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(1600)]] ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Romantic Comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with Fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. SOURCE There is no known source for the plot of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', although individual elements can be traced to classical literature; for example, the story of Pyramus And Thisbe is told in Ovid 's '' Metamorphoses '' and the transformation of Bottom into an Ass is descended from Apuleius ' '' The Golden Ass ''; Shakespeare would have studied both texts at school. In addition, Shakespeare could have been working on '' Romeo And Juliet '' at about the same time that he wrote the ''Dream'', and it is possible to see Pyramus and Thisbe as a comic reworking of the tragic play. A further, frequently ignored source is '' The Knight's Tale '' in Chaucer 's Canterbury Tales . {Link without Title} DATE AND TEXT It is not known exactly when ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' was written or first performed, but, on the basis of topical references and an allusion to Spenser's ''Epithalamion'', it is usually dated in 1595 or 1596. Some have theorized that the play might have been written for an aristocratic wedding; numerous such weddings took place in 1596, while others suggest it was written for the Queen to celebrate the feast day of St. John, but no concrete evidence exists to link the play with either of them. In either case, it would also have been performed at The Theatre , and, later, The Globe in London . The play was entered into the Register of the Stationers Company on Oct. 8, 1600 by the bookseller Thomas Fisher, who published the First Quarto edition later that year. A Second Quarto was printed in 1619 by William Jaggard, as part of his so-called False Folio . The play next appeared in print in the First Folio of 1623. The title page of Q1 states that the play was "sundry times publicly acted" prior to 1600. The first performance known with certainty occurred at Court on January 1, 1604. PERFORMANCE HISTORY 17th and 18th centuries During the years of the Puritan Interregnum when the theatres were closed (1642-60), the comic subplot of Bottom and his compatriots was performed as a "droll." Drolls were comical playlets, often adapted from the subplots of Shakespearean and other plays, that could be attached to the acts of acrobats and jugglers and other allowed performances, thus circumventing the ban against drama. When the theatres re-opened in 1660, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' was acted in adapted form, like many other Shakespearean plays. Samuel Pepys saw it on Sept. 29, 1662, and thought it "the most insipid, ridiculous play that ever I saw...."F. E. Halliday, ''A Shakespeare Companion 1564-1964,'' Baltimore, Penguin, 1964; pp. 142-3 and 316-17. After the Jacobean/Caroline era, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' was never performed in its entirety until the 1840s. Instead, it was heavily adapted in forms like Henry Purcell 's musical masque/play ''The Fairy Queen'' (1692), which was not revived after its initial performance at the Dorset Garden Theatre . Richard Leveridge turned the Pyramus and Thisbe scenes into an Italian opera burlesque, acted at Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1716. John Frederick Lampe elaborated upon Leveridge's version in 1745. Charles Johnson had used the Pyramus and Thisbe material in the finale of ''Love in a Forest'', his 1723 adaptation of '' As You Like It .'' In 1755, David Garrick did the opposite of what had been done a century earlier: he extracted Bottom and his companions and acted the rest, in an adaptation called ''The Fairies.'' Frederic Reynolds produced an operatic version in 1816.Halliday, pp. 255, 271, 278, 316-17, 410. The Victorian stage In 1840, Madame Vestris at Covent Garden returned the play to the stage with a relatively full text, but padded it out greatly with musical sequences and balletic dances. Vestris took the role of Oberon, and for the next seventy years, Oberon and Puck would always be played by women. After the success of Vestris' production, Nineteenth Century Theatre continued to treat the ''Dream'' as an opportunity for huge spectacle, often with a cast numbering nearly one hundred. Huge, detailed sets were created for the palace and the forest, and the fairies tended to be envisaged as gossamer-winged ballerinas. The much-loved overture by Felix Mendelssohn was always used throughout this period, with the text often being cut to provide greater space for music and dance. Augustin Daly 's production opened in 1895 in London and ran for 21 performances. The special effects were constructed by the famous Martinka Magic Company, which was later owned by Houdini . Herbert Beerbohm Tree staged a 1911 production with live rabbits. Granville-Barker and Max Reinhardt In the early twentieth century, a reaction against this huge spectacle emerged. Innovative director n idols. This increased simplicity and emphasis on directorial imagination has dominated subsequent ''Dreams'' on the stage. Max Reinhardt staged ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' thirteen times between 1905 and 1934, introducing a revolving set. After he fled Germany he devised a more spectacular outdoor version at the Hollywood Bowl , in September 1934. The shell was removed and replaced by a "forest" planted in tons of dirt hauled in especially for the event, and a trestle was constructed from the hills to the stage. The wedding procession inserted between Acts IV and V crossed a trestle with torches down the hillside. The cast included John Davis Lodge , William Farnum , Sterling Holloway , 18-year-old Olivia De Havilland , and Mickey Rooney , with Erich Wolfgang Korngold 's orchestrations of Mendelssohn. (The young Austrian composer would go on to make a Hollywood career.) On the strength of this production, Warner Brothers signed Reinhardt to direct a filmed version, Hollywood's first Shakespeare event since Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford's '' Taming Of The Shrew '' (1929). Rooney (Puck) and De Havilland (Hermia) were the only hold-overs from the cast. Brook and after Another landmark production was that of Peter Brook in 1970. Brook swept away every tradition associated with the play, staging it in a blank white box, in which masculine fairies engaged in Circus tricks such as Trapeze artistry. Brook also introduced the subsequently popular idea of doubling Theseus/Oberon and Hippolyta/Titania, as if to suggest that the world of the fairies is a mirror version of the world of the mortals. Since Brook's production, directors have felt free to use their imaginations freely to decide for themselves what the play's story means, and to represent that visually on stage. In particular, there has been an increased amount of sexuality on stage, as many directors see the 'palace' as a symbol of restraint and repression, while the 'wood' can be a symbol of wild, unrestrained sexuality, which is both liberating and terrifying. CHARACTERS
