A Midsummer Nights Dream 2 Young lovers Lysander

A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia Student book pages 12– 15 © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 Lysander and Hermia – context in the play • These young lovers want to get married, but Hermia’s father, Egeus, wants her to marry Demetrius instead. • Hermia has said she would rather live all her life as a nun than marry Demetrius. • Hermia and Lysander have therefore run away to the woods, away from Egeus and the law of Athens. © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 How is Lysander’s character revealed? Point He is caring towards Hermia. He is thoughtful and takes notice of what he reads and hears. He is positive and finds solutions. Evidence He worries about her pale cheeks. He gives a list of different kinds of problems in love. He has the idea that they should elope (run away) to his aunt, away from Athens. © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 How is Hermia’s character revealed? Point She is emotional and has been upset. She is sympathetic and relates to other people’s problems. She is wise and sensible. Evidence She has cried a ‘tempest’ (storm of tears). She responds with exclamations to all of Lysander’s listed love problems. She concludes that they should learn to be patient, because problems in love are only normal. © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 Love problems 1 Match the lines into three pairs – Lysander’s comment and ANSWERS Hermia’s response. Refer to the extract for help. 2 Discuss what problems they identify. Hermia Lysander 1 Oh hell! To choose love by another’s eyes. A But, either it was different in blood 2 O cross! Too high to be enthralled to low. B Or else it stood upon the choice of friends 3 O spite! Too old to be engaged to young. C Or else misgraffed in respect of years © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 What images are used to describe love? Consider the phrases in orange These things are personified as an army surrounding a castle. A lightning flash at night Or, if there were a sympathy in choice, War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it, Making it momentany as a sound, Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; Brief as the lightning in the collied night, [momentary] Similes © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 What images are used to describe love? Consider the phrase in orange That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth, And ere a man hath power to say 'Behold!' The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion. Darkness is personified as a giant or beast eating the lightning. © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 Hermia’s conclusion • What does she say they should learn? • Why should they learn it? • What does she mean by line 3? Then let us teach our trial patience, Because it is a customary cross, As due to love as thoughts and dreams and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers. ANSWERS • She says they should learn ‘patience’. . . because it is a ‘customary cross’ (a normal problem) as common in love as are ‘thoughts and dreams and sighs/ Wishes and tears’. • In line 3, she means that lovers are always dreaming, sighing, etc. © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 A view of love What view of love does this extract present overall? Consider the ideas in the word bank and add your own. • • • difficult patient enduring grief long-suffering conflict • • • short-lived brief challenging tears problematic sadness © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020

2 Young lovers – Lysander and Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream Student book pages 12– 15 A view of love – lessons from Lysander and Hermia Love … • often runs into problems – for example, differences in class or age, or arranged marriages. • causes a lot of emotion – hence sighing, tears and wishes. • can be short-lived. • can cause conflict. • But patient lovers can overcome problems! © Hodder and Stoughton Ltd 2020