A Midsummer Night's Dream, considered the loveliest of Shakespeare's romantic comedies, draws the viewer almost immediately into a dark forest, where love loses its way.
Although we gladly let ourselves be seduced by moonlight magic, fairy dust, and bridal-bed blessings, we wonder at the end of this play how long the "happy ending" will last. We also look with a sharper eye at our own wanderings in the forest of love, and at the pain we inflict when we tell someone we once loved to "get lost."
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" proclaims the goblin Puck; and the Fairy Queen makes a fool of herself over an ass.
Note: This program has been re-edited, re-mixed, and put in a letterbox format. It was an excellent production before. Now it is even better! (The classroom version remains the same.)
Other titles in the series are:
Hamlet - A video guide to Shakespeare's most famous play.
The Merchant of Venice - A video guide to the play from Shylock's point of view.
Romeo and Juliet - A video guide to this cautionary tale of teenage love.
King Lear - A video guide to one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies.
Macbeth - A video guide to Shakespeare's "tragedy of blood".
Othello - A video guide to one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, dealing with revenge and pride.
Grade Level: 9-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 1998
Copyright Date: 1998
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-162-2
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-778-6
Reviews
"Sophisticated and tasteful, this is an essential purchase for the classroom, but can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages...A classy introduction. Highly recommended." Video Librarian
"Highly recommend(ed), as are others of this series, as an excellent introduction for K-12 students to the world and plays of William Shakespeare." Dr. Brad Eden, MC Journal
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