Children - Entertainment & Performing Arts, General & Miscellaneous Drama, Drama - Literary Criticism, Fiction & Literature Classics, Theater - History & Criticism, Film History & Criticism, General & Miscellaneous Literary Criticism, Children - Fiction &
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Overview
Shakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of labourers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny.Editorials
From the Publisher
"A fine example of judicious editorial writing. Foakes guides the reader securely and fluently through the critical and scholarly disputes that have accumulated around the play. He manages to be informative without being patronizing, and detached with out failing to offer opinions." The Times Higher Education SupplementChildren's Literature -
The challenge of getting teenagers to read any of Shakespeare's plays is made easier by packaging them with fan fiction interpretations of a number of the scenes. Part of the "Love Casts a Spell" series, this accessible version of one of Shakespeare's most popular and most frequently performed plays encourages readers to take liberties with the characters and the scenes and re-imagine them to their liking. The result is a charming collection of entertaining vignettes following a traditional rendering of the play. The play itself follows a twenty-four hour period in the lives of three couples; Lysander who is in love with Hermia whose father has promised her to Demetrius; Helena who is in love with Demetrius who has forsaken her for Hermia, and Theseus and Hippolyta who are in love with each other. Mix in a group of faeries and a misapplied enchantment and the result is a delightful tale of happy endings. The fan adaptations are equally entertaining, ranging in length from brief scenes to short stories and teenaged readers may read them first before trying the original play. Additional backmatter includes a list of little known facts about Shakespeare and a fun quiz. Recommended. Reviewer: Ellen WeltyBook Details
Published
March 25, 2013
Publisher
The Planet
Pages
102
Format
Audiobook
ISBN
9781909115514