1.  The only indication we have of the character of Hippolyta is in the last act, where she is so bored by the play of ‘Pyramus and Thisbe.’  Does this show stupidity on her part or exceptional development? 2.  Do you agree with Dowden that there is no figure in the early drama of Shakespeare so magnificent as Theseus?  His insistence in Act I. that Hermia should obey her father against her own inclinations is certainly not very praiseworthy, but might be excused on the score of the times in which he lived. 3.  His complaisance toward Quince and his companions has been considered an indication that he was a most perfect gentleman; does he not rather conceitedly patronize them?

3.  THE FAIRIES

QUERIES FOR DISCUSSION

1.  Have the Fairies any idea of morality? 2.  Oberon was perfectly justified in wishing to get the changeling from his wife, and shows himself worthy of becoming a mortal for insisting on his rights as a husband. 3.  Titania is the most developed woman character in the play, because she insists on her individual right to the changeling. 4.  Is Puck a more developed fairy than Ariel in ‘The Tempest’?

4.  THE PLAYERS

QUERIES FOR DISCUSSION

1.  Is Shakespeare making fun of the stupidity of Quince and his companions, or is he gently satirizing the stage and the exaggerated style of writing for the stage which prevailed at this time? 2.  If the last is true, is not Shakespeare in the last act making fun of the audience, as well as of the players, who with a superior air pass judgment upon the play and indulge in very lame wit, while the real meaning of it quite escapes them.

SYMPOSIUM OF OPINION ON FAVORITE PASSAGES

Every member of the class or club should bring in a short paper giving his favorite passage in the play and why he likes it, including his criticism of the metre, of the metaphors and similes, and the thought contained.

QUERIES FOR DISCUSSION

1.  Which characters in the play are original with Shakespeare? 2.  What is to be thought of Shakespeare for bringing together in one play Greek mythology, English folk-lore, and English workmen of his own age?  Does this commixture of elements make the Play seem unnatural or incongruous?  Has he skilfully harmonised these diverse elements by giving the Play its dream-like character? 3.  That this play is charming cannot be disputed.  Is its chief charm its humor, its fancy, its dramatic construction, or subtle developments of character?

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Sufficiently indirect use of contemporary political events in a Play was a cause of popularity without seeming dangerous to the State.

As “Love’s Labour’s Lost” is an early example of a plot woven out of masked allusions to current topics, so even as definitely plotted a comedy as “The Merchant of Venice” here and there worked in an animating shred of contemporary reference.