ACT THREE, SCENE ONE

Transcription

1 ACT THREE, SCENE ONE Comic relief - comic episodes in a dramatic or literary work that offset more serious sections. (Google web definitions). Shakespeare makes fun of his own profession (acting) in this scene. Why point this out to us and the actors? Translation transformation. This is another theme is this play. Who is transformed and who wishes to be transformed into who? Why the offset of this monstrous transformation with the others?

2 ACT THREE, SCENE ONE (CONTINUED) Why do you suppose that Bottom pays more attention to the four fairies than Titania? How would that make her feel? Is Bottom still Bottom? He was transformed but is he really different or still the same?

3 QUOTE TO KNOW Tie up my lover s tongue; bring him silently ( ) Titania says this words after she has already decided that she is keeping Bottom in the woods. She insists that she change his mortal grossness to become more like her. She also tells them to tie his tongue. Is this love or infatuation? What does this say about the enchantment on her? Shouldn t true love be about acceptance not trying to change the person?

4 ACT THREE, SCENE TWO TOTAL CHAOS This scene requires careful movement and lines by the four lovers plus Oberon and Puck. Everyone ends up with someone or something that they cannot have. Oberon still wants the changeling boy and Puck wants Oberon to be happy. Why does Oberon want to help the lovers?

5 ACT THREE, SCENE TWO How are Puck and Oberon going to fix Puck s mistake? Why does Helena become angered when Demetrius professes his love for her? What does Hermia accuse Helena of? How close were Hermia and Helena in the past? What are Lysander and Demetrius going off to do? What is Oberon going to do about the two men and Titania? What does Puck do? How well does this work?

6 QUOTES TO KNOW Lord, what fools these mortals be ( ) These lines are spoken by Puck and are meant to help us remember the hapless workers that were just preparing their play. Now Puck and Oberon are watching over the four lovers as the scene plays out. How do the four lovers compare to the mechanicals? What is Shakespeare saying here? How can our private tragedies appear as comedies to those watching from afar?

7 HELENA S MONOLOGUE ( ) Helena gives a touching description of how close she and Hermia were when they were young, comparing them to divine creators, but also to two halves of a coat of arms, sharing hands, sides, voices, and minds. It sounds lovely or does it? Think back to when Helena was moaning that she wanted to trade places with Hermia earlier. Do you see a pattern? Is it healthy to lose yourself in another person like this?

8 QUOTES TO KNOW But we are spirits of another sort ( ) Oberon clearly means that they are good fairies not evil spirits in this line. They stand in the light where as evil spirits haunt the dark. He appears to be assuring us that he has good intentions. Is Oberon really that good of a fairy? Does he really understand the mortals he is dealing with? By applying these potions, is he helping them, or messing things up?

9 ACT FOUR, SCENE ONE What s Oberon reaction to Titania s infatuation? What is Theseus s first explanation for the lovers sleeping in the forest? Why does Demetrius compare his love for Hermia to a sickness? What is Theseus s decision? Why can t the four lovers be sure whether they are awake or dreaming? Bottom believes he has been dreaming as well. How is he going to use this dream to entertain the duke?

10 THE SPELL OF ENVY Oberon now has the changeling boy in his possession and can finally concede that making Titania fall for a human with a donkey s head is distasteful. This is a change in his early behavior when Puck told him the tale. We can infer, based on his previous behavior and actions, that he was under a spell himself one of envy and anger. How much do you think envy is a factor in both Oberon and Titania s fight, and the mess the young lovers get into?

11 REMEMBER WHEN Back in Act Two, Scene One, Helena was chasing Demetrius through the woods. They both used the word sick but with different connotations Helena = love sick; Demetrius = revolted/nauseated. Now Demetrius is saying, But like a sickness did I loathe this food ( ). What does he mean by this new connotation of sickness? Do you buy his excuse? Should you feel happy for Helena that she finally got what she wanted or is she better off with someone who doesn t need a spell on him to love her?

12 QUOTES TO KNOW And I have found Demetrius, like a jewel, / Mine own, and not mine own. ( ) Helena has spent the whole play chasing Demetrius and now has what she desires. But in this quote she is saying that he is hers and not hers. What is she really saying? What does this say about her character growth?

13 DREAMS With the four lovers they cannot seem to decide whether they are awake or dreaming. As they journey into Athens to wed, Demetrius suggests they share their dreams. Bottom wakes up and believes that everything that has happened was a dream. He decides to use this dream as entertain. Are we too believe that the whole story really wasn t real? Or is Shakespeare suggesting that dreams are more real than we think?

14 THE WOOD AND THE COURT In this scene, the two motifs (society and lawlessness) are put side by side. The lovers have changed and so does Theseus s ultimate decision into their fate. 1. What do these changes tell you about the interconnectedness of the wood and court? 2. Can either exist without the other?

15 ACT FOUR, SCENE TWO What opinion do the mechanicals have of Bottom? What do they regret the most about not being able to perform? How well do you think the play will go since they had no rehearsal time? How is Bottom different now from the beginning?

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