A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act 3

What is the first problem Bottom brings up concerning the play?

Pyramus' suicide - Bottom claims that the sword and blood will frighten the ladies present at the performance

What is Bottom's solution to the first problem concerning the play?

A prologue be written which explains that no one is really killed and that he is not Pyramus - only an actor - and therefore there is nothing to fear. He will read this and it gives him more stage time.

What is the second problem brought up by Snout?

the lion - the fear is that the ladies will be afraid of the lion

What is the solution they find for this problem?

they decide to partially show the actor's face so that the audience knows that he is an actor, not a lion. he will also address the audience to tell them is nothing to fear, he is only Snug the joiner

What is the first technical difficulty that Quince mentions?

scene calls for moonlight but the play will be indoors at night

What is Quince's solution to the first technical difficulty?

at first they decide to open a window, but then decide to have a man represent moonshine because this will be more dramatic

What is the final problem that the players consider?

the lovers are supposed to whisper through a chink in a wall but there will be no wall in the hall

How do the players fix the final problem?

they decide that a man will represent the wall - he will be covered in loam and they will hold their hands out with their fingers apart in order to represent the chink

What do you think of the problems of the actors and their solutions?

the audience knows that they are actors, so its ridiculous that they feel the need to explain that it isn't real - their solutions make what should be a serious play ridiculous

What does Puck do to Bottom?

he changes Bottom's head into that of an ass.

What happens to the rest of the players?

they are scared away by Bottom's change

Why do you think Puck plays the trick on Bottom?

for his own amusement

What is the irony of Bottom's line: "I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of me"?

Bottom doesn't know he has turned into an ass, yet he says they are trying to make an ass out of him

Why does Bottom begin singing?

to let the other men know that they have not harmed him and he is not afraid of their trick on him

Who does Bottom awake?

Titania

What does Titania think of Bottom?

she falls instantly in love with him because of the love potion. she thinks he is beautiful and wise but we know he isn't.

What is Bottom's reaction to Titania?

he is caught off guard, but says love doesn't always follow reason

What does Titania tell Bottom she will do for him?

whatever he wishes - he will have fairies to wait on him and she will change him so that he is more spirit than mortal

Who are Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed?

Titania's attendants and fairies that she gives to Bottom's service

What does the Fairy Queen tell Peasebossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed to do for Bottom?

whatever Bottom desires

What does Puck tell Oberon about Titania?

that Titania fell in love with an ass

What is Oberon's reaction to Puck's news about Titania?

he is excited and says that this is even better than he intended

Who do Puck and Oberon see in the woods?

Hermia and Demetrius

What does Hermia think Demetrius has done to Lysander?

killed him - Demetrius denies this and begs her to come back with him

What does Demetrius do when Hermia leaves?

lies down to rest and falls asleep

What mistake does Oberon discover that Puck has made?

that Puck has put the love potion on the eyes of the wrong man

How does Oberon try to fix Puck's mistake?

tells Puck to bring Helena near Demetrius and that he will place the potion on Demetrius' eyes. When Puck leads Helena to the where Demetrius sleeps, Lysander follows. Lysander's pleas to Helena for her love and Helena's protests awaken Demetrius, who falls in love with Helena.

What new problem does Oberon's trying to fix Puck's mistake lead to?

Helena has two men madly in love with her

What does Helena think of Lysander's behavior?

she thinks that they are making fun of her and they have made an alliance against her

What is Helena' s reaction to all this new attention?

she thinks they are making fun of her

What does Helena accuse Hermia of?

aiding the men in their deceit, thus making and even more horrible joke of her

Why does Helena claim that Hermia's crime is an especially horrible crime?

because they have been such good friends and because they are both women and should defend each other

What things does Lysander say about Hermia?

calls her an Ethiop, or dark (this would have been an insult since it was fashionable to be light skinned)

What does Helena say about Hermia?

that she is short (a puppet), (an insult because tall women were considered more attractive)

What happens between Helena and Hermia as the argument progresses?

Helena insults Hermia, who takes the insult to heart. Hermia accuses Helena of bewitching the two men and threatens to harm her physically. Helena is frightened by Hermia's threats because she is stronger than Helena. The two men try to keep them apart.

What do Lysander and Demetruis decide to do?

to duel

What happens to the women?

Helena runs away from Hermia, who thinks she is going to kill her. Hermia walks away tired and confused.

What does Oberon instruct Puck to do?

lead the two men in opposite directions so they won't harm each other. exhaust the men on the search until they drop with fatigue. then lead Hermia to Lysander, who will have an antidote placed on his eyes and lead Helena to Demetrius, so that when they wake up they will be with the right partner and all will end happily

What is Oberon going to do while Puck is busy?

to win the boy from his queen and wake her from the spell

How does the scene end?

Puck manages to lead the lovers to each other and they all lie asleep where they are meant to be