--- product_id: 710878201 title: "A Midsummer Nights Dream, cover may vary" price: "£2.65" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/710878201-a-midsummer-nights-dream-cover-may-vary store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # A Midsummer Nights Dream, cover may vary **Price:** £2.65 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Midsummer Nights Dream, cover may vary - **How much does it cost?** £2.65 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/710878201-a-midsummer-nights-dream-cover-may-vary) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays. In the kingdom of Athens, Helena loves Demetrius; Demetrius loves Hermia; and Hermia loves Lysander who loves her too. But since Hermias father wants Demetrius as his son-in-law, the lovers elope to the forest, only to be followed by Hermias best friend Helenaand her suitor. What happens in the forest, which is enchanted by fairies and elves who work around magical flowers and love potions, when the mischievous elf, Puck, is asked to dispense the spell and he mistakenly places the flowers juice on Lysanders eyes instead of Demetrius? Will the lovers be united with their true love? One of Shakespeares earlier and most popular romantic comedies, A Midsummer Nights Dream perfectly blends humour and mirth with reality and romance. It has undergone several adaptations across various art forms and continues to be staged around the globe. Review: Another fantastic quality book. - You can't go wrong with any Macmillan collection books, superb quality, this book is no exception, pleasure to read and own. Review: Lucid Dream - Most editors are well disposed towards the plays they are asked to edit and Peter Holland is no exception - he tells us that there was no other title he'd have chosen in preference. Not everyone would agree with him about the play's merits, however. His undergraduate friend considered it 'a pappy play', and there have been plenty of other disparaging comments across the centuries. (Famously, Pepys described Dream as 'the most insipid ridiculous play', while for Malone it was unbelievably thin and trite.) After reading this exemplary edition, which reveals much of its full complexity, Dream should not be mistaken for such simple and unsubstantial fare again. Holland begins with a succinct account of modern dream theories, before tackling Classical, medieval and Renaissance views. Particularly interesting is his discussion of treatments of dream in the literature of Shakespeare's contemporaries, where Robert Greene's dismissive stance approximates to that of the rational (but limited) Theseus, while Thomas Lodge's more credulous acceptance of dreams and their mystery aligns him more closely with Hippolyta. The Introduction is astute as well as comprehensive. It observes that doubling the roles of Theseus/Oberon and Hippolyta/Titania has become routine since the 60s, but is critical of those who see this revival of doubling primarily as a solution to financial or pragmatic problems, insisting that it originally had an 'interpretative' function. Holