Assignment 2: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Vignette
Our class read and analyzed William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We got into small groups and were challenged to choose a scene from the play to present to the class. My group chose Act 5 Scene 1. We were allowed to put a creative spin on our scene and while our group kept most of our scene the same, we took out a few characters and added. We wrote our scripts while keeping some of Shakespeare’s most famous lines. Then we memorized lines, got costumes and props, created visuals for our background, and presented our finished scene to the class. This assignment strengthened our ability to work effectively with peers and presenting what we learned about the play.
2. I tailor my work to appeal to my intended audience and use language and visual design elements appropriate for them
Our audience was our peers so our group made sure to adapt Shakespeare’s text in a way that would make sense to our classmates. We knew that we wanted to keep the general idea of the scene the same as Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but we modified the text. We used language that would appeal to our peers by adapting the Elizabethan English to phrases that are more commonly spoken today. Our group also altered a few of the character’s attributes as a way to add humor and creativity into our vignette.
5. I enhance the impact of my research or presentation through creative use of technology
Our group decided to add audios and backdrops as a way to elevate the quality of our scene. Although it wasn’t required to include technological aspects, we thought that it would add a lot to our presentation. We added sound effects like a lion roaring and trumpets to introduce the prologue. Along with the sound effects, we created slides for different scenes such as a stage, a graveyard, and a forest.