A Midsummer Night's Dream: book club questions by chapter

🦉 A Midsummer Night's Dream · meeting 1 of 3

Read: Part One, “Trouble in Athens” (pages 1–3, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 3, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.

1. Why did Lysander and Hermia run into the forest?
   The story's answer: To escape the law and marry far from Athens
2. Who have we met so far, and what does each of them want?
   Listen for: Make a list together on the board; keep it for next time and add to it.
3. The part we just read is called "Trouble in Athens". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
4. Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
   Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.

🦉 A Midsummer Night's Dream · meeting 2 of 3

Read: Part Two, “The Fairy Flower” (pages 4–6, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 6, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.

1. What was Oberon and Titania's quarrel about?
   The story's answer: A little orphan boy they both wanted
2. Why did Puck enchant Lysander instead of Demetrius?
   The story's answer: He was looking for any young man in Athenian clothes, and found the wrong one
3. Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
   Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect.
4. The part we just read is called "The Fairy Flower". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
5. Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
   Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.

🦉 A Midsummer Night's Dream · meeting 3 of 3

Read: Part Three, “The Donkey's Head”; Part Four, “Only a Dream” (pages 7–12, about 7 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 12, the end of the story.

1. Why didn't Bottom run away when his friends fled?
   The story's answer: He could not see his own donkey head and thought they were teasing him
2. What does Puck's line "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" suggest the play is saying about love?
   The story's answer: Love can make anyone act silly and change its mind for no good reason
3. Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
   Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect.
4. The part we just read is called "Only a Dream". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
5. Now that you know the ending, was it the ending you expected?
   Listen for: Ask what in the earlier parts pointed to it, or pointed the other way.

About the whole story

1. Which character changed the most from the beginning to the end?
   Listen for: Ask what changed them.
2. Which scene would you put on the poster if this were a film?
   Listen for: A way to find the scene that mattered most to each reader.
3. Is there a line or a moment you will remember? Why that one?
   Listen for: Let readers find it in the book and read it aloud.
4. Who would you give this story to, and why them?
   Listen for: A reader who can name the right person has understood what the story is like.
5. If you could ask the person who first told this story one question, what would it be?
   Listen for: Collect the questions; some have answers on the story's page in the library.