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Exploring Shakespeare
Hamlet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream
For Teachers
Home | A Midsummer Night's Dream: Languages and themes | Enchantment

Languages and
themes

Director's cut
The text
Fairies and mortals
Chaos and harmony
Historical context
The play within the play

Enchantment

Who's this? Joe Dixon plays Oberon, Amanda Harris plays Titania, Malcolm Storry plays Bottom.

This movie is in four sections:
The argument is playing | The plan | The spell | The effect

Context: Titania and Oberon's argument is the basis for all the enchantment in the play. How many spells are there?

  • Spell 1 On Titania to love something gross when she wakes
  • Spell 2 Puck finds the wrong man and makes Lysander love Helena
  • Spell 3 The transformation of Bottom
  • Spell 4 Oberon enchants the right man and Demetrius loves Helena - but Helena now thinks it's a joke

Spell 2, 1 and then 3 are reversed and Lysander, Titania and Bottom restored and the mortals given restful sleep. What happens to Demetrius?

Fairies and mortals

A caring spirit
Enchantment
See the fairies
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