Ava Scott
Production Dramaturg
Emma Fath
Production Dramaturg
Hello everyone! We are so delighted to be working with all of you and this is the Dramaturgy Website for Loyola University of Chicago’s Spring 2026 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the great Shakespeare himself! Here you will find all the information you need such as understanding the world of the play. This is a working document and if you have any questions please be free to contact us! We’ll be happy to find what you need to better understand! We can’t wait!
Contact Information:
Emma Fath: efath@luc.edu
Ava Scott: ascott18@luc.edu
Welcome!
Table of Contents
About the Author
A poet and actor, Shakespeare was part of the renaissance era between 1564-1616. During his time alive Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and narrative poems. It took Shakespeare until 1593 to start putting his name on the map where he joined the Lords Chamberlian Men later the group would change their name to the Kings Men in 1603 in honor of James I. He would write his plays in his estate up in Stratfor and come to London to perform with his group. In 1599 the famous Globe Theater was finally built where his first play called Julis Cears that would everntually sent him down the path of success. Even Queen Elizabeth I was supportive despite never attending a performace herself. Shakespeare writing has lot of themes of historical relevance, tragedy , and comedy similar to those in ancient Greece. Shakespeare used a conventional style while using metaphors as well as rhetorical phrases. Shakespeare has impacted the world greatly as he has written over 1,700 new words during his time that some we still use in the modern english language. Though Shakespeare’s death is uncertain for how he died his legacy staysone of the strongest into days world and how he has impacted not onlt theater but the modern day world.
Summary and Major Plot Points!
On the eve of Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding in Athens, a young woman named Hermia is told she must marry Demetrius of face death. Because she is completely and deeply in love with Lysander instead, the two lovers decide to escape the rules of the city and run away together through the enchanted forest. They are secretly followed but Demetrius, who is determined to win Hermia, and Helena, who is completely in love with Demetrias.
Inside the forest, a second world is unearthed, the realm of the fairies. The fairy king and queen Oberon and Tatania are locked in a huge argument. Their argument is so intense that it throws the natural world into chaos. The seasons, weather, and the overall balance of nature is disturbed. The fairies are in full influence of the environment throughout the play.
To regain control, Oberon sends his servant Puck, a mischievous, quick and playful spirit, to use a magical flower which makes any person fall in love with the first person they lay eyes on. However, Puck messed up Oberon plan and accidentally made both Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena, leaving Hermia completely betrayed. The fairies, especially Puck become the invisible creatures that create chaos.
Meanwhile, Oberon uses the same magic on Tatania so that she wakes up and falls in love with Botton, a weaver who is rehearsing the play Pryamus and Thisbe for Thesus and Hippolyta’s wedding. However, Puck joking turned Bottom’s head into that of a donkey, so Tatian is completely infatuated by a half donkey man.
Eventually, Oberon realizes the mess that Puck had created and make both Lysander and Hermia fall in love again, ends the romance between Tatiana and Bottom, removing Bottom’s donkey head and Tatiana and Oberon’s love is rekindled. Harmony in the fairy world was restored therefore restoring the piece in all of nature.
By dawn, the lovers are correctly paired: Hermia with Lysander, Helena with Demetrius and Thesus overrules the harsh law allowing each partnership to marry who they truly ove. The story ends back in the real with with a hilarious yet heartfelt perfmace of Pyramus and Thisbe and the Trimble wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta’s, Hermia and Lysander and Helena and Demetrius. After the wedding, Puck steps forward, breaking the fourth wall, to suggest that if anything seemed too strange or wild, we could simply imagine the entire play was nothing more than a dream.
Love
Midsummer has many themes through out the play as well as symbolism to understand the true meaning behind the art of Shakspeare.
In Midsummer we learn love can be fickle and be shown as untrue in circumstances. Though love love can be false, its true love thats earn that can endure extreme obstacles and survive in the end. Weather its forbideen or established in the story, in the end its the pure form of love that wins.
Oberon and Titania are jealous of each other and so are the lovers when they fled to the forest. In the play jealosly only leads to conflict, anger, and pain for the characters to dwell on instead of trying to understand the situatin at hand. Magic is also used as a supernatural power in love and to resolve conflict.
Helena and Hermina are firends in the being until both men try to pruse Hermina. Their friendship is put to the test as conflict makes them turn on each other. In the end they reconcile demostrating a genuine friendshiip aand withstand trials as well as misunderstandings.
Transformation
There are many transformations through out the play when it comes to magic as well as the humours aspects. To transform love and affection between the adult/rulers in the play. Bottom also goes in a more physical transfomation that inspores terror among thier as his acompiants think its the mark of the devil. Though theses chages help resolve the conflict representing that for a happy ending theres always change happening.
