By William Shakespeare
English 10 - Mr. Miller
Essential questions…
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How do we act when we
are in love? Why?
Which emotions “from the
heart” are the strongest?
Which reveal our true
selves?
How effectively does
Shakespeare use humor to
make his ideas known
about human behavior?
English 10 - Mr. Miller
Getting started on Midsummer…
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The play is about people in love.
There are three intertwined plots in the play
There are two settings for the play
Let’s try to figure this out…
English 10 - Mr. Miller
Was Shakespeare really funny?
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Yes.
His humor appealed
to people of all tastes
and classes
Midsummer contains
all kinds of humor –
slapstick, wit, sight
gags, puns…
English 10 - Mr. Miller
More about Shakespeare’s humor
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Shakespeare uses
humor, satire and
parody to express
his ideas about our
universal human
experiences.
English 10 - Mr. Miller
Need to know points: Midsummer
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The play was first performed
between 1595 and 1596
Like R&J it explores love, but is a
comedy, not a tragedy
Shakespeare explores the complex
nature of the human heart
Midsummer mocks many aspects of
human behavior
English 10 - Mr. Miller
The Globe Theatre
See it in Google Earth
See it in 3-D
English 10 - Mr. Miller
What’s really happening in Midsummer?
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Shakespeare uses different kinds of humor to mock
people’s common assumptions about love
Shakespeare uses numerous examples of figurative
language to explore the complexities of human emotions
Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to heighten the sense of
comedy and humor in the play
Shakespeare uses soliloquies by major characters to draw
the audience into central ideas and themes
Shakespeare portrays human relationships in several
different lights in order to illustrate the changing and
complex sides of human emotions
English 10 - Mr. Miller
Read the shortened version of the
play’s beginning…
English 10 - Mr. Miller