a society in which men hold the power; the laws and structure of that society prevent women having power.

a system whereby people or things are ranked, with some being at the top, and others lower down.

a person alive when Elizabeth I was on the throne (1558-1603); the first audiences of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ were Elizabethan.

stories and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation; these are not written down, but told verbally.

a play designed to make you laugh, often involving misunderstandings and disorder, ending in marriage.

Including context when writing about Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

English

In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', pupils learn about marriage conventions within Shakespeare's patriarchal society. In 'Macbeth: Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian Villain', pupils explore the ways in which this female character subverts the expectations of women in her day and question whether modern and contemporary audiences are likely to sympathise with her. 

In 'The Tempest', pupils explore the ways in which Ariel and Caliban, as 'outsiders', might be perceived by modern and contemporary audiences. In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', pupils use context to develop their understanding of marriage rituals and attitudes to magic in the play. 

In this unit, pupils read and explore Shakespeare's comedy 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. They focus on the character Puck and the theme of the supernatural, and analyse their role and importance at different points in the play. Finally, they plan and write an essay about Puck and the supernatural.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Discriminatory behaviour or images, whether on the grounds of race, gender, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation, or otherwise.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

a system whereby people or things are ranked

stories and traditions that are passed down

a person alive when Elizabeth I was on the throne (1558-1603)

a play designed to make you laugh, often involving misunderstandings

Complete the sentence: 'Information about Elizabethan society, attitudes and values is called {{}}.'

He played on their knowledge of folklore giving Puck two names

He used clever word play to show Puck was malevolent 

He had Puck directly address the audience 

How did Shakespeare engage with an Elizabethan audience when creating the character of Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?

Shakespeare was an Elizabethan and was exploring ideas that were relevant

To consider how Shakespeare’s first audiences might have engaged with the ideas 

Because ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a comedy, full of confusion and context.

Why might you include contextual ideas when writing about ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’?

Complete the quote from Act 3 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream': "a hound, A hog, a headless..."

Puck had two names that audiences would have had associations of

The play was written and set in a patriarchal society

What is not an example of context for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?

What word beginning with 'C' gives us a better understanding of when and why a text was written??

stories and traditions that are passed down, often verbally

Which monarch was on the throne when Shakespeare wrote 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?

What words would you use to describe Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'? 

What does the key term 'patriarchal' mean?

What is being defined here: 'a system whereby people or things are ranked, with some being at the top, and others lower down.'?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Including context when writing about Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.