WorksheetsShakespeare Stories: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Total questions: 56
Worksheet time: 28mins
Act 1, Scene 1
Who loves Lysander?
Who loves Demetrius?
At the beginning of the play, who loves Hermia?
Choose all the correct answers.
Who loves Helena at the beginning of the play?
nobody
Hermia
Lysander
Who does Hermia's father, Egeus, choose to become Hermia's fiancé?
How do Lysander and Hermia plan to remain together?
They plan to run away and elope.
How does Demetrius discover Hermia's plans to elope with Lysander?
Hermia tells Helena, who in turn tells Demetrius.
Why does Demetrius go into the forest? What does he plan to do?
Demetrius goes into the forest to pursue Hermia.
Demetrius goes into the forest to run away from Helena.
Why does Helena follow Demetrius into the forest?
Helena follows Demetrius into the forest because she is in deeply in love with him.
At the end of the play's opening scene, which four lovelorn characters have gone into the forest?
Bottom, Quince, Flute and Snug
Hermia, Demetrius, Helena and Lysander
Oberon, Titania, Puck and Cobweb
Theseus, Egeus, Hippolyta and Starveling
Act 1, Scene 2
We are introduced to six men in a troupe who are rehearsing a play for a wedding. But who is getting married?
Duke Theseus and Hippolyta
Hermia and Lysander
Hermia and Demetrius
Egeus and Hippolyta
Act 2, Scene 1
Read the following question carefully:
Which of the following is NOT a fairy that we encounter in the forest?
Oberon
Titania
Puck
Bottom
Who is Oberon?
Oberon is jester to the fairy king.
Oberon is the queen of the fairies.
Oberon is the king of the fairies.
Oberon is the Duke of Athens.
Who is Titania?
Titania is the fiancée of the Duke of Athens.
Titania is the queen of the fairies.
Titania is the king of the fairies.
Titania is a weaver.
Who is Puck?
Puck is Oberon's henchman.
Puck is Oberon's wife.
Puck is Hippolyta's husband.
Puck is Theseus's wife
Why are Oberon and Titania in the midst of a disagreement?
Titania wants to rule the land of the fairies on her own instead of sharing power with Oberon.
Titania wants to confuse the humans that she has seen enter the woods; Oberon doesn't want to.
Oberon has realised that Titania is no longer in love with him.
Oberon wants to take a changeling Indian boy, who is Titania's attendant, as his own henchman.
How does Oberon decide to get revenge against Titania?
Oberon challenges Titania to a duel.
Oberon steals Titania's crown.
Oberon decides to use a magical flower that will make Titania fall in love with the first creature she sees.
How does Oberon plan to obtain this flower?
Oberon says he will buy the flower himself.
While he waits for Puck to return, who does Oberon hear crashing into the woods in the middle of a conflict?
Lysander and Helena
Lysander and Hermia
Hermia and Demetrius
Demetrius and Helena
Who says, "The more you beat me, I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel"?
Helena
Demetrius
Hermia
Lysander
What does Oberon mean when he observes Demetrius and Helena from a distance and says, "Ere he do leave this grove, thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love"?
Oberon believes that if Helena gives up on Demetrius, he will fall in love with her.
Oberon will ensure that Demetrius becomes enchanted so that he falls in love with Helena.
Why does Oberon think his plan will make Titania give him the changeling Indian boy?
Oberon is confident that Titania will give him the boy to avoid a fight with the creature with whom she falls in love.
Oberon believes Titania will give him the boy out of pity for Oberon's newfound loneliness.
Oberon thinks the love potion will make her infatuated and cause her to forget about the boy.
Oberon also tells Puck to "anoint the eyes" of a "scornful youth" so that he will fall in love with the woman who loves him. Who is Oberon referring to?
Oberon tells Puck he will know the man he needs to find "by the Athenian garments" he has on. How do we know that this foreshadows something going wrong?
Puck has already proven to be unreliable in finding the correct flower, so we know he can't be trusted to do this task correctly.
Everyone in the play is wearing Athenian garments, so Puck could choose anyone.
There is no such thing as "Athenian garments" -- all clothing could be made anywhere.
Both Demetrius and Lysander are Athenians who are wandering through the woods, and they could be mistaken for one another.
Act 2, Scene 2
As Puck covers Titania's eyes in the flower's juice, he says she will fall in love once she wakes "when some vile thing is near". Using dramatic irony, how does Shakespeare foreshadow the fact that this will go wrong?
There are four humans walking through the woods that Titania, as a a fairy, would consider "vile".
Titania considers Puck to be a "vile" creature.
Anything in the forest could be considered a "vile thing", including the surrounding trees.
The juice of the flower will prevent Titania from ever waking up.
As they pass through the forest, why don't Hermia and Lysander notice Titania?
A spell has been cast upon them by the fairies.
They are distracted by their own love for each other and the enchantment of the forest.
Hermia doesn't feel comfortable sleeping next to Lysander in the forest. Why not?
She is worried that people will see them sleeping near each other and assume that they have had sex out of wedlock.
She is worried that Lysander will try to have sex with her.
She is committed to Demetrius and feels it would be wrong to share a bed with anyone else.
She is afraid of the forest but feels safer sleeping alone than next to another person.
Puck believes he sees both "the Athenian maiden" and the man who "despised" her, when in reality he sees...
Theseus and Hippolyta
Oberon and Titania
Demetrius and Helena
Lysander and Hermia
Whose eyes does Puck anoint with the charmed juice?
Lysander
Demetrius
Hermia
Helena
Who is lost in the woods, discovers Lysander, and wakes him up (causing him to fall in love with them)?
