Hi, everyone, this is Mr. Chandrapala and I'm really looking forward to our lesson today.

We're looking at "Midsummer Night's Dream" and today, we're gonna be having a look at the character of Oberon, king of the fairies.

Now, we've looked at Puck in a previous lesson, but Oberon is the commander of Puck.

he is Puck's master, and he's also a key patriarchal figure, almost quite different to the other patriarchal figure that we have already met in Egeus.

It's gonna be really exciting to see how Shakespeare presents him and I'm really looking forward to diving into analysing his character today.

Let's get into it.

So, our outcome for today's lesson is that we can explore how the character of Oberon is presented in Act 2, Scene 1 when he is first introduced.

So, our key words for today's lesson include Cupid, who is the Roman God of love, usually shown holding a bow and arrow.

We're also looking at the adjective imperious, which just means to be arrogant or dominant.

And we're thinking about contrasts today.

A contrast is just a difference.

So we can often talk about the contrast between two characters or contrast opinions, but that is what we're gonna be focusing on.

We're also going to be thinking about how Oberon may be considered sinister at particular moments, which just means how he is presented as potentially threatening or menacing.

And finally, for a character that is often considered imperious, we're gonna be considering how he delivers commands, which are just orders.

So, our lesson is split into two parts today.

We're starting off by looking at Oberon's dialogue with Puck.

Consider the status of Oberon and Puck.

As I mentioned earlier, Oberon is king of the fairies, while Puck is Oberon's servant.

What might we expect their relationship to be like? Consider the fact that if you are a servant, you are meant to obey your master's orders.

You may be treated with some level of respect, but fundamentally, you are below them.

How do we think the two of them all interact with each other? Pause the video now, talk to the person next to you, maybe jot some ideas down on your notes, and when you're ready, hit play.

Some fantastic work there, everyone, some really interesting ideas.

So, yeah, Oberon being king of the fairies would suggest that he is top of the social order.

Whilst Puck being a servant suggests that he has maybe a more power than the ordinary fairy as he is close to the seat of power, but also he is still subservient, he is still secondary to his master.

In Act 2, Scene 1 we see the first dialogue between Puck and Oberon.

Titania has just left, after refusing to give Oberon the little boy in her care.

So Oberon speaks of revenge, and so calls for Puck.

He says in Act 2, Scene 1, lines 146 to 148, "Well, go thy way.

Thou shalt not from this grove.

till I torment thee for this injury.

My gentle Puck, come hither." So, if we have a look at this moment, we have Oberon almost demanding Puck to arrive.

Although it's interesting that he calls him gentle.

Sofia looked at this and said, "I'd say this is delivered with quite a sinister tone that emphasises his anger with Titania.

But I would make the greeting to Puck friendly as a contrast." That's really interesting.

So actually, maybe he's less imperious in that moment.

Jacob though says, "I'd say this is an imperious stone that emphasises his desire that Puck obeys him immediately.

He can't control Titania, so he has to control Puck." That's a really interesting idea from Jacob.

I initially looked at my gentle Puck and thought, "Oh, that's him being quite kind to Puck." But maybe that's a moment of flattery, because really what he's trying to get Puck to do is listen to him.

Who do you agree more with though, and why? I want you to practise saying the lines, maybe using Sofia and Jacob's ideas as initial directorial guides, and then practise maybe giving your partner if you're working with someone, some guidance on how they should be saying it.

And then, see which one you think is the most appropriate way of delivering the lines.

You may deviate from both Sofia and Jacob.

You may actually go through a combination, you may choose one or the other, but I'm really interested to hear your ideas.

Pause the video now, have that moment to practise, remember plays are all about delivery.

So, have a go now.

Gather back in, actors, that was absolutely fantastic.

I was so impressed with the way that people were having a go at that.

I really think that people were showing the indignation of Oberon by "Thou shalt not from this grove till I torment thee for the injury." And almost the pettiness of "Well, go thy way." Some people were going "My gentle Puck" in quite a soft way, while others were then contrasting that with a much harsher come hither, making it seem like he is, as Jacob says, trying to control Puck because he cannot control Titania.

So after calling for his servant, Oberon and Puck continue to speak for another 30 lines.

Oberon though, speaks 27 of these lines, whilst Puck speaks a mere three.

What does this division of lines suggest about their relationship? Pause the video now and see if you can work out what does it suggest if Oberon is speaking 27, so 90% of the lines in that 30? Some really interesting ideas and inferences being made there.

