William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hardcover)  | Released: 2008

A Midsummer Nights Dream is acclaimed as the best of the early comedies of Shakespeare. It brings together the elements of romance, supernatural forces and earthy common sense in an unprecedented blend of magical harmony. The present study aims at making the text more accessible to the serious student of Shakespeare. Besides providing the socio-political milieu of Shakespeares time, it gives a scene-wise critical summary of the text. It contains numerous citations from the text, thus providing ample opportunity for the reader to familiarise himself with the text. The analyses of different elements of drama are accompanied with the views of renowned critics. Classical theories of comedy as well as Elizabethan comments have been lucidly and briefly explained. A select Bibliography and Index have been provided at the end. The book is highly readable, self-contained and comprehensive. It will undoubtedly prove an invaluable reference book for both students and teachers of English Literature.Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The Background 3. Life and Works 4. The Story and the Genre 5. A Scene-wise Analysis 6. The Major Themes 7. The Major Characters 8. The Fairies and the Minor Characters 9. The Plot-Structure 10. Imagery and Symbolism 11. Poetic Style: Diction and Versification 12. Critical Reception 13. Important Questions A Select Bibliography Index