Helena
Hermia
Titania
Demetrius
Why does Helena do once she realises that Lysander has fallen in love with her?
Helena believes Lysander is mocking her and runs away.
How does Lysander respond to Helena running away?
Lysander says goodbye to Hermia while she sleeps, then pursues Helena.
Lysander remembers that he loves Hermia and turns back to her.
Lysander laughs at Helena and mocks her.
Lysander ignores Helena completely and spends his time thinking about Helena.
Act 3, Scene 1
We see the return of the "mechanicals", the troupe of actors from the beginning of the play. See if you can remember: who are they going to perform this play for?
Duke Theseus, his fiancée Hippolyta, and their court
The local merchants of Athens
Oberon, Titania and the other fairies and goblins
Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia and Helena
In the play, who performs the lead role of Pyramus in the play-within-a-play?
Who says, "What hempen homespuns have we swaggering here?" upon noticing the actors preparing for their play?
Puck
Titania
Oberon
Demetrius
What unexpectedly happens to Bottom as he begins to perform his role?
Bottom's head is transformed into that of an ass.
Who, do we realise, has given Bottom the head of an ass?
When Titania, the Fairy Queen, awakens with the enchantment of the flower in her eyes, who does she immediately see and fall in love with?
Act 3, Scene 2
When Puck returns to Oberon, does he tell Oberon that everything is happening as they had planned?
Yes
No
How does Puck realise he has made a mistake when Demetrius and Hermia come into the glade where he and Oberon are?
He realises that he has enchanted Lysander instead of Demetrius, causing him to fall in love with Helena.
He realises that he has enchanted Hermia instead of Helena, causing her to fall in love with Demetrius.
He realises that he has enchanted Demetrius instead of Lysander, causing him to fall in love with Helena.
He realises that he has enchanted Helena instead of Hermia, causing her to fall in love with Lysander.
Since Demetrius is chasing after Hermia, has he been enchanted into loving her?
Yes, but he already loved her before.
No, but he already loved her before.
Yes, but he didn't love her before.
No, and he didn't love her before.
How does Oberon rectify Puck's mistake and the fact that Demetrius doesn't love Helena?
He waits until Demetrius is asleep and anoints his eyes with the enchanted flower.
He breaks the enchantment that has fallen over Lysander so that he won't chase after Helena.
He bewitches Puck so that Puck is in love with Helena.
He decides that he cannot solve it using magic and sends Puck to find the other Athenians.
Does Oberon's attempt to enchant Demetrius into loving Helena work?
Yes
No
As the Athenians meet up again in the glade, why does Hermia call her friend Helena a "juggler", "canker-blossom" and "thief of love"?
Hermia finds Helena entertaining and thinks it would be funny to mock her.
Hermia is in love with Demetrius and wants Helena to stay away from him.
Hermia thinks Helena deserves Lysander's love, so she praises her in front of him.
Hermia is enraged since she believes that Helena has stolen Lysander's affections.
How do the four Athenians resolve the conflict in this scene?
They don't. Hermia and Helena fight, then run away from each other, while Lysander and Demetrius run away to fight each other.
They are all bewitched by Oberon, Titania and Puck.
They decide to fight to the death, with Hermia and Lysander ultimately being victorious.
They agree to walk off in four separate directions.
How does Oberon expect Puck to undo the damage he has done to these couples?
How does Puck prevent Lysander and Demetrius from fighting to the death?
Puck bewilders and confuses them, wearing them out and eventually making them fall asleep.
Puck puts them to sleep by singing a calming lullaby.
Puck turns their swords into useless blades of grass.
Puck turns them both into asses.
Why do Hermia and Helena fall asleep too?
They fall asleep after being worn out by the various events that have happened throughout the day.
They don't realise that the forest is surrounded by a magical fortress.
Puck anoints their eyes with a sleeping spell while they are awake.
What does Puck ensure will happen when all the lovers awake?
Puck ensures that the lovers will forget each other completely.
Puck ensures that lovers will continue to feel drowsy and fall back asleep.
Puck ensures that the lovers will continue to be angry with each other.
Puck ensures that the lovers will be in love with the correct partners.
Act 4, Scene 1
Does Bottom seem to be enjoying the fact that Titania has fallen in love with him (given that he has the head of an ass)?
Yes
No
Why does Titania eventually fall out of love with Bottom?
Titania falls out of love with Bottom when the enchantment is lifted by Oberon.
Titania falls out of love with Bottom because Puck accidentally makes her fall in love with Helena.
How does Bottom return to normal?
Puck removes the enchantment after Oberon asks him to do so.
Bottom falls asleep and wakes up with a human head.
Bottom is kissed by Titania and turns back into a human.
This is a trick question. Even at the end of the play, Bottom has the head of an ass.
Which two characters arrive in the forest to discover all this chaos during their morning hunting trip?
Duke Theseus and Hippolyta
Why does Theseus show forgiveness towards Hermia and the other lovers?
Theseus is just pleased to see that there is still a chance for Hermia to marry Demetrius.
Theseus forgives Hermia and the other lovers because it is his wedding day -- a day for celebrating peace and harmony.
Theseus doesn't believe in love and realises that the four lovers are simply naïve.
Theseus has been enchanted into forgiving them by Oberon and Titania.
Along with having a human head, what does Bottom discover when he awakes?
He discovers that he has no memory of what happened before.
He discovers that he now has the body of a donkey.
He discovers that he he can almost remember his "dream" and plans to write it into a ballad.
He discovers that he can morph into the physical form of any character he wants to perform.
Act 5, Scene 1
What is the name of the tragedy that Bottom and the other mechanicals perform at the Duke's wedding?