A Midsummer Night's Dream

Act I

Reading Check

1. Hippolyta (1.1)

2. Hermia (1.1)

3. Demetrius (1.1)

4. Lysander (1.1)

5. The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe (1.2)

Short Answer

1. Egeus is angry because his daughter, Hermia, refuses to marry the man Egeus has chosen for her, Demetrius. Instead, Hermia insists that she is in love with Lysander. (1.1)

2. Theseus tells Hermia she must decide what to do by the time his own wedding takes place in a few days. If she refuses to marry Demetrius, she will become a nun. (1.1)

3. Hermia and Lysander plan on running away to Lysander’s aunt’s home, which is outside of Athenian jurisdiction. (1.1)

4. Helena, desperate for Demetrius’s love, decides to tell him about Hermia and Lysander’s plan to escape Athens through the woods. (1.1)

5. Bottom is characterized as ridiculous through his insistence that he is a wonderful actor who should be allowed to play every part. His claims are belied through the hyperbolic and ridiculous demonstrations of his skills. (1.2)

Act II

Reading Check

1. Queen of the Fairies (2.1)

2. King of the Fairies (2.1)

3. A fairy servant of Titania (2.1)

4. Titania and Lysander (2.2)

5. Helena (2.2)

Short Answer

1. Oberon and Titania are arguing about the fate of an Indian Prince. Titania promised the boy’s mother that she would keep him safe, but Oberon wishes to have him as his own. (2.1)

2. Oberon first sends Puck to find a flower called love-in-idleness, which has powerful love properties. He then instructs Puck to put the potion from the flower on the eyes of a young Athenian man. (2.1, 2.2)

3. Puck has a reputation for mischief and meddling; many avoid him for this reason. (2.1)

4. Oberon hopes to change the situation of Demetrius and Helena; Helena is desperately in love with Demetrius, but Demetrius hates Helena. (2.2)

5. Puck mistakenly puts the potion on Lysander’s eyes, rather than Demetrius’s eyes. (2.2)

Act III

Reading Check

1. Women (3.1)

2. Nighttime (3.1)

3. The head of an “ass” (donkey) (3.1)

4. Demetrius (3.2)

5. Lysander (3.3)

Short Answer

1. They run away fearfully, mistaking Bottom for a monster. (3.1)

2. She believes that both Lysander and Demetrius are mocking her in their loving declarations. She is insulted and angry. (3.2)

3. Hermia is upset because Lysander, who she loves and who had been in love with her, is now claiming that he is in love with Helena. (3.2)

4. Oberon instructs Puck to fix the situation he has created in causing both Lysander and Demetrius to fall in love with Helena; Oberon wants Puck to prevent the two men from fighting and return Lysander to loving Hermia. (3.2)

5. Puck mimics Lysander and Demetrius to lure them away from each other. This causes them to fall asleep in separate places, rather than to duel. (3.2)

Act IV

Reading Check

1. Bottom (4.1)

2. Hay (4.1)

3. Oberon (4.1)

4. Theseus and his hunting party (4.1)

5. They think Bottom is dead. (4.2)

Short Answer

1. It is humorous that Titania, a beautiful and powerful fairy, is in love with Bottom because Bottom is a comical and foolish character. Furthermore, Bottom is even more ridiculous in Act 4 because he has the head of a donkey. (4.1)

2. Titania agrees to give up the Indian prince. (4.1)

3. The Athenian youths feel like they have experienced a strange and confusing dream; they cannot give Theseus a logical account of the events. (4.1)

4. Snug tells his friends that Theseus and Hippolyta are married, as well as four Athenian youths. (4.2)

5. The laborers resolve to put on their play after all, once Bottom returns. (4.2)

Act V

Reading Check

1. Theseus’s palace (5.1)

2. He suggests they watch a play. (5.1)

3. Philostrate (5.1)

4. Thisbe (5.1)

5. Puck (5.2)

Short Answer

1. Hippolyta points out that all four people tell the same story; this would be unlikely to be the case if they were simply dreaming. (5.1)

2. The laborer’s play does not come highly recommended; Philostrate warns Theseus that the play is poorly acted and ridiculous. (5.1)

3. Snug assures the audience that he is not actually a lion, even though he is dressed as a lion and is roaring. This is humorous as it is self-evident to the audience. (5.1)

4. Dancing and singing, they bless the house and marriage beds. (5.2)

5. Puck advises the audience, if they are offended, to think of the play’s events as merely a strange dream. (5.2)