That Helena is a total bitch.I know the big draw for William Shakespeare's *A Midsummer Night's Dream* is all the fairy goings-on, but upon re-reading/re-listening to it for the umpteenth time, I was way more interested in the insane inner workings of Helena's mind.Ok, so get this.Hermia and Lysander are in love. But Hermia's dad wants her to marry Demetrius, and you know how dads can be about that sort of thing. For example, my husband really liked this boy that my oldest daughter dated several...

Lovers running from a disapproving father, a suitor chasing a woman who doesn't love him, all while being pursued by a woman who loves him, but he doesn't love her. – Sound familiar?Nothing particularly original, you might say. But then, there's also theatre and magic in the woods. Worlds collide in joyful chaos. Athenian tradesmen arrive to rehearse a play for the king's wedding. We encounter fairies and mischievous spirits, bewitchment, and a magical flower that bestows the power of instant lo...

\"And with her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him.How low am I? I am not yet so low But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.\"I felt that Hermia. Shakespeare's *A Midsummer Night's Dream* is a masterpiece for a reason. Even distilled down to a single, furious quote, the raw emotion leaps off the page. You can practically feel Hermia's heartbreak and rage, the sting of betrayal so sharp it makes you want to claw someone's eyes out right along with her. This isn't just reading; it'...

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” I got into plays after reading a few in my English class. They were really good, I enjoyed them. Ever since then, I've wanted to read more, and of course, Shakespeare's name always comes up first. I used to be intimidated by reading Shakespeare because of the old-fashioned English. But a few days ago, I decided to give it a try and use Google as my guide. And I can't even express how happy I am now! Even though it was hard to understand at first,...

William Shakespeare's *A Midsummer Night's Dream* is a cornerstone of classic literature. It can be a little challenging to get into at first, but once you adjust to the style, you'll find it's a wonderfully entertaining, beautiful, and delightfully confusing story about the ups and downs of love. A must-read for anyone interested in Shakespeare and theatre! Looking for classic book reviews? Then look no further!

Quick review, as I do for classics: This was my first time reading Shakespeare's *A Midsummer Night's Dream* on my own, and I kind of...saw that as a negative. I enjoy discussing Shakespeare in a classroom setting and feeling motivated to mark up the text and fully process it. I felt like I missed out on stuff here. Also, *A Midsummer Night's Dream* felt so short. Maybe it's my edition's fault, for being only 111 pages. Maybe it's how abrupt the ending was (and it *really* is). Or how one-dimen...

2nd Review:Wow, it's been about 10 years since my last read. Shame on me. **A Midsummer Night's Dream** is one of my all-time favorite plays. I absolutely love it. Still haven't seen it live on stage, though. Another shame on me.Reading **A Midsummer Night's Dream** this time, I noticed something I hadn't before. Oberon is a terrible husband. Seriously. Titania has a young boy she's keeping around – a child of a human friend – and Oberon wants this boy to raise as his servant. Titania flatly ref...

Shakespeare's **A Midsummer Night's Dream** remains one of his most beloved comedies. Though it's essentially a figment of the imagination, an illusion, a delusion, that's precisely its charm – such a delectable world to lose yourself in. At its heart, it's a love story between two couples, a simple plot device set in a mythical, idealized Athens. Lysander loves Hermia, and they wish to marry. However, her father, Egeus, disapproves, preferring a more 'suitable' groom – a common enough story, ad...

Shakespeare's guide to flirting, A Midsummer Night's Dream edition:- Run off with your sweetheart to a magical forest- Tag along with your friends to said forest with your ex, who you're still hung up on even though he's head over heels for someone else- Get bewitched by some magic flower potion and chase after the wrong girl until you're completely knackered- Compare your girl to an acorn (charming, right?)- Realize your ex is actually The One, even though you dumped her the second you stepped ...

Rereading *A Midsummer Night's Dream* this time around, I couldn't help but think of *The Magic Flute*. Like Mozart's opera, Shakespeare's play might have a plot that feels a bit silly, made up of fanciful and seemingly random elements. Yet, through sheer artistic brilliance, the framework of what could easily be just a mediocre masquerade is transformed by the tireless attention of a genius—and in Shakespeare's case, with sublime poetry—into a work of incredible resonance, a true archetypal myt...