We will not be taking a test on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Instead students will be handing in a character study…details below. They will also be graded on their participation in performing a scene. Scenes will be performed on Feb. 27th if you want to come and watch. (Which means we will be starting Henry IV Part 1 the next week so you are going to want to get your books.)
Character Study
Students are to choose one character to provide an in-depth study of. High School students are required to do all three parts of the study. Junior High are required to do the first two, they can do the third if they like. And Elementary students just the first part of the exercise.
First
Choose 3 character traits that sum up your character. They need to explain those character traits, how they are key to the character and the way that he behaves…and they MUST give specific lines from the play backing up their choice.
Second
Students must state what the characters objectives are. What are they trying to accomplish, what do they want. They need to explain if these objectives change over the course of the play. (For example, Lysander changes who he is in love with and wants to marry. He has a clear objective at the start of the play, but it changes. With the use of the love potion several characters objective changes several times) Again, students must give specific lines from the play that illustrate their characters objective.
Third
Students need to analyze how the character talks. Does he talk in verse, prose? Is he consistent? Why do you think Shakespeare choose to have him talk in that way. (In general choices for speech will be prose, tetrameter, or pentameter) Write a line that is a good example of their speech.
