Act 1
Whose wedding will be held in four days at the start of the play?
Theseus and Hippolyta
Who is the servant of Oberon, King of the Fairies?
Puck AKA Robin Goodfellow
The craftsmen go to the woods to practice their play. They fear the noble ladies in their audience will be frightened by two aspects of their play. Name one.
The lion’s roaring and Pyramus’ suicide.
Titania falls asleep with half-donkey Bottom in her arms. Oberon reverses the effects of the flower juice and when Titania awakes, she is disgusted by the sight of Bottom. Why did Oberon choose to “cure” her?
Oberon got what he wanted – the Indian prince as his knight.
After the three weddings, the Philostrate gives Theseus a few options of plays to watch and he chooses Pyramus and Thisbe. What is the Philostrate’s opinion of the play?
He thinks it’s terrible. He thinks the actors are all ill-suited to their roles and that the play drags on, even though it’s actually quite short.
Which play do the craftsmen decide to put on for the wedding?
The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe
Why are Oberon and Titania (Queen of the Fairies) at odds with one another in Act 2, Scene 1? Give two reasons.
Oberon accuses Titania of loving Theseus. Titania accuses Oberon of loving Hippolyta. Oberon wants Titania’s attendant, a young Indian prince, to be his knight.
Puck sees the craftsmen rehearsing and decides to play a prank. What is it?
He turns Nick Bottom’s head into that of a donkey.
One of the Athenian lovers wakes up in the morning cured of the flower juice’s effects. Which Athenian is cured?
Lysander
Quince delivers the prologue to the play. What is the issue with the prologue?
1) It is way too long, considering the length of the play itself.
2) He messes up the delivery of the prologue and ends up saying the opposite of what was intended.
What is the situation between the four lovers at the start of the play?
Lysander and Hermia love one another; Demetrius loves Hermia and is engaged to her; Helena loves Demetrius
Oberon tells Puck he is going to put the juice of a flower on Titania’s eyes while she sleeps. What will this flower juice do?
It will cause her to fall in love with the first being she lays eyes on.
When Titania awakes from her slumber, the flower juice works its magic. Who does it cause her to fall in love with?
She falls in love with the first being she sees – Nick Bottom.
Who finds the four sleeping Athenian lovers in the morning? Give three names.
Theseus (and his hounds), Hippolyta, and Egeus
In addition to Pyramus and Thisbe, what three other characters are featured in the play?
The Lion, Moonshine, and the Wall.
Egeus wants his daughter Hermia to marry Demetrius, but she does not want to. If Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, what are her other two options, according to Theseus and Athenian law?
Be put to death or become a nun
In the woods, Oberon sees Helena pursuing and professing her love to Demetrius, but Demetrius rebuffs her. What does Oberon decide to do about this?
He tells Puck to find an “Athenian youth” and put the flower juice in his eyes.
Oberon realizes Puck has messed up and put the flower juice on Lysander’s eyes instead of Demetrius’. He tries to fix this by putting the flower juice in Demetrius’ eyes, as originally intended. Who does Demetrius fall in love with when awakes? Why is this a problem?
Helena. This is problematic because Helena now has two suitors vying for her affections and Hermia now has none.
At the end of Act 4, who loves whom (amongst the four lovers)?
Demetrius and Helena love one another. Lysander and Hermia love one another.
Why do Oberon and Titania show up at the Athenian palace after the play is over?
They come to bless the marriages and marriage beds of all the newlyweds.
At the end of Act 1, Scene 1, what do Lysander and Hermia plan to do?
They plan to run away together to Lysander’s aunt’s house, outside of Athens and therefore not under Athenian law, so that they may be married.
Hermia and Lysander get lost in the woods and decide to rest. Why does this become a problem?
It gives Puck the opportunity to put the flower juice on Lysander’s eyes (instead of Demetrius’), which causes him to fall in love with Helena (instead of Hermia) when he awakes.
How does Helena react to both men being in love with her? How does Hermia react?
Helena thinks the men (and Hermia) are mocking her. Hermia is perplexed and incredulous; she reasons that Lysander must have fallen in love with Helena because Helena is taller than her.
What dilemma do Quince and the other craftsmen discuss in Act 4, Scene 2?
Nick Bottom is still missing and they don’t know how their play will be able to go on without him as their Pyramus.
Puck addresses the actual audience at the end of the play in a sort of epilogue. Summarize his epilogue.
He asks that the audience remember the play as a dream if the play has in any way offended the viewers. He also asks for applause if they enjoyed it.