I definitely think that those of you who are saying that Shakespeare is trying to show the power imbalance between the two of them by Oberon's almost domination of the dialogue have got a really good idea, I would really agree with that.

Some fascinating initial ideas.

Let's keep moving.

In their dialogue, Oberon reminds Puck about a time they were looking at the sea and he saw Cupid, the god of love.

"That very time I saw, but thou couldst not, flying between the cold moon and the earth, Cupid, all armed." How does Oberon emphasise his own power in contrast to Puck here? Think about what he's doing in these lines when he's saying that, "Actually, you could not see Cupid, but I could." What does that maybe suggest about how he views himself in comparison to his servant? Pause the video now and see if you can make any inferences.

Maybe jot down some ideas again in your notes.

You may want, again, under that question you may want to jot down a key quote and annotate around it.

Alternatively, you may want to just have the discussion with your partner.

Pause the video now though, have that discussion, and then hit play.

Really interesting ideas.

I really like that people were trying to draw that contrast, and again, trying to show how Oberon wants to present this idea that he is somehow more dominant than his servant.

Oberon does continue saying he saw Cupid's arrow land on a flower, transforming it into a magical flower.

He says to Puck, "Fetch me that flower, the herb I showed thee once.

The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid will make all man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees.

Fetch me this herb and be thou here again ere the leviathan can swim a league." So, before the sea monster can swim three miles.

So, we've got some different interpretations of this line.

Again, we go back to Sofia and Jacob and Sofia immediately looks at this and says, "Well, this moment emphasises that Oberon is powerless.

The language shows his desperation." Which is interesting, because he's definitely suggesting that he's reliant on something other than himself to be able to get the sort of outcome that he wants.

Jacob, though, has quite a different read.

Jacob says, "This moment emphasises Oberon's power.

The language shows his ability to get whatever he wants." Now, we've already done this exercise before earlier, but with a slightly different sort of stimulus.

I want you again to have a look at Sofia and Jacob's lines and I want you to decide, by practising the lines, I want you to decide which one you agree with more.

So, here, practising Oberon's lines, what do you feel he's doing more? Do you think he is showing his powerlessness? Do you think actually he's showing that he is powerful? What is giving you that idea? Why is it giving you that idea? And then, once you've done that, hit play and we'll keep moving.

Some really interesting ideas there again, everyone.

I personally, when I read it, I think I side a little bit more with Jacob.

I can understand Sofia's point of view, but I think with Jacob, I look at that, "Fetch me that flower, fetch me this herb," and there's definitely the sense of he's giving these commands, he's giving these imperatives, and he is trying to show, "Look, I am controlling you, Puck, in this moment." But, we're all allowed our different opinions.

Finally, Puck replies to Oberon's commands.

So, these are two of the three lines he says in this 30.

"I'll put a girdle about the earth in 40 minutes." What could Puck's reaction suggest about his relationship with Oberon? Pause the video here.

You may even want to jot down these two lines, just a short quote, maybe annotate it, and then start to discuss with your partner or even just annotate for yourself, what do you think Puck's reaction could suggest about his relationship with Oberon? Once you've done that, hit play.

Some really interesting ideas.

I feel like the idea that some of you were saying that actually, it shows that he's submissive.

Yes, Puck is powerful.

The fact that he can put a girdle upon the earth shows that he has some power, but the fact that he, and even the fact that he's willing to do it in 40 minutes rather than doing it immediately suggests that he has some willingness to comply or some ability to sort of like have his own autonomy, his own control of things, but ultimately he is listening to Oberon's commands.

Potentially, we look at how short that reply is and maybe say that he's not as deferential.

He's not as, you know, obviously willing to serve, but it does seem like he is willing to listen.

So, we're just gonna have a quick chat for understanding here.

Starting with the first, number the statements from one to five, giving a summary of Oberon and Puck's dialogue.

So, just ordering them in terms of what happens first to last.

So, we've got Oberon reminds Puck of a time he saw Cupid.

Oberon commands Puck to get him the flower quickly.

Puck agrees to quickly get the flower Oberon wants.

Oberon swears to get revenge on Titania.

And Oberon calls Puck to come to him.

Pause the video now and just put those bullet points from one to five, one being the start, five being the last thing that happens in terms of the events.

Great work there, everyone.

Really careful checking back, looking through our notes, looking at what we've already seen.

So we can see that Oberon swears to get revenge on Titania first and then calls Puck to him.

