A Midsummer Night's Dream Manual (Access to Shakespeare) [Paperback]

Jonnie Patricia Mobley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Access to Shakespeare | Publication Date: July 1, 2010

This manual offers a wealth of instructional tools, including background information on Shakespeare's sources, his life, his theater, and stage directions; suggestions for teaching the play; detailed summaries of every scene; questions and answers for every act; an annotated bibliography; a guide to pronouncing proper names; a Shakespearean time line; and and alphabetical glossary of terms.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Are you frustrated by obscure words and unidiomatic phrases in Shakespeare's plays? The new "Access to Shakespeare" series removes the mystery, not the magic, from A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, and makes reading or studying a breeze. This translation of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM into contemporary English -- alongside the original text -- has modernized the difficult passages and expressions which used to make Shakespeare's language such heavy weather.

This unique translation is NOT a literal-minded prose version. It retains the feel and the rhythm of the original, letting you experience the play in the same enjoyable way an Elizabethan audience did. The text is immediately clear to today's readers, making those tedious footnotes unnecessary. You'll find easy-to-follow line numbering, and a glossary of place names and mythological references.

Are you a high school or junior-college student working on an assignment? Do you wish to preview the play before a performance, or are you perhaps learning English as a Second Language? This translation is ideal for you. You will never again hesitate to read A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM because you're mystified by lines such as, "You, mistress, all this coil is long of you." The facing page of this edition of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM makes clear what Shakespeare meant, "You, miss, all this trouble is because of you."

The translation reads like a modern book and it's fascinating. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Jonnie Patricia Mobley, Ph.D., editor and translator of the new "Access to Shakespeare" series, has taught theatre and drama at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California, and has directed the community theater there.

Because of her extensive theatrical experience, Dr. Mobley is familiar with the hesitation of modern readers to "tackle" Shakespeare. She recognized a great need to make it easier for students and adults alike to understand obscure words and phrases in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. This, in turn, gave rise to the creation of the translation into contemporary English.

To make additional in-depth information on A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM available, this manual/study guide was created. It is Dr. Mobley's wish that modern readers enjoy this play in the same way an Elizabethan audience did.

Jonnie Patricia Mobley is also the author of "Play Production Today" ( ISBN 0844257753) and "The Dictionary of Theatre and Drama Terms" ( ISBN 0844253332).

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Lorenz Educational Press; 2 Revised edition (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885564074
• ISBN-13: 978-1885564078
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,528,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great edition, July 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream Manual (Access to Shakespeare) (Paperback)

This edition was very helpful to me because I didn't always understand what the original text meant, so reading the modern version right after the old version was very helpful. The book was one of my favorites - it's such a comedy! The characters are so unique and interesting. I definitely reccomend this book to everyone - it's short and doesn't take long to read, but so lasting and classic!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great edition, July 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream Manual (Access to Shakespeare) (Paperback)

This edition was very helpful to me because I didn't always understand what the original text meant, so reading the modern version right after the old version was very helpful. The book was one of my favorites - it's such a comedy! The characters are so unique and interesting. I definitely reccomend this book to everyone - it's short and doesn't take long to read, but so lasting and classic!

4.0 out of 5 stars read it!, October 22, 1999

By 

sally sue (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream Manual (Access to Shakespeare) (Paperback)

I am not a very big reader. I read this book and fell in love with it. It has a lot of everthing:romance, comedy,and pure poetry. After reading the story, my class and I put on a play of this book, everyone enjoyed it of all ages. So if you are not a big reader like me read this book you will change your mind.