Here you will get the detailed summary of IGNOU MEG 2 Block 2 – William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
We have provided the summary of all units starting from unit 1 to unit 5.
Introduction
Block 2 of MEG-2 focuses on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of William Shakespeare’s most popular romantic comedies. The play blends themes of love, fantasy, confusion, and transformation, set in a world where humans and fairies interact. It features multiple storylines—romantic lovers, magical fairies, and comic performers—all coming together in a dream-like forest.
This block is divided into five units. It explores the performance background of Shakespeare’s time, the literary features of romantic comedy, and a scene-by-scene analysis of the play. It also looks at the role of the mechanicals, the group of amateur actors who bring humor and satire into the story. Together, these units help readers understand the play’s deeper meanings, character relationships, and its place in English literary tradition.
Unit 1: Background – Performance
This unit provides insights into how Shakespeare’s plays, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, were performed during the Elizabethan era. Theatres like The Globe had open roofs, simple sets, and no artificial lighting. Actors used expressive gestures and dramatic language to engage the audience.
The unit also discusses how the play was originally meant to be performed at weddings or courtly celebrations. The magical and festive tone of the play made it ideal for such events. Understanding the performance context helps us appreciate how the play was designed to entertain, amuse, and reflect on love and relationships.
Unit 2: Romantic Comedy and the Language of the Play
This unit explains the features of romantic comedy. In this genre, love is the central theme, but it is often complicated by confusion, disguise, or magical interference. However, it always ends happily—usually with marriage or reunion.
The unit also examines Shakespeare’s use of language—how he uses verse (poetry) for noble or magical characters and prose for comic or lower-class characters like the mechanicals. The playful and poetic language creates a dream-like atmosphere and enhances the comedic and romantic tone of the play.
Unit 3: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – I
This unit summarizes the first half of the play, focusing on the human characters. Theseus, the Duke of Athens, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. Meanwhile, Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius (her father’s choice) because she loves Lysander. The two lovers decide to run away into the forest.
Helena, who loves Demetrius, follows them, hoping to win his love. At the same time, a group of workmen (mechanicals) is rehearsing a play to perform at the Duke’s wedding. All these characters end up in the enchanted forest, setting the stage for magical confusion.
Unit 4: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – II
This unit covers the second half of the play, focusing on the magical events in the forest. The fairy king Oberon and queen Titania are fighting over a young boy. To get revenge, Oberon uses a magic flower to make Titania fall in love with the first creature she sees—which turns out to be Bottom, who has been given a donkey’s head by the mischievous fairy Puck.
Meanwhile, Puck mistakenly uses the same flower on Lysander and Demetrius, making both men fall in love with Helena. This causes chaos among the four lovers. Eventually, Oberon and Puck fix the magical mistakes. The couples are happily reunited, and the story returns to Athens for a joyful ending.
Unit 5: The Mechanicals
This final unit focuses on the mechanicals, who are simple tradesmen trying to act in a play for the Duke’s wedding. Their leader is Peter Quince, and the most memorable member is Nick Bottom, whose confidence and silliness add humor to the play.
Their play, Pyramus and Thisbe, is a parody of tragic romance and is full of errors, mispronunciations, and overacting. Even though it’s meant to be serious, it ends up being very funny. Shakespeare uses the mechanicals to mock the dramatic traditions of the time and also show how theatre can entertain all kinds of audiences.