SYNOPSIS ]] The play features three interlocking plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazonian queen Hippolyta . In the opening scene, Hermia refuses to comply with her father Egeus's wish for her to marry his chosen man, Demetrius. In response, Egeus quotes before Theseus an ancient Athenian law whereby a daughter must marry the suitor chosen by her father, or else face death or lifelong chastity worshipping Diana as a Nun . (The word 'nun' in this sense is an Anachronism ). Hermia and her lover Lysander therefore decide to elope by escaping through the forest at night. Hermia informs her best friend Helena, but Helena has recently been rejected by Demetrius and decides to win back his favour by revealing the plan to him. Demetrius, followed doggedly by Helena, chases Hermia. Hermia and Lysander, believing themselves safely out of reach, sleep in the woods. Meanwhile, Oberon , king of the fairies, and his queen, Titania , arrive in the same forest to attend Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding. Oberon and Titania are estranged because Titania refuses to give her Indian page-boy to Oberon for use as his "knight" or "henchman," since the child's mother was one of Titania's worshippers. Oberon seeks to punish Titania's disobedience and recruits the mischievous Puck (also called Hobgoblin and Robin Goodfellow ) to help him apply a magical juice from a flower called "love-in-idleness," which makes the victim fall in love with the first living thing he sees when he awakens. He instructs Puck to make Titania fall in love with some vile creature. Oberon applies the juice to Titania in order to distract her and force her to give up the page-boy. Having seen Demetrius act cruelly toward Helena, Oberon orders Puck to spread some of the juice on the eyelids of the young Athenian man. Instead, Puck puts the juice on the eyes of Lysander, who then falls in love with Helena. When Oberon finds this out, he makes Puck apply the juice to Demetrius. Due to Puck's errors, Hermia's two lovers temporarily turn against her in favor of Helena. Helena, however, is convinced that her two suitors are mocking her, as neither loved her originally. The four pursue and quarrel with each other all night, losing themselves in the dark and in the maze of their romantic entanglements. Meanwhile, a band of lower-class labourers ("rude mechanicals", as they are famously described by Puck) have arranged to perform a crude play about Pyramus And Thisbe for Theseus' wedding, and venture into the forest, near Titania's Bower , for their rehearsal. Nick Bottom , a stage-struck Weaver , is spotted by Puck, who transforms his head into that of an ass (donkey). Titania is awoken by Bottom's singing, and she immediately falls in love with him. She treats him as if he is a nobleman and lavishes attention upon him. While in this state of devotion, she encounters Oberon and casually gives him the Indian boy. Having achieved his goals, Oberon releases Titania and orders Puck to remove the ass's head from Bottom. The magical enchantment is removed from Lysander but is allowed to remain on Demetrius, so that he may reciprocate Helena's love. The fairies then disappear, and Theseus and Hippolyta arrive on the scene, during an early morning hunt. They wake the lovers and, since Demetrius doesn't love Hermia anymore, Theseus over-rules Egeus's demands and arranges a group wedding. The lovers decide that the night's events must have been a dream. After they all exit, Bottom awakes, and he too decides that he must have experienced a dream "past the wit of man."In Athens, Theseus, Hippolyta and the lovers watch the mechanicals perform "Pyramus and Thisbe." It is ridiculous and badly performed but gives everyone pleasure regardless, and after the mechanicals dance a Bergomask (rustic dance), everyone retires to bed. Finally, as night falls, Oberon and Titania bless the house, its occupants, and the future children of the newlyweds, and Puck delivers a soliloquy to the audience. ADAPTATIONS AND CULTURAL REFERENCES Literary
Comics:
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Musical versions Incidental music: An Overture inspired by the play was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1826, intended for concert performance. In 1843, because of the fame of the overture, he was commissioned to write Incidental Music for a German stage production of the play. The Overture was also added to it, and both were used in most stage versions through the nineteenth century. Mendelssohn's music was also used in George Balanchine 's ballet adaptation of the play. Another ballet adaptation was made by the great choreographer Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia with additional music and adaptations to Mendelssohn's score by Léon Minkus . The revival premiered July 14, 1876. Among Mendelssohn's incidental pieces is his Wedding March , used most often today as a recessional in Western weddings. Games:In the Sims 2 in the city of Veronaville there are families with the characters of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Opera: The Play Was Adapted Into An Opera , with music by Benjamin Britten and libretto by Britten and Peter Pears . The Opera was first performed on June 1 , 1960 , at Aldeburgh . Semi-opera: '' The Fairy-Queen '' by Henry Purcell consists of a set of Masque s meant to go between acts of the play, as well as some minimal rewriting of the play to be current to 17th century audiences. Musical: A Musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream entitled "Midnight Madness" is being workshopped in July 2007 at NJPAC. It is set in the present day and most of the action takes place in Central Park and Gracie Mansion in New York City. The Book and Lyrics are by Cynthia Meryl and the Music is by Jack Bender. The musical is slated to premiere in Summer 2008. Film adaptations :''See also Shakespeare On Screen (A Midsummer Night's Dream) The Shakespeare play has inspired several movies. The following are the best known.
