A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Characters
Theseus: Duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta; represents power and order.
Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons, is engaged to Theseus, who won her in battle; represents order.
Philostrate: Theseus’s Master of the Revels; organizes the entertainment for the Theseus’s wedding.
Egeus: Hermia’s father; goes to Theseus for help in getting Hermia to obey him; wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, but she is in love with Lysander.
Hermia: Egeus’s daughter; in love with Lysander and childhood friend of Helena. As a result of the fairies’ mischief with Oberon’s love potion, both Lysander and Demetrius suddenly fall in love with Helena. Self-conscious about her short stature, Hermia suspects that Helena has wooed the men with her height. By morning, however, Puck has sorted matters out with the love potion, and Lysander’s love for Hermia is restored.
Helena: Hermia’s friend; in love with Demetrius; was engaged to Demetrius until he met Hermia and abandoned Helena. Helena has low self esteem and thinks Demetrius and Lysander are mocking her when the fairies’ mischief causes them both to fall in love with her.
Demetrius: Egeus’ choice for Hermia; loves Hermia at the beginning of the play, later Helena.
Lysander: in love with Hermia, whose father wants her to marry Demetrius. Lysander and Hermia run away into the forest where Lysander becomes the victim of misapplied magic and wakes up in love with Helena.
Oberon: King of the Fairies; argues with wife Titania about Indian changeling he wants for a knight. Oberon sends Puck to get love-potion flower to trick Titania. Puck makes mistakes and confuses all the lovers.
Titania: Queen of the Fairies; argues with Oberon about the changeling. When Puck puts the potion on Titania’s eyes, she falls in love with Bottom, who has the head of an ass.
Puck: Oberon’s jester; also known as Robin Goodfellow; a mischievous fairy who likes playing pranks on mortals. He mistakenly puts the love potion on Lysander instead of Demetrius and causes all the chaos in the play.
Bottom: Funniest character; an overconfident weaver who plays Pyramus; gives advice, makes silly mistakes, and misuses language. Puck turns his head into an ass’s head and Titania falls in love with him.
Quince: A carpenter; leader of the craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. Flute: A bellows-mender; plays Thisbe in the craftsmen’s play; forced to play a young girl in love; speaks his lines in a high, squeaky voice.
Starveling: A tailor; is to play Thisbe’s mother in the craftsmen’s play; ends up playing Moonshine. Snout: A tinker; is to play Pyramus’s father in the craftsmen’s play; ends up playing the part of Wall, dividing the two lovers.
Snug: A joiner; is to play the lion in the craftsmen’s play; Snug worries his roaring will frighten the ladies in the audience.
Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed: Fairies ordered by Titania to attend to Bottom after she falls in love with him.
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MAJOR MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM ASSIGNMENT
If done on paper, DUE Friday December 16; if done on a blog/website, DUE December 30/11.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose three of the characters below. Pick three passages for each character that clearly show their character. Explain what happens before the passage and after the passage, indicating why it is important in the play. Create a visual representation of the three characters (drawing, collage)
Theseus: Duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta
Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons, is engaged to Theseus
Philostrate: Theseus’s Master of the Revels
Egeus: Hermia’s father
Hermia: Egeus’s daughter; in love with Lysander and childhood friend of Helena
Helena: Hermia’s friend; in love with Demetrius
Demetrius: Egeus’ choice for Hermia
Lysander: in love with Hermia, whose father wants her to marry Demetrius.
Oberon: King of the Fairies
Titania: Queen of the Fairies
Puck: Oberon’s jester
Bottom: Funniest character; an overconfident weaver
Quince: A carpenter
Flute: A bellows-mender
Starveling: A tailor
Snout: A tinker
Snug: A joiner
Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed: Fairies
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IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT. As Hermia, write a note/text/or twitter message to Helena discussing your feelings about Demetrius, Lysander, and Helena. Your message should reflect Hermia and Helena’s conversation in Act 3 Scene 2. Due November 24/11
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