A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Summary

The course of true love never did run smooth...

Threatened with life in a convent or a death penalty, rebellious Hermia defies her father's wishes to marry Demetrius and plans to elope with her true love, Lysander. She confides in her best friend Helena, unaware that she secretly loves Demetrius. In the hopes of winning his heart, Helena confesses the plan to Demetrius and all four escape to the forest, setting in motion a night of magic and mayhem that will change them forever.

Deep in the forest, an argument between Oberon and Titania, the fairy king and queen, has unexpected consequences when the effects of a magical plant causes Titania to fall in love with an enchanted stranger. When the four lovers cross paths with the fairy king, the plant's magic is once again put to use, but a simple mistake results in a hilarious miscommunication.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most recognisable comedies; a mystical, magical tale of trickery, mischief and mistaken identity.

STAGED is a beautifully designed, six-part collection of Shakespeare's most beloved works and the archetypes that they popularised, celebrating the genius of the Bard and the tropes that remain present in best-selling YA titles to this day.

About the author

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, and was baptised on 26 April 1564. His father was a glove maker and wool merchant and his mother, Mary Arden, was the daughter of a well-to-do local land owner. Shakespeare was probably educated in Stratford’s grammar school. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway, and the couple had a daughter the following year and twins in 1585.

Shakespeare’s theatrical life seems to have commenced around 1590. We do know that he was part of the Lord Chamberlain’s Company, which was renamed the King’s Company in 1603 when James I succeeded to the throne. The Company acquired interests in two theatres in the Southwark area of London, near the banks of the Thames - the Globe and the Blackfriars.

Shakespeare’s poetry was published before his plays, with two poems appearing in 1593 and 1594, dedicated to his patron Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Most of Shakespeare’s sonnets were probably written at this time as well.

Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin to appear in 1594, and he produced roughly two a year until around 1611. His earliest plays include Henry VI and Titus Andronicus. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Richard II all date from the mid to late 1590s. Some of his most famous tragedies were written in the early 1600s; these include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Antony & Cleopatra. His late plays, often known as the Romances, date from 1608 onwards and include The Tempest.

Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. The first collected edition of his works was published in 1623 and is known as ‘the First Folio’.

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