Anime: In 2005, '' XxxHolic -A Midsummer's Night Dream '' was released in theaters. It shared slight similarities with the play. ''Dead Poets Society:'' The tragic protagonist of the movie '' Dead Poets Society '', Neil Perry ( Robert Sean Leonard ), was cast as Puck in a local production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We only see a few frames of his performance, including the ending monologue which could be interpreted as a literary device used by the writer ( Tom Schulman ) to emphasize his unsuccessful plea to his father. Disney shorts: ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' was adaptated into a Disney short starring Mickey Mouse , Minnie Mouse , Donald Duck , and Daisy Duck as Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena, respectively. In the end, the story is revealed to be a dream that Mickey has during a picnic. This short was featured in Disney's "Mickey Mouse Works" and "House of Mouse" Disney's animated series '' Gargoyles '' featured many characters from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, including Oberon, Titania, and, most prominently, Puck. In this series, Puck actually takes the form of Owen, loyal assistant to the main villain Xanatos. Later, Puck becomes the tutor for Xanatos' quarter-fae son, Alex. He is wily, sprightly, and willing to have fun at the expense of others. ''Get Over It:'' The 2001 Film stars Kirsten Dunst (Kelly Woods/Helena), Ben Foster (Berke Landers/Lysander), Melissa Sagemiller (Allison McAllister/Hermia) and Shane West (Bentley 'Striker' Scrumfeld/Demetrius) in a "teen adaptation" of Shakespeare's play. The characters are set in high school, and in addition to some similarities in plot, there is a sub-plot involving the main characters acting in a musical production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. ''A Midsummer Night's Rave:'' The 2002 Film was a modern take on ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. The film takes place at a Rave . Television The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody : There was an episode in the 2nd season called ''A Midsummer's Nightmare'' (first aired August 11, 2006), in which the title twins' school put on this play, but it ends up as a wreck because some students' characters have to kiss other student's boyfriend/girlfriend. Lexx : In episode 11 of season 4, titled " A Midsummer's Nightmare " (first aired on January 22, 2002), the main characters of the show sought out Oberon's help. They were trapped inside Oberon's domain until Titania, who was depicted as a very small man in a dress, saved them. Reba : In episode 11 of season 1, there is an episode called 'A Mid-semester Night's Dream' (first aired January 25, 2002) where Reba gets a job substitute teaching at Van and Cheyenne's school, only to get fired after giving misinterpreted advice about premarital sex to a young teen couple. Eureka : In Before I Forget (Eureka) from season 1, Zoe Carter (Eureka Character) joins a production of 'A Midsummer Night's Invasion' in the role of Puck. : One of the episodes is called "A Midsummer Night's Scream!". Malcolm In The Middle : Malcolm plays Puck in a school production of the play May To December : Two of the characters go to see ''Bottoms Up'', a fictional musical based on the play, in which Bottom has a song "From the Bottom of my Heart". The Golden Girls : In an episode of the seventh season called " A Midwinter Night's Dream " (first aired February 29, 1992), Dorothy quotes Puck, and at the end recites his final soliloquy. Frasier : Episode 17 of the 1st season is named "A Midwinter Night's Dream", and concerns Niles relationship/feelings for his wife, Maris, and Daphne. Niles makes an attempt to spice up his lovelife with Maris, which seriously backfires, causing Maris to go away for a while. As Niles then tries to make things up to Maris with a romantic dinner he winds up alone with Daphne at the mansion in the middle of a rainstorm. To make matters even worse Daphne arrived at the mansion soaking wet from the storm and the only dry clothes in the house that fits her are a rather delicate negligé of Maris'. Princess Tutu : Episodes 24 and 25 (Act 19) feature Hermia and Lysander as secondary characters REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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