In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare stages the workings of love.
Theseus and Hippolyta, about to marry, are figures from mythology. In
the woods outside Theseus's Athens, two young men and two young women
sort themselves out into couples--but not before they form first one
love triangle, and then another.
Also in the woods, the king and queen of fairyland, Oberon and Titania,
battle over custody of an orphan boy; Oberon uses magic to make Titania
fall in love with a weaver named Bottom, whose head is temporarily
transformed into that of a donkey by a hobgoblin or "puck," Robin
Goodfellow. Finally, Bottom and his companions ineptly stage the tragedy
of "Pyramus and Thisbe."
The authoritative edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream from The Folger
Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for
students and general readers, includes:
-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of
the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play's famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern
perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of
rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading
Essay by Catherine Belsey
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world's
largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for
Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions
open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full
calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit
Folger.edu.
