Themes, symbols, and motifs are valuable aspects of any literary work, and they add richness to stories. Part of the Common Core ELA standards is to introduce and explain these complex concepts. However, abstract ideas are often difficult for students to analyze without assistance. Using a storyboard, students can visually demonstrate their understanding of these concepts, and master analysis of literary elements. For best practices, see our supplementary article with specific lesson plan steps on setting up your classroom and activities to teach themes, symbols, and motifs.
In the classroom, students can track the rich symbolism that William Shakespeare uses throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They will analyze the instances of themes, symbols, and motifs as they appear in the play either while they read or after they've finished.
Throughout the play, the actions of impetuous lovers create continuous conflict. The tangle of affections that has left out Hermia shows that love is often difficult and unbalanced. When the theme is carefully examined, the reader can see there are multiple types of love working throughout the play. However, the underlying message is that love is not always perfect or reciprocated.
Magic, wishes, or attempts to avoid fate often fail or need reversal. Whether this is is frowned upon, or simply futile, messing with something that has already been determined is rarely a good idea. In this play, Puck causes a mess that inevitably needs fixing when he uses the magic flower to play Cupid.
Dreams are curious and bizarre. Perhaps why Shakespeare employed them so often. They can be used to explain desires, but they can also be ambiguous; dreams can create feelings and desires that can be either wonderful, or terrifying. Moreover, they prove how we are not in control and add a dimension of illusion to any situation.
The sub-plot of the Duke and his Amazon Queen suggests rationality and reality. Unlike the dream state that much of A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place in, Theseus and Hippolyta are the only ones who seem to be in control during this entire charade.
In the play, the love potion causes most of the mischief and represents the fickle nature of love. We can fall in and out of love just as quick as the drink can make us love and then take love away.
This play within a play is highly ironic. The play about Pyramus and Thisbe contains many of the same elements as A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes, motifs, and imagery in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.
Since a motif is a symbol that lasts throughout a book, first help students identify symbols. They are anything in the story that represents something beyond itself. With the whole class discussion, students will begin to understand how important symbols are to a story.
Once students understand what a symbol is, dig into symbols that occur more than once in the book. These motifs are important as students see the same symbols again and again, and see what the author is trying to accomplish through them.
After students can identify a motif, assist them in explaining what the motif means. Authors use motifs to flesh out ideas and offer deeper explanations.
A motif is a symbol in a story that is repeated over and over to add depth and meaning to the story. It is something that represents a deeper meaning beyond itself, and used throughout a story.
The theme is the lesson a reader learns about life after reading a story. One of the most important reasons to read is to learn these lessons.
One of the most important themes in A Midsummer Night's Dream is that love can make you do strange things. There are several sets of lovers in this story that make hasty and strange decisions because they are falling in love.