He then reminds Puck of the time he saw Cupid before commanding Puck to get him the flower quickly, before Puck agrees to quickly get the flower Oberon wants.

Well done to all of you who got that correct.

If you got anything wrong, maybe just change that now in a different colour pen, and when you're ready, hit play.

Lovely reflective work there, everyone.

That's really gonna help us as we understand the character of Oberon.

Now, Oberon tells Puck to "Fetch me that flower." What is this an example of? Is it an emphasis, a status, a command, or a contrast? I'm gonna ask you to select your answer and I want you to tell me in five, four, three, two, and one.

Correct, I'm really impressed.

Making sure that we remember our keywords.

It is a command.

"Fetch me that flower." It's an example of an imperative.

It's an example of an order.

It's an example of a command.

So, we're just going to practise and apply our knowledge now.

If you have a look in the additional materials section for this lesson, you will see that you have got Puck and Oberon's dialogue from Act 2, Scene 1.

So, you've got lines 146 to 148, 155 to 157, and 169 to 176.

So, nothing too long.

All I would like you to do is first of all to reread those three sections of the dialogue.

Once you have, I want you to annotate each section answering the question, how does Shakespeare present Oberon? My strong suggestion is for you to use the key words, contrast, command, imperious, sinister, to help you deliver, oh sorry, to help you annotate those individual parts.

Now, just remember that a command is a language method and it can show us that someone is imperious.

Remember that contrast is also sometimes used as a language method.

Imperious though isn't a language method, neither is sinister.

They are both inferences that we're making, so we're saying a character behaves in that way.

Pause the video now, complete task one and two, and when you are done, hit play.

Really thoughtful work there, everyone.

I really like the way that people are beginning to annotate, really trying to get into the language method, because that is what that how is asking us to do, to think about dramatic methods even, so that even includes stage directions, characterization, and then beginning to link that to actual inferences about Oberon.

So here, if we have a look at some feedback, I've got one of Sofia's annotations.

Sofia looked to the line, "Ere the leviathan can swim a league." And she said, "Oh, Oberon wants the potion quickly.

It's a vague deadline, perhaps to increase Puck sense of urgency? Something sinister about talking about a sea monster, threatening." Now, what I really like about this is the fact that Sofia has clearly written in note form, because annotations are meant to be in note form.

We don't need to write in full sentences, because really, these are just notes for us.

But they still need to, they need to have a balance between quick and easy, but also making sure that they are understandable for us.

I really like the fact that she's using that sort of key vocabulary, talking about sinister, and actually starting to get into the language a bit.

So, she's got multiple ideas in note form and she has included a key word.

I want you to self-assess your annotations using the checklist to guide you.

Have you managed to include multiple ideas in notes? Have you managed to include a key word? Go back through your work in a different colour pen making sure that you've got those two things, and once you have done that or added anything you need to, restart the video.

Great work there, everyone.

Those annotations are really going to help us with the next part of our lesson.

Because we are now starting to look at how does Shakespeare present Oberon.

So, Sofia used her annotations to draught a paragraph about Shakespeare's presentation of Oberon.

She wrote, "Shakespeare presents Oberon as a powerful, supernatural monarch.

He asks Puck to get him the magical potion, 'Ere the leviathan can swim a league.

' This shows how eager Oberon is to get revenge on Titania, but the deadline is also quite vague because we can't be sure how quickly a sea monster would swim three miles.

The reference to a sea monster is sinister as it is a scary creature, and all of Oberon's language in the scene is threatening.

For example, when he says he will 'torment' Titania, or when he says he saw Cupid 'all armed.

' A reference to the god of love is made threatening, because he mentions the weapon." I love that final inference.

I didn't even consider the fact that Cupid "all armed" is, in itself, a reference to his weaponry, and therefore could be threatening.

Now, I really like Sofia's paragraph not only for that final inference, but it's powerful because it's got a clear topic sentence.

"Shakespeare presents Oberon as a powerful, supernatural monarch." It starts with an exploration of a first quotation.

So, we've got "Ere a leviathan can swim a league" and saying that it's a vague deadline.

We're not sure exactly how quickly a sea monster would swim, but it shows that he's eager to get revenge on to Titania.

But then also, she's managed to link this.

She said that the mention of the monster is sinister and this links in with even the reference to Cupid "all armed." So, the linking quotations really help us to understand how Oberon is presented as sinister over the course of the text.

I want you to look at your annotations.

Think about what quotations you could link together as part of a paragraph.

