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William Shakespeare

Barbara A. Mowat

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Folger Shakespeare Library) Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 2004

by William Shakespeare (Author), Dr. Barbara A. Mowat (Editor), Paul Werstine Ph.D. (Editor)

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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.

Reading age

12 - 17 years
Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Grade level

7 - 12
Lexile measure

GN790L
Dimensions

4.19 x 0.6 x 6.75 inches
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

January 1, 2004
ISBN-10

0743477545
ISBN-13

978-0743477543
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Research emerita at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Consulting Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare’s Romances and of essays on Shakespeare’s plays and their editing.

Paul Werstine is Professor of English at the Graduate School and at King’s University College at Western University. He is a general editor of the New Variorum Shakespeare and author of Early Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of Shakespeare and of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare’s plays.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Updated edition (January 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743477545
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743477543
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ GN790L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 0.6 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #8,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Shakespeare Dramas & Plays
- #7 in British & Irish Dramas & Plays
- #26 in Comedic Dramas & Plays

Customer Reviews:
3,530 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		79%
4 star		12%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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William

Shakespeare must be rolling in his grave...absolute trash!

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

It's my own fault for having not read the description better however, I never thought anyone would feel as though they had the "moral" right to abridge and butcher Shakespeare...

I thought the terrible cover art was simple a poor choice by the publisher...

Live and learn, and know to never by a Baker Street book again unless I find the need for kindling for the fireplace...

I would not even buy this for a child in kindergarten...absolute trash...garbage...worthless!

The only reason I gave this "one star" is because there is no option for no star or less...

Let the buyer beware...read descriptions carefully or you will buy crap such as this... What a disappointment!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jeff

Beloved Play, Not Loved By Me

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021

Verified Purchase

I’m surprised I don’t like this play more. It’s a beloved Shakespeare play, and the play within the play is absolutely hilarious. All in all, though, I find the rhyme a bit awkward, and it doesn’t suit Shakespeare as well as his typical blank verse. I don’t get as much out of this play as I do other works by Shakespeare, and I think you can feel that it’s written earlier in his career. Still, it’s a beloved play, and I think it’s worth reading just to form your own opinion on it.

I don’t love the Folger’s edition. It places the notes on every left-hand page and the text of the play on every right-hand page. I find this visually distracting, and I think other editions are more readable, though this one is affordable.

One person found this helpful

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IkejaTop Contributor: Makeup

Midsummer indeed

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2020

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If you are a Shakespeare Fan, I definitely recommend you get this story, not only is this plus Macbeth my favorite Shakespeare stories and I find Midsummer Nights Dream hilarious but the "No Fear Shakespeare" book editions are really good cause it helps you understand what you are reading when you read the Shakespeare stories. So Recommend this for beginners just starting to read his stories.

2 people found this helpful

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Donal Wiese

Formatting could be better

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

A book that could have been so much better if it had been able to format itself differently. Having read any number of books that translate older English works so that a Modern reader can understand better what was intended or being described in the older work, something that is needed due to the shifts in language, there is a format that works well to keep things clear for the reader. This format is one where the older text is displayed on one side with the translation/explanations displayed on the other. This works out well helping the reader to keep track of what is going on without loosing the continuity of either text. In this case that format has not been used, instead the translation and any explanations come directly after the passage it is translating. Making it somewhat difficult to keep flow of the play in mind.

With the downside being to such a degree it would be thought that perhaps the book had no value, but this is not true. The book has a major upside for students who are new to Shakespeare and the language he uses for his plays. In this capacity it will help those who have not learned to appreciate or haven't adjusted to the older mode of expression an introduction to the joys of the world that Shakespeare brought to life in his plays. In this context the book is a valuable resource and one that can and will bring much joy to those who go to the effort to use it in the way it was meant to be used. It would be a very good companion to the books that were handed out in class for the reading of Midsummer Nights Dream.

Another bonus of this book over one that just translates the text into modern English is the fact that there are a number of explanations given to explain what the references/idioms mean in modern terms. Helping the reader to reason out the slang terms that Shakespeare used that would have been contemporary for his times, but have since lost their meaning. Also it includes a lot of information in regards to the background of the play as well as a full synopsis of the play. It also gives a run down of the characters and the major themes of the play both of which are quite important to the student who is assigned the play for a class.

So while the format is a distraction it doesn't keep the book from being quite useful.

4 people found this helpful

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Exquisite edition of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2011

Verified Purchase

I have been collecting the Calla Editions' books since 2009. My first purchase was Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Calla Editions) and I was so impressed with the quality (wonderful illustrations, superior binding, etc.) that I began collecting the Calla books. Each and every book has been a delight, and not only have these books enhanced my home library, they have been a joy to peruse and read over and over again.

Aside from the beautiful bindings, Calla Editions are also distinguished by the superior quality illustrations by renowned illustrators such as Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen, Chris Van Allsburg, etc. In Calla Editions' A Midsummer Night's Dream, the illustrations are by W. Heath Robinson. W. Heath was part of an illustrious family of illustrators which also comprised Thomas and Charles.

In this volume, W. Heath Robinson's magical illustrations are found not only throughout the book, but also on the half title, frontispiece, title page, etc. There are twelve color plates which evoke all the fantastic imagery of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, as well as the thirty-two full page black and white illustrations accompanied by quotes from the play.

This is indeed a treat for fans of Shakespeare's works as well as those who appreciate a fine, heirloom quality book.

15 people found this helpful

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VisualArtsGuy

pages fall out

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

I bought 10 of these paperbacks for a group reading, alas, two of them had pages that fell out. Bad binding? Made in USA, but that I guess, doesn't mean much these days. May be ok for an occasional reading, but not for stage reading. Stick to Samuel French for a sturdy copy.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Book covered in mud

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

My item arrived on time, outer packaging fine. Sadly the book itself was covered in mud. The front cover was covered in mud and I wiped it off and thought to myself that it should be fine once I wiped it. Sadly I then looked at the side of the book (page side up) and the majority of the pages are covered too.. for a brand new book I'm extremely disappointed. I'd normally return this however I need to read the book for a virtual audition I have soon. With all the germs lurking at the moment it really doesn't feel like a fresh, new book.

2 people found this helpful

Roman Clodia

"Thou art translated"

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is another excellent edition in this Oxford single-text series. The play itself is accompanied by copious on-page notes which push beyond mere linguistic gloss, and the introduction is admirably full. Holland starts with dream theory to contextualise the play but then ranges back through the three realms, Bottom's encounter with a form of divinity, and the play within a play.

Especially impressive is the range of bibliography absorbed and offered here, and the elucidation of intertextual references, from Ovid and Apuleius via Chaucer and sixteenth century texts.

All of this series has a robust sewn binding and thick pages making it perfect for academic study.

6 people found this helpful

Ms. Sl Denyer

A really engaging version

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

Love this version of the story and so did my class of 10 and 11 year olds! It was passed around more than any other book this year I think!

3 people found this helpful

Kevin Chamberlain

Inspired a 10 year old

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

A non interested ten year old girl read this, loved the art work and has now taken to spouting Shakespeare to us! Beats school lessons hands down.

4 people found this helpful

DrRheology Limited

A beautiful dream

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

I love this work in all of it's forms - Book, play, film , radio. Each brings a range of different nuances, and each leaves the observer grateful to have been here in this place.

One person found this helpful

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