Organized Note Taking Helps in our Understanding of Texts

To assist with your study of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream you will want to make good notes to help you understand the complexities of the comedy. These notes will help you develop your skills of critical analysis and can be used when you are writing your exam essay.

Plot map: (at the end of every scene write a bullet point list of the main events)

Act I Scene i

  • Plans for the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta
  • Angry Egeus demands the help of the law because his daughter has rejected Demetrius, his choice for her husband
  • Hermia loves and wants to marry Lysander
  • The Duke announces that Hermia faces death or will have to become a nun unless she marries Demetrius.
  • Helena is in love with Demetrius
  • Hermia and Lysander refuse to part and secretly plan to be married in the woods at Lysander’s aunt’s house.
  • Helena decides to tell Demetrius of Hermia’s plans.

Characters: (Describe them. What are their flaws and strengths? How do they relate to others? )

Theseus:Hippolyta:

  • Duke of Athens (respected and powerful)
  • Anxious for his marriage Hipppolyta
  • Reasonable ruler (he does let Hermia speak and listens to what she has to say)

Egeus:Hermia:

  • Daughter of Egeus (she is willing to stand up to her father)
  • In love with Lysander

Lysander:Demetrius:

Helena:Quince:

Bottom:Flute:

Snout:

Starveling:

Oberon:Titania:

Puck:

Setting:(Record details about Time, Place, Atmosphere and relevance)

  • City of Athens: a place of order, rules, authority, stress & formality

Conflicts (Indicate the kind of conflict and the significance)

Person vs Person

  • Theseus vs Hippolyta-both warriors
  • Egeus vs Hermia – Egeus feels he owns and she must obey, but Hermia has a mind of her own
  • Lysander vs Demetrius-both love Hermia
  • Helena vs Hermia- Helena is jealous of Hermia because Demetrius loves Hermia

Person vs Society

  • Hermia vs. Society’s Laws “To you your father you should be as a god” (I I 47).

Person vs Self

  • Hermia (do I leave my family, home, tradition etc. to follow my true love?)

Person vs Fate

Themes: (the major ideas that thread through the body of the play or novel. What we as readers can learn from the text.)

  • True love experiences obstacles (Hermia & Lysander)
  • Abuse of power creates instability in the home (Egeus & Hermia)
  • Love that is out of control (Hermia) will be punished

Symbols:Literary Devices:

  • Moon = fertility and ever-changing cycles of lifeMetaphor: “wed thee in another key” (I i 18).
  • Eyes=characters are blind and cannot see what is really happeningMalapropism: “Ercles” (I ii 36).

Oxymoron: “monstrous little” (I ii 47).

Important Quotations(Lines that stand out as meaningful and connect with important themes of the play)

“As she is mine, I may dispose of her” (I i 42).

“The course of true love never did run smooth” (I i 134).

“O hell! To choose love by another’s eyes” (I i 140).

“Therefore is Love said to be a child because in choice he is so oft beguiled” (I i 238-239).