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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Paul Leonard Murray’s Silly Shakespeare for Students version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream transforms this beloved comedy into a lively, one-hour adaptation in rhyming couplets. Simplified for clarity but packed with humor, it’s perfect for introducing Shakespeare to students or helping English learners develop speaking skills.
The whimsical plot stays intact: Hermia and Lysander flee to escape her father’s disapproval, Demetrius pursues Hermia, and Helena chases Demetrius. Meanwhile, mischievous fairy Puck stirs up chaos with a love potion, leading to romantic entanglements, donkey-headed carpenters, and plenty of laughs.
With production tips and a play summary, this edition is perfect for classrooms, drama clubs, or anyone looking to bring Shakespeare’s magic to life in a fun and approachable way!
“Playful and a riot of fun, these adaptations bring the humour of Shakespeare to life for young actors and audiences alike.
I love the scripts and the way they speak to the aficionado whilst simultaneously introducing Shakespeare to the novice.”
Dr Helen Grime – (Senior Fellow HEA) Senior Lecturer, Department of Performing Arts University of Winchester
A Taste of What's to Come
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
ACT THREE
Scene one
BOTTOM
I see what they are doing, and they don’t scare me
Just a practical joke, pretending to see
Something changed on my person. But I will not rage
I’ll keep myself calm by singing on stage.
(Singing)
Oh birdie, birdie, tweety, tweet
With little legs and yellow feet
TITANIA
(Waking seeing BOTTOM)
What wakes be from my flowery bed?
It’s a mortal man with a funny shaped head!
“The best thing about this book is that it’s rendered in poetry form. It’s no simple task to rewrite a whole classic in the form of couplets, and the author rightly merits high praise for his commendable efforts in this regard…. I whole-heartedly recommend A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Silly Shakespeare for Students to all young native English learners. It will also serve as an excellent textbook for learners of all ages, all over the world,”
Raju Chacko – Reedsy Discovery
“I really appreciated the fact that much of the rhyme and rhythm of the original text is kept in place so that it still feels true to the bard’s lyrical style. Many of the rewordings play into the new couplet rhyme scheme beautifully, and the incidents are indeed as funny as ever. ”
K.C. Finn- author of The Book of Shade
“I thoroughly enjoyed the care taken by Paul Leonard Murray in rendering the Elizabethan text of the drama A Midsummer Night’s Dream highly palatable for English as a Foreign Language cast members and audience. The rollicking humor of William Shakespeare’s somewhat bawdy play is retained despite the simplification of the text, and the innate rhythm of the English language still dominates the script.”
Lois Henderson- Reader’s Favorite
Paul Leonard Murray’s Silly Shakespeare for Students version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream transforms this beloved comedy into a lively, one-hour adaptation in rhyming couplets. Simplified for clarity but packed with humor, it’s perfect for introducing Shakespeare to students or helping English learners develop speaking skills.
The whimsical plot stays intact: Hermia and Lysander flee to escape her father’s disapproval, Demetrius pursues Hermia, and Helena chases Demetrius. Meanwhile, mischievous fairy Puck stirs up chaos with a love potion, leading to romantic entanglements, donkey-headed carpenters, and plenty of laughs.
With production tips and a play summary, this edition is perfect for classrooms, drama clubs, or anyone looking to bring Shakespeare’s magic to life in a fun and approachable way!
“Playful and a riot of fun, these adaptations bring the humour of Shakespeare to life for young actors and audiences alike.
I love the scripts and the way they speak to the aficionado whilst simultaneously introducing Shakespeare to the novice.”
Dr Helen Grime (Senior Fellow HEA) Senior Lecturer, Department of Performing ArtsUniversity of Winchester
A Taste of What's to Come
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
ACT THREE
Scene one
BOTTOM
I see what they are doing, and they don’t scare me
Just a practical joke, pretending to see
Something changed on my person. But I will not rage
I’ll keep myself calm by singing on stage.
(Singing)
Oh birdie, birdie, tweety, tweet
With little legs and yellow feet
TITANIA
(Waking seeing BOTTOM)
What wakes be from my flowery bed?
It’s a mortal man with a funny shaped head!
Paul Leonard Murray’s Silly Shakespeare for Students version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream transforms this beloved comedy into a lively, one-hour adaptation in rhyming couplets. Simplified for clarity but packed with humor, it’s perfect for introducing Shakespeare to students or helping English learners develop speaking skills.
The whimsical plot stays intact: Hermia and Lysander flee to escape her father’s disapproval, Demetrius pursues Hermia, and Helena chases Demetrius. Meanwhile, mischievous fairy Puck stirs up chaos with a love potion, leading to romantic entanglements, donkey-headed carpenters, and plenty of laughs.
