. Where are the actors to meet the following night? Who else is meeting there at the same time? The actors are o meet in the woods the next night. Also the four youth are going to go into the woods, Hermia and Lysander are to elope, and Demetrius is to follow Hermia, also Helena is going to pursue Demetrius.

11. How would you describe Bottom’s acting ability? What is Bottom’s own opinion of his acting ability? Bottom is an amateur actor that thinks he is himself a professional and talented actor.

Act II, Scene 1

10. What does the reader find out about the current relationship between Oberon, King of the Fairies, and Titania, Queen of the Fairies, from Puck and the first fairy? We find out that Oberon and Titania are in love, but often they fight and have quarrels. They are fighting over the changeling child that Titania promised she would take care of.

11. How have Oberon and Titania been involved in the past with Theseus and Hippolyta; why have they come to Athens? Oberon and Titania are friends with Theseus and Hippolyta and have come to Athens to celebrate their wedding.

12. What effect has their quarrel had on nature, on the seasons, on humans? The quarrel effected most things negatively and confuses many things. The rain starts to blow and the winds really pick up, the humans also

13. Why won’t Titania give up the changeling to Oberon?

14. What does Oberon send Puck to find? Oberon sends Puck to find a flower that Cupid supposedly shot his love arrow into.

15. What are Oberon’s plans for Titania?

16. How does Helena react to Demetrius’s verbal abuse? Helena deos

17. What is her response to his threats of physical abuse?

18. In what way is Helena’s behaviour inappropriate for Athenian women?

19. What does Oberon tell Puck to do about Demetrius and Helena?

Act II, Scene 2 20. Why does Oberon want Titania to wake and fall in love with some vile thing?

21. Why does Hermia insist Lysander sleep a little ways from her?

22. Why does Puck anoint Lysander’s eyes?

23. How does Helena react to Lysander’s sudden love for her when he awakens?

24. How is Hermia’s dream a reflection of reality?

**This represents a shocking lack of effort!**

**Completion 5/25** **Effort 3/25**

**Content: unable to evaluate based on these responses**

**total 8/75**