A Midsummer Nights Dream - William Shakespeare - So You Haven't Read

Ready for some fairy-inspired drama? Then, A Midsummer Nights Dream has got you covered! As Oberon King of the Faeries cooks up a plan to win the love of Titania, the Fairy Queen. This seems pretty simple at first but quickly becomes complicated as Puck is instructed to meddle in the affairs of humans. After all, the course of true love, never runs smooth!

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♪ Intro music: "Coffee Beans" by Mike Wuerth
♪ Outro music: "So You Haven't Read Theme" by Tiffany Roman

#SoYouHaventRead #AMidsummerNightsDream #WilliamShakespeare

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[AegixDrakan]

Honestly, the best part of the play for me is how Oberon thinks he's managed to resolve everything, only to realize Puck gave the potions to the wrong people and now the whole thing has turned into a complete literal mud-slinging disaster.

And then he just looks at Puck and basically says "Either you're the most incompetent fairy in the world, or you're doing this s@#$ on *purpose!* " and Puck is there going "You said to use the potion on the two athenians in the woods, you didn't specify WHICH ones, how is this MY fault?! :o "

[richardb]

The hinge of the play is the line "Can you do me greater harm than hate me?" That's the great revelation of the play, everything else is just to entertain you.

[karendebbiejohnson]

"Cause you're a fairy.... I'm so using that line.

[jasonblalock]

I hope you get around to The Tempest someday. There's so much to dig into there, not to mention the (arguably) deconstructive plot structure.

[Loremastrful]

Midsummer Night's Dream always puts me in the mood for "Oscar" starring Sylvester Stallone. That and Gargoyles, but I suspect there will be a dozen shout outs to that fine show. Not nearly as many for Oscar.

[baliyae]

I saw a rendition of it done in Dead Poets Society. It was even referenced in shows like Gargoyles (which was really good, in my opinion) and Animaniacs, though that was a parody because Yakko poked fun at it as he translated it.

[Sasquatch_sightings]

Ah yes, Act 5 of Midsummer Night’s Dream, the original MST3K. I got to be Nick Bottom in college and that was SUCH a blast to do, even if I was the butt of several asinine jokes. 😉

[pattongilbert]

My class did this play back in 7th grade. As you would expect, it was chaos. XD The play at the end was even better than normal. The person playing the wall had just the WORST memory in the world, so the director had to shorten their speech. All they said was "I am the wall" when they entered and "I was the wall" when they left. Brilliant.😂
The other thing I remember well is the day when we found lightsabers backstage and had a couple intensely hilarious lightsaber duels. Well, until we got caught. XD

[ForeignManinaForeignLand]

Lawd I'm already getting PTSD from my performance in our high school rendition of this play. 😮‍💨

[reillycurran]

The lesson of the story is, fey be weird yo, don't mess with them if you can help it!

[pikmaniac]

In 10th grade, the teacher had the class read through this play with specific students acting specific characters... I can say form experience that Nick Bottom is a joy to narrate.

[turmaeac]

This is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays because we re-enacted this in my theater class when I was small

[hangebza]

One thing I find weird about people saying: "Oh you have not read shakespeare?" Or other plays is that they are not meant to be read. They are primarily meant to be watched in a play or else. You can still read them of course, I did so too on occasion. But its not what they are made for. Like who reads the script for Star Wars or else instead of watching the film?

Which is also why I find snobbish people who use these sentence or alternatives like "noone reads shakespeare these days anymore" to show how "cultured" quite irritating.

[violetwitch]

out of all Shakespeare story, this one is my fav for how chaos the plot line is but still understandable. many story plot that combine into one at the end like an actually movie these day do

[katherinevadney]

A GIFT FROM SHAKESPEARE BEYOND THE GRAVE: I have a test on this play on Monday

[ICountFrom]

I am particularly fond of the rather shortened retelling that's in the Elemental Mages books by Mercedes Lackey.
Though I will admit that the plot of that one season of GARGOYLES is pretty close in second place.

While I'm here:

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
If you pardon, we will mend:

And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends

[jopersoniusker]

Not only did I read it, I actually got to portray Puck during my college minor in Drama and Theatre, where we made our own production of this play. That was the most fun role I have ever played in my life. The thing was that the play could be no longer than 45 minutes, so we had to cut the first act which focused on Athens and gave us exposition on who Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena were. Thus, we had to write in one short scene in which the couples wander through the forest and Puck (being pretty well-traveled and knowledgeable of the earth because he can traverse it in 45 minutes) has to explain to another elf who these couples are, meaning that his "mix up" later on in the play, actually was all planned (he knew who of the men was who and whom they truly loved). This allowed me to play him as less mischievous and more.... well.... evil, which was so much fun to do

[tsukishimakei]

We just started a section on Midsummer Nights Dream at school! This was super useful and such perfect timing. Thank you Extra Credits! ❤❤❤

[lukasnovella]

Perfect timing! I wrote a one act with several characters in This play (Oberon, Titania, Puck) and we’re about to start rehearsing tomorrow!!