With production tips and a play summary, this edition is perfect for classrooms, drama clubs, or anyone looking to bring Shakespeare’s magic to life in a fun and approachable way!
“Playful and a riot of fun, these adaptations bring the humour of Shakespeare to life for young actors and audiences alike.
I love the scripts and the way they speak to the aficionado whilst simultaneously introducing Shakespeare to the novice.”
Dr Helen Grime (Senior Fellow HEA) Senior Lecturer, Department of Performing ArtsUniversity of Winchester
“The best thing about this book is that it’s rendered in poetry form. It’s no simple task to rewrite a whole classic in the form of couplets, and the author rightly merits high praise for his commendable efforts in this regard…. I whole-heartedly recommend A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Silly Shakespeare for Students to all young native English learners. It will also serve as an excellent textbook for learners of all ages, all over the world,”
Raju Chacko
- Reedsy Discovery
“I really appreciated the fact that much of the rhyme and rhythm of the original text is kept in place so that it still feels true to the bard’s lyrical style. Many of the rewordings play into the new couplet rhyme scheme beautifully, and the incidents are indeed as funny as ever. ”
K.C. Finn
- author of The Book Of Shade
“I thoroughly enjoyed the care taken by Paul Leonard Murray in rendering the Elizabethan text of the drama A Midsummer Night’s Dream highly palatable for English as a Foreign Language cast members and audience. The rollicking humor of William Shakespeare’s somewhat bawdy play is retained despite the simplification of the text, and the innate rhythm of the English language still dominates the script.”
Lois Henderson
- Reader’s Favorite
Paul Leonard Murray’s Silly Shakespeare for Students version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream transforms this beloved comedy into a lively, one-hour adaptation in rhyming couplets. Simplified for clarity but packed with humor, it’s perfect for introducing Shakespeare to students or helping English learners develop speaking skills.
The whimsical plot stays intact: Hermia and Lysander flee to escape her father’s disapproval, Demetrius pursues Hermia, and Helena chases Demetrius. Meanwhile, mischievous fairy Puck stirs up chaos with a love potion, leading to romantic entanglements, donkey-headed carpenters, and plenty of laughs.
With production tips and a play summary, this edition is perfect for classrooms, drama clubs, or anyone looking to bring Shakespeare’s magic to life in a fun and approachable way!
“Playful and a riot of fun, these adaptations bring the humour of Shakespeare to life for young actors and audiences alike.
I love the scripts and the way they speak to the aficionado whilst simultaneously introducing Shakespeare to the novice.”
Dr Helen Grime – (Senior Fellow HEA) Senior Lecturer, Department of Performing Arts University of Winchester
“The best thing about this book is that it’s rendered in poetry form. It’s no simple task to rewrite a whole classic in the form of couplets, and the author rightly merits high praise for his commendable efforts in this regard…. I whole-heartedly recommend A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Silly Shakespeare for Students to all young native English learners. It will also serve as an excellent textbook for learners of all ages, all over the world,”
Raju Chacko – Reedsy Discovery
“I really appreciated the fact that much of the rhyme and rhythm of the original text is kept in place so that it still feels true to the bard’s lyrical style. Many of the rewordings play into the new couplet rhyme scheme beautifully, and the incidents are indeed as funny as ever. ”
K.C. Finn- author of The Book of Shade
“I thoroughly enjoyed the care taken by Paul Leonard Murray in rendering the Elizabethan text of the drama A Midsummer Night’s Dream highly palatable for English as a Foreign Language cast members and audience. The rollicking humor of William Shakespeare’s somewhat bawdy play is retained despite the simplification of the text, and the innate rhythm of the English language still dominates the script.”
Lois Henderson- Reader’s Favorite
Trivia
A celebration of love and magic:
This play is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, blending romance, fantasy, and humor. Its themes explore the complexity of love and the magic of imagination.
The “play within a play”:
The comedic performance by the “rude mechanicals” of Pyramus and Thisbe is one of Shakespeare’s earliest examples of a play within a play. This structure was innovative and added layers of humor to the story.
Shakespeare coined many words:
Shakespeare introduced many new words into the English language, and some linguists believe he was the first to use words like “eyeball,” “swagger,” and “bedroom.”
Mystery Surrounds His “Lost Years”:
From 1585 to 1592, there are no records of Shakespeare’s life. This period, often called the “Lost Years,” has sparked countless theories, including that he might have been a teacher, soldier, or traveler.