A Midsummer Night's Dream

A major new edition of Shakespeare's much studied and performed comedy by leading scholar Sukanta Chaudhuri.

The Arden Shakespeare is the established edition of Shakespeare's work. Justly celebrated for its authoritative scholarship and invaluable commentary, Arden editions guide you to a richer understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's plays. This edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream provides a clear and authoritative text, detailed notes and commentary on the same page as the text and a full introduction discussing the critical and historical background to the play. The editor brings fresh perspectives on global productions and adaptations of this most-loved of Shakespeare's comedies.

List of IllustrationsGeneral editors' PrefacePrefaceINTRODUCTIONSTAGE, SCREEN, ARTThe play in its time: staging and castingBritish productions: Restoration to nineteenth centuryBritish productions: the twentieth century and afterEuropeBeyond EuropeOther media: cinema, music, artSOURCES AND ANALOGUES: FAIRIES AND MORTALSFairies and fairy loreOvid: the classics and the fairiesPyramus and ThisbeTheseus and Hippolyta: Plutarch, Chaucer and ShakespeareTHEMES AND DESIGNSPastoral: the forestDreamers and LoversPatriarchyCarnival, class, courtTheatre, art and illusionThe comedy of compromiseLANGUAGE AND VERSEA MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAMAppendix 1: Casting ChartAppendix 2:Date and OccasionAppendix 3: The TextAbbreviations and ReferencesIndex