Mid-Summer Nights' Dream

amother

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 10:32 pm

Would you say this is an appropriate book for a middle school student to read? My daugter is assigned to read this in our very mixed out of town school.[marq=right]

perquacky

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 11:15 pm

An odd choice for introducing Shakespeare to students--usually Romeo & Juliet is taught first--but I, for one, think it's great. Are you familiar with the play? Read it first, if you have any concerns, so you can be prepared to discuss it with your child.

amother

Tue, Mar 17 2015, 7:24 am

Op here... I probAbly would not have her read Romeo and Juliet because of the heavy romance theme. Is Midsummer...equally heavy? (I have only glanced thru it... No time to read it all at the moment..)

FranticFrummie

Tue, Mar 17 2015, 7:27 am

Here's a step by step summary, so you can judge for yourself.

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/msnd/

morah

Tue, Mar 17 2015, 7:39 am

It is one of his tamer plays. Much more appropriate for middle schoolers that anything else. All Shakespeare has zxual content but Midsummer is not really overt and it is unlikely a first time Shakespeare reader would catch it. A lot of other plays have much more obvious stuff.

amother

Tue, Mar 17 2015, 7:43 am

Thank you all! I read Macbeth and Julius Caeser when I was in school, but wasnt at all familiar with this play.

zaq

Tue, Mar 17 2015, 10:33 pm

No need to worry about "inappropriate". It's Shakespeare, for goodness' sake. Unless you have done postgrad studies in Elizabethan English, you need an annotated edition, aka Perush Rashi lehavdil, to understand the bawdy parts (as well as everything else). Do you really think the teacher will explain the naughty puns?

bigsis144

Tue, Mar 17 2015, 11:09 pm

I imagine some schools would avoid the play simply for having a character named "Bottom"...

silbergirl

Fri, Mar 20 2015, 6:19 am

It is very Elizabethan, difficult language and very confusing story. The nobles are very noble and the workers are very simple and the fairies are inbetween.... Smile

It however is not a play that a frum girl cannot read. There is no sxually explicit content, just a few vulgar jokes (that are so Elizabethan, noone understands them) and a little (fake and pretty sterile) romance. And the concept of "fairies" being in charge of natural events such as seasons and weather may also be alien to a frum girl.

IMHO she needs lots of help with that one to understand the plot, maybe also grab a computer (if you use one) and watch a stage version or a dvd version of it (I am sure there are productions that are entirely family friendly, just dont use any kind of modern staging in theater and prescreen the version you want to show her).

And she needs a guidebook to the language and also some guidance how to deal with the "fairies". I'd say that they are just representing the forces of nature and are just shlichim of Hashm... But I don't think this stuff will bring any kid to idolatry - its so fantasy-like that everyone gets it. Besides that, Midsummernight's Dream was written for what probably was a noble wedding. So it had to be appropriate and couldn't be not overly pagan, either.

She should read it, nothing wrong with it.

amother

Fri, Mar 20 2015, 7:23 am

Thank you for the detailed responses!

jkw

Fri, Mar 20 2015, 7:47 am

Midsummer Night's Dream is an excellent introduction to the finest writer in the English language. (Know there will be those who disagree) That being said, strongly urge you to read it yourself first and read parts of the play out loud with her. The music is in the spoken words.