A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is a reprint edition published by Simon and Schuster in August 2004. This 256-page work explores the complexities of love through the intertwining stories of characters such as Theseus, Hippolyta, and the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania. Set against the backdrop of Athens and its surrounding woods, the narrative unfolds as young lovers navigate their relationships, while magical elements complicate their journeys.
Readers will find a freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play, accompanied by full explanatory notes and scene-by-scene plot summaries. This edition also includes a key to the play’s famous lines, an introduction to Shakespeare’s language, and an insightful essay by a leading scholar, providing a modern perspective on the themes of drama and love. Enhanced with images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s extensive collection, this edition serves as a valuable resource for both students and general readers interested in Shakespeare’s work.
Official synopsis Publisher
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.
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