Setting

Click on the images below to find out more about the setting of A Midsummer Night's Dream and what we know about the world the play is set in.
  • A Midsummer Night_s Dream_ A Play for the Nation production photos_ February 2016_2016_Photo by Topher McGrillis _c_ RSC_184211
    The Court is ruled by Duke Theseus and Athens is getting ready for his wedding.
  • A Midsummer Night_s Dream _2005_Unrecorded _c_ RSC_89144
    Athens is an urban place where workers live as well as the nobles of the court.
  • A Midsummer Night_s Dream_ 2011_Ellie Kurttz _c_ RSC_132996
    Oberon and Titania have argued over a little ‘changeling boy’ and are angry with each other.
  • A Midsummer Night_s Dream_ 2008_Photo by John Haynes _c_ RSC_48797
    The woods are wild. Magic exists in the forest and can be wielded by fairies.
  • A Midsummer Night_s Dream_ A Play for the Nation production photos_ February 2016_2016_Photo by Topher McGrillis _c_ RSC_184344
    There are strict rules in Athens that allow fathers to decide who their daughters will marry.
  • A Midsummer Night_s Dream_ 2008_ Titania and Oberon_2008_Photo by John Haynes _c_ RSC_48743
    There is a hierarchy in the forest. Oberon and Titania rule and have fairies as servants and subjects.

A Midsummer Night's Dream takes place across two settings: the court of Athens and the woods. Every production will have these two settings, but they could be staged in lots of ways. For example, it could be set in the 1930s or at a festival. 

Why do you think it might be helpful for modern audiences to change the world of a play? What worlds can you think of where A Midsummer Night's Dream might be set?

Teacher Notes

On this page students can explore some of the key things that we know about the setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by clicking on the pictures.

You can use these pictures, or other images, as a starting point to discuss what they know about the setting of the play and to think about where they would set the play if they were creating their own production. A great way of doing this visually is for students to create a mood board or collage of images that could be used as design inspiration.

The section on design in the Teacher Notes on the Productions page develops on this and asks students to think about the approach they might take to designing a production and what to consider.