How to Read A Midsummer Night's Dream (Pre-Play Preparation) (Patreon)

Welcome to Shakespeare's first dramatic masterpiece.

A Midsummer Night's Dream takes us to a woodland realm ruled over by squabbling fairies, where we will indulge in mad revelry and, ultimately, find ourselves renewed.

This comedy is a glittering, magical, lyrical celebration of love and the natural world. And today we're discussing how best to approach it.

As usual, use these pre-play preps however best suits you. Feel free to utilise the timestamps to jump to the topics where you would like the most direction.

Below the timestamps, we have links to everything mentioned, scenes to focus on, and reading assignments in anticipation for the deep-dive lecture and appreciation.

We are discussing:

• film adaptations
• recommended criticism
• the characters, themes, and story
• focused challenges and assignments

Video Timestamps:

• 0:00 why is the Dream so special?
• 1:00 when and why was the play written?
• 2:00 Shakespeare's originality 
• 3:44 Othello as complementary play
• 5:30 the gift of A Midsummer Night's Dream
• 6:30 aligning our reading with the seasons
• 8:00 reading in the heart of nature
• 10:00 the poetry of the Dream
• 12:10 Mendelssohn's musical masterpiece 
• 14:50 the challenge with this play
• 16:00 having a favourite genre 
• 17:00 my first experience with Shakespeare
• 19:00 illusions, dreams & questioning reality
• 21:00 the Elizabethan view on "imagination"
• 24:15 Shakespeare and the natural world
• 25:40 a controversial view of the Dream 
• 27:00 enjoying one of my favourite passages
• 28:45 is the Dream a nightmare?
• 32:30 the story in a nutshell
• 34:50 recommended deep-cuts criticism
• 38:30 the Ovidian side of Shakespeare 
• 40:25 recommended adaptations
• 42:00 questions to consider as you read

📚Recommended Editions:

• Arden - A Midsummer Night's Dream: The quality of the introduction and notes in the Arden series makes this a premium resource for lovers of Shakespeare.
• Everyman Comedies Vol. 1: This volume The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Love's Labor's Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet, with a great introduction by Tony Tanner.

🎬 Recommended Film Adaptations:

• Peter Hall's 1968 film adaptation with a young Helen Mirren and Judi Dench is an adaptation in the true Shakespeare spirit. It's a little dated now, but theatre troupes continue to draw inspiration from Peter Hall today.
• For a more recent film adaptation, Michael Hoffman's 1991 film boasts a star-studded cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale, and Kevin Kline do great jobs in their roles.
• Peter Brook's 1970 theatrical production with the Royal Shakespeare Company is one of the most influential, and controversial, productions in the history of Shakespeare. This ten-minute documentary has clips that will show you why.

📖 Deep-Cuts Shakespeare Criticism

• C. L. Barber's Shakespeare's Festive Comedy is my top recommendation for any readers wanting a deeper understanding of the genre's connection to holidays and festive celebrations. 
• Peter Brook's The Empty Space isn't focused only on Shakespeare (Chekhov, Ibsen, and many more are in there too), but provides a fabulous insight into drama and performance from one of the most influential avant-garde directors of our lifetime.
• Arthur Golding's translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses is one of the most beautiful works in the history of translation. Ovid was Shakespeare's favourite writer, and he would have enjoyed this very version himself. If you want to leverage Shakespeare into an appreciation of classical writers, this will make for a rewarding pairing.
• Jan Kott's Shakespeare, Our Contemporary has inspired and provoked directors, critics, and readers ever since it was published in the sixties. If you enjoyed our sampling of the essay 'Titania and the Ass's Head', there is plenty more in this volume.

🎼 Musical Appreciation

• Mendelssohn's contribution to our understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's Dream cannot be understated. As part of your foray into the magical forest, treat yourself to a listening of his musical interpretations. Here is his overture, composed in 1826, and here some incidental music, composed in 1842.

(Optional) Reading Challenges:

• Consider using A Midsummer Night's Dream as a gateway into classical writing. Shakespeare's favourite writer was clearly Ovid, and his favoured translation of the Metamorphoses (Arthur Golding's) holds up as great poetry today.
• Take your copy of the play into nature. Pick a fine summer's day and savour Shakespeare's sparkling poetry.
• You may also consider treating yourself to Mendelssohn's musical masterpiece, which  significantly shaped how readers and audiences appreciated the play.
• And do continue collecting your favourite passages, reading aloud, and comparing your reading of the play with any adaptations you enjoy.

Questions to think about:

1) What does comedy give us that tragedy cannot?

2) Can you see instances of Shakespeare's later development in his first masterpiece?

3) Is A Midsummer Night's Dream a whimsical tale about fairies? Or is it a dark, bestial fantasy?

Happy reading, everybody!