A Midsummer Night's Dream(Illustrated) E-Book

William Shakespeare

• Herausgeber: Jillian Wayne
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

• Illustrated edition featuring 20 beautifully crafted illustrations
• Includes a concise summary, complete characters list, and a brief author biography

Moonlight, mischief, and the wild logic of love—A Midsummer Night’s Dream remains Shakespeare’s most enchanting comedy. Set between the polished halls of Athens and a spellbound forest at night, the play braids together runaway lovers, feuding fairy royalty, and a troupe of eager amateur actors. One mischievous sprite, Puck, stirs the pot with a love-charm flower, and by dawn chaos has ripened into comedy, reconciliation, and three weddings.
This illustrated edition invites you into the story’s shimmer and play. The 20 images capture the world of the drama—starlit groves, Titania’s bower, Bottom’s transformation—enhancing the text without getting in its way. Whether you’re discovering the play for the first time or returning to it with fresh eyes, you’ll find everything you need to enjoy, study, and share it.
What you’ll love inside
A captivating reading experience: crisp typography and a clean layout designed for comfortable reading on any device.
Visual storytelling: evocative illustrations that highlight key scenes and characters.
Quick-study support: a concise summary to anchor the plot, a characters list for easy reference, and a brief biography of William Shakespeare for context.
Why this edition?

Because Shakespeare is meant to be felt as much as studied. This editionbalances beauty and clarity—perfect for students, book clubs, theater lovers, and anyone who wants a delightful doorway into the Bard’s most sparkling comedy.


 

Leseprobe

  A Midsummer     Night's Dream                                                                                        

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William Shakespeare

ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

Early Life and Humble Beginnings (1564–1585)

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in April 1564, to John Shakespeare, a glove maker, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a prosperous farmer. Baptized on April 26, his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23 — a date that would poetically align with his death decades later.

Growing up in a bustling market town, young William likely attended King’s New School, where he learned Latin, classical literature, and rhetoric — seeds that would later bloom into his unparalleled command of language.

Marriage and Family

At just 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, in 1582. They had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. The death of Hamnet at age eleven would echo through Shakespeare’s later works, shaping themes of loss, legacy, and mortality.

The Lost Years and Rise to Prominence (1585–1594)

Between 1585 and 1592, little is known of Shakespeare’s life — a mysterious gap historians call “the Lost Years.” Speculations abound: some say he was a teacher, a soldier, or a traveler. By 1592, however, he had emerged in London’s vibrant theatre scene, recognized as both an actor and a playwright.

His early works, such as Henry VI and Titus Andronicus, displayed fierce energy and ambition. By the decade’s end, plays like Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream established him as England’s leading dramatist.

The Golden Years of Creativity (1595–1610)

As a member of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men—later renamed The King’s Men—Shakespeare achieved fame and fortune. He wrote comedies filled with wit (Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing), tragedies that pierced the human soul (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth), and histories that immortalized England’s past (Richard III, Henry V).

Beyond the stage, his 154 sonnets revealed a deeply personal voice, exploring love, time, beauty, and betrayal. His mastery of iambic pentameter turned rhythm into art, and his insight into human nature made his words eternal.

Retirement and Final Years (1610–1616)

By the early 1610s, Shakespeare began retreating to Stratford, purchasing the grand New Place and living as a respected gentleman. His later works, such as The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale, reflected a tone of reconciliation and wisdom — as though the playwright had made peace with the world he so vividly portrayed.

Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52 — the same date tradition marks as his birth. He was buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, where his epitaph famously warns against moving his bones.

Legacy Beyond Time

Shakespeare’s legacy transcends centuries and cultures. His plays have been translated into every major language, his characters reborn in film, opera, and literature. More than a dramatist, he was a philosopher of emotion, a chronicler of human contradictions. From the jealous rage of Othello to the existential doubt of Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote not for his age — but for all time.

SUMMARY

Elevator pitch

Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy spins three worlds—court, forest, and stage—into a single night where love gets scrambled by fairy magic, artisans chase theatrical glory, and order is restored by dawn.

Who’s who

Hermia & Lysander: true lovers who defy her father’s command.

Helena & Demetrius: she adores him; he wants Hermia—at least at first.

Oberon & Titania: feuding fairy royals.

Puck: Oberon’s puckish fixer with a talent for beautiful mistakes.

Bottom & the “Mechanicals”: earnest tradesmen rehearsing a tragic love play.

What happens

On the eve of Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding, Hermia and Lysander flee Athens to escape an arranged marriage. Demetrius chases them; Helena chases Demetrius. In the moonlit forest, Oberon orders Puck to use a love-charm flower to fix the humans’ mess and humble Titania. Puck anoints the wrong eyes, causing both men to fall for Helena, igniting a hilarious war of words between the four lovers. Meanwhile, Puck gives the weaver Bottom a donkey’s head—exactly when Titania wakes and, bewitched, dotes on him. After a night of mix-ups, Oberon lifts the spells, Demetrius’s love for Helena sticks, and three couples—Theseus–Hippolyta, Hermia–Lysander, Helena–Demetrius—return to Athens to wed. The night ends with the Mechanicals’ adorably awful “Pyramus and Thisbe” and Puck’s wink to the audience: perhaps it was all a dream.

Why it still dazzles

Love is lawless: affection flips, pride stings, and desire refuses rules.

Reality blurs: dreams, theater, and magic ask us what’s “true.”

Joy of performance: the amateur actors celebrate imagination itself.

Tone in one line: a glittering comedy where chaos kisses harmony, and morning light makes sense of moonlit madness.