The plot of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the plot and main themes of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Key learning points
- ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a Shakespearean comedy.
- There are three sets of characters in the play.
- The play starts and ends in Athens; in the middle, the play is set in a magical forest.
- The play ends with a number of marriages.
- A summary of the plot helps us understand some of the play’s main themes.
Keywords
Midsummer - the middle of the summer.
Theme - the main ideas in a text which are explored in a number of different ways.
Act - the way in which a play is divided (like a book is divided into chapters); all of Shakespeare’s plays have five.
Shakespearean comedy - a play designed to make you laugh, often involving misunderstandings and ending in marriage.
Athenian - someone from Athens.
Common misconception
The magical potion is removed from everyone's eyes at the end of the play.
Demetrius still has the magical potion on his eyes. This is why he is in love with Helena.
Teacher tip
Consider the pace with which you want to move through the plot points, especially in learning cycle 1 and learning cycle 2. Where do you want to slow down, where can you speed up so that the pace of the lesson, and the fun of the play, remains engaging.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. However, the relevant extracts needed for this lesson are found within the lesson slides.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What type of texts did William Shakespeare write?
Q2.Whilst books are usually divided into chapters, what are plays divided into?
Q3.All of Shakespeare's plays are divided into acts. How many acts is each divided into?
Q4.Shakespeare wrote a number of comedies. Which of the following of Shakespeare's plays are comedies?
Q5.'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a Shakespearean comedy. What common features do Shakespearean comedies share?
Q6.The title of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' could tell us something about what to expect in the play. What inferences could we make about this title?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is set in two different places. What are the two settings?
Q2.In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', who does Egeus want his daughter, Hermia, to marry?
Q3.In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', why is Helena so unhappy at the beginning of the play?
Q4.In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', why is Oberon so angry with Titania?
Q5.In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', what does Puck to do Bottom?
Q6.Match the Acts from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to their plot points.
Hermia and Lysander run away from Athens.
Oberon and Titania fight. Lysander falls in love with Helena.
Titania falls in love with Bottom, Demetrius with Helena.
The love potion is removed from Lysander and Titania.
The poor Athenians perform a play to the rich nobles.
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: The plot of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: The plot of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 English lessons from the 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.