Jeaously
Friendship
Theseus and Hippolyta: Characters found in plutarchs lives of the noble Grecians and Romans and Knights Tale. A representation of order and staility through out the play despite in greek mythology not being romatically together. Shakspear brought them together in the play to protray genuine romance.
Faries: In Tudor culture fairies and spirit were less benevolent (Kind) than vaguely menacing. Shakespear uses this in play in the mischief they create.
Athens and the Forest: Shakspear uses the setting to represent Law and order in Athens to be complete oppposite to the whimsilcy and the beauty of the wildreness to shine. Athenian law fails as the mischief of the forsert pervarles and wins in support of happy endings. Showing that the law to support the death of hermina because she in love with some one else is wrongful since Demetris is not the true love she desires.
Dreams: are the most crucail part hence the title of the play since it supposed to create an illusion. Pucks adressing hte auidnce is important as well as it is reminding the auidence that this play might as very well have just been a dream but it also has potential conflicts in Athens.
Understading Theme and Symbolism
Shakespeare wrote this play for the wedding celebratation of Elizabeth Carey also known as Lady Berkeley. A daughter from a aristocratic family from Ireland, Elizabeth was first known women to have written and published an orginal play. The play she wrote was called The Tragedy of Mariam, The Fair Queen of Jewry. Her very own godmother was Queen Elizabeth I and was able to support other writes by providing some of the money to published books.
Historical Background and England
During this time in British history was the discovery of new lands but also cultures. Shakespeare mentions this in Midsummer by the influence of Sir Francis Drakes account of sailing across the world. Sir Francis was one of the first to compelete a circumnavigation and use the term “exotic locals” to descibe a lot of the places he travled to. Shakespeare uses the Indain child as an example of this and how the english were viewing their neighbours as an oppurtuinty instead of an equal.
Shakespeare uses the monarchy as a lot of inspirations about the plays he written such as the defeat of the Spanish Armanda to write Henry V. The British empire was also growing under the ruling of Queen Elizabeth With the starting of the East Indian company for trade. She was also the longest to last in the Tudor family where she would moderate England to a degree that would later be known as the Golden age. She passed many laws and regulations keeping the country in order as it expanded.
There was also the second plauge happening during this time where theaters would have to close for extended amount of time.
Though a lot of theaters would start up during this time such as the Rose, Fourtune theater, and the very own famous Globe theater. In 1606 there was a law that passed called the act to restrain abuses of play, that an actor would be fine if use of prophanely in Gods name.
Durning this time the Bristish would evntually make their way to the new world and set up the first colony in 1607 named Jamestown, and hence the forth the start of the events leading to The United States.
Why?
Resetting a play can help the audience better understand the themes and overarching concepts that can be better or differently developed in a new setting or time period. Not to mention, new artistic ideas can come into play when reinventing a play.
Transforming a Renaissance play to the Modern World
Here’s Peter Brook’s Take on Resetting a play! He truly influenced theatre and taking apart a play.
Global Warming
References, Context and Different Ideas
Here are some more sources to help you get a better understanding of the world you’re creating!
The Art of the Chinese pole and acrobatics
Glossary
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“The rapid growth of homeownership and the rise of suburban communities helped drive the postwar economic boom. Suburban neighborhoods of single-family homes tore their way through the outskirts of cities… The new economic structures and suburban spaces of the postwar period produced perhaps as much inequality as affluence. Wealth created by the booming economy filtered through social structures with built-in privileges and prejudices. Just when many middle and lower class white American families began their journey of upward mobility by moving to the suburbs with the help of government spending and government programs such as the FHA and the GI Bill, many African Americans and other racial minorities found themselves systematically shut out.”
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“Black communities in cities like Detroit, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Atlanta experienced “redlining,” the process by which banks and other organizations demarcated minority neighborhoods on a map with a red line. Doing so made visible the areas they believed were unfit for their services, denying black residents loans, housing, groceries, and other necessities of modern life.”
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“The construction of modern multi-lane roads… was one essential factor in the development of suburbs in the 1950s. These roads made it easier for people to commute from the suburbs to urban areas, facilitating the suburban expansion and the rise of car-dependent lifestyles during that era.”
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Noun
The amount by which something, especially a sum of money, is too small.
A lack or impairment in an ability or functional capacity
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“The Ferguson Unrest and Ferguson Riots were a series of several riots and protest triggered by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American, in the city of Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, on August 9th, 2014.”
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Walter Lamar Scott, an unarmed Black man, was shoot and killed by Michael Thomas Slager, a white police officer, during a daytime traffic stop.
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The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film that depicts. a dystopian future where humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality that intelligent machines have created to distract humans.
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This is a reference to The Matrix. In the films, taking the red pill allows someone to understand what is actually occurring outside the illusion created by the Matrix.