Pause the video now and see if you can find any links.

So, any similar quotes that show actually how Oberon, or Shakespeare develops a similar idea for Oberon's character within the text.

Once you've done that, hit play.

Cracking work there, everyone, let's have a look.

So, I'm just gonna have a check for understanding here.

I want you to have a look at both Sofia and Jacob's work and I want you to tell me which one of them has actually linked their quotations together best.

Sofia wrote, "Shakespeare presents Oberon as uncertain of his power in Act 2, Scene 1.

When he is speaking to Puck he says that they were once looking at the sea, he could see something that Puck couldn't.

This links to another quotation where he says he will torment Titania, because he couldn't make her do what he wanted." Okay.

We've used Sofia's work a lot today.

Is that a really good example? Or do we prefer Jacob's? "Shakespeare presents Oberon as uncertain of his power in Act 2, Scene 1." Same topic sentence.

"When Titania leaves, he says, Well, go thy way,' almost as if he's commanding her, but she has already left.

Perhaps this is why he commands Puck to "Fetch" him the potion he wants twice as he knows he can control Puck, even though he can't control Titania.

Pause the video now and choose between Sofia and Jacob.

Which one has linked quotations together better? Bit of a trick here.

I can definitely see why people would've gone for the other one, but Jacob's is a little bit better than Sofia's.

We've used Sofia's work plenty this lesson, but actually, "Well, go thy way" and "Fetch" are both examples of Oberon trying to give commands when actually, he doesn't need to give the command to Titania, she's already left.

And Puck is commanded twice to fetch him the potion.

Why does he feel the need to tell Puck twice? Puck will listen to him.

Maybe it's him overcompensating for his lack of control over Titania.

So I want us to consider Sofia's earlier example.

Oh.

So, we're now going to practise and we're just going to use our annotations to answer the question.

How does Shakespeare present Oberon on in Act 2, Scene 1? You've looked at the text already and you've annotated each one.

I now need you to use Sofia's checklist to guide you.

You need a clear topic sentence.

So, "Shakespeare presents Oberon as mm." You need an exploration of a first quotation.

So, "this has shown when," and then give me your first quotation.

And then, you need to analyse that quotation.

What does it really show me about Oberon? Why does it show me that? And then I need you to introduce your second quotation, so your linking quotation, and again explain how that develops your inference.

I know you can do this.

You've seen some really good models from Jacob and Sofia.

Pause the video now, have a go.

Some really impressive work there, everyone.

I really liked how people were really carefully trying to tease out individual dramatic methods being used by Shakespeare as part of their work.

Let's take some feedback.

I want you to consider Sofia's example earlier and identify where you have met the checklist.

I've highlighted each and every single part.

So, where we've got the clear topic sentence, the exploration of the first quotation, and the linking quotation.

What I'd like you to do is underline your first topic, or your topic sentence, box off where you have explored your first quotation, so where you've included it and where you've actually analysed and explored it, and then I want you to do a squiggly line for your linking quotation moments.

So, where you've included your linking quotation and how you have actually analysed it.

Pause the video now.

All good writers need that moment of self-reflection.

All good students do too.

And when you're ready, hit play.

Well done, everyone.

Some really thoughtful, careful annotation there of our answers.

It's not just about annotating the text that we read, it's about annotating our own work so that we can see how we're making progress.

I really like the fact that I can see people adding in their linking quotations if they didn't get the opportunity to have them in there before.

Or just making sure that they are, making sure that their analysis is a really on point as possible.

Well done.

So, we're just gonna summarise the character of Oberon as we reach the end of today's lesson.

We've talked about how Oberon and Puck have a massive power imbalance, and that's really shown by the fact that Oberon speaks 27 lines and Puck speaks three.

Oberon commands that Puck get him the magical potion so that he can use it on Titania.

He does that twice, which may suggest that he is almost overcompensating for the fact that Titania has disobeyed him and not listened to him, and he is therefore exerting that control over Puck.

Puck though obeys Oberon without question.

He is very willing to do Oberon's bidding.

He is Puck's, sorry, he is Oberon's servant.

And finally, when writing about "A Midsummer Night's Dream," when writing about any text really, you could link quotations together to develop your ideas.

Linking quotations really helps us to show that we have a wide range of evidence and it allows us to show that actually, this isn't a single moment where this happens, but actually, this happens several times over the course of our text.

You've been absolutely fantastic today and I've really enjoyed working with you again today.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what we get up to next time.

Bye for now.