A Midsummer Night's Dream: Context

This 28-slide lesson introduces the background and context of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

We begin with a series of posters, asking students to ‘judge a book by its cover’ and guess what the play might be about based on the images. We then dissect the play’s title, thinking about dreams, midsummer, and madness.

Students are introduced to Shakespeare’s life and work before delving into the genre of comedy and its recurring features. Life in Shakespeare’s England - particularly for women - is discussed.

We read and watch a summary of the play before considering the significance of the play’s setting. In addition, students explore some famous paintings inspired by the play in order to further discuss what the play might be about.

Key themes and ideas about love and transformation are explored. Students are then given some ambitious vocabulary to define, using a dictionary (online or otherwise).

Common attributes of Shakespeare’s stagecraft are explained, while images from the play onstage and on film are presented.

The lesson ends with a research task inspired by Shakespeare’s theatre.

This lesson is ideal for students aged 11-14. PowerPoint saved as PDF.