Product Description

A young woman flees Athens with her lover, only to be pursued by her would-be husband and by her best friend. Unwittingly, all four find themselves in an enchanted forest where fairies and sprites soon take an interest in human affairs, dispensing magical love potions and casting mischievous spells. In this dazzling comedy, confusion ends in harmony, as love is transformed, misplaced, and - ultimately - restored.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8849 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Traditionally seen as one of Shakespeare's more romantic and enchanting plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream has more recently been seen as a darker and more sinister play than generations of schoolchildren have ever imagined. The play has usually been seen as a comical tale with confused identities and the fickleness of youthful love, as the young lovers, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena escape parental control and the "sharp Athenian law" of their elders by eloping into the forest outside the city. Unfortunately they stumble into civil war in fairyland, where King Oberon and Queen Titania fight over possession of a beautiful young Indian "changeling" boy. The appearance of the "rude mechanicals", a group of Athenian workers, including the weaver Nick Bottom, compounds the confusion. Chaos, confusion and "shaping fantasies" reign before the final settlement of the play, but underneath all the hilarity many critics have discerned more ambivalent attitudes towards coercive parental control, bestial sexuality and the destructive power of desire. These approaches in no way detract from the exquisite lyricism of many sections of the play, but make it a more complex and effective comedy than has often been appreciated. --Jerry Brotton

About the Author
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright of the 16th and 17 centuries, now widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the word's pre-eminent dramatist.

Customer Reviews

escapism at its best
If you are a fan of Shakespeare, then you will already love this enough to want your own copy. If not, there is no better place to start than with A Midsummer Night's Dream, it is a perfect example of Shakespearean comedy with characters you will love, mystery, romance and Shakespeare's best:a great deal witty, smutty jokes and plenty to keep everyone amused and in suspense.
Ideally, it is best to watch any play but being able to go over a text and see behind the 'show' enables a deeper and more profound understanding. Add it to your library!

Just what you need
The book contains everything you need when putting on a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, there is a small glossary at the back for Shakespearian words no longer used and longer explanations about the significance of beards if needed

For £2 you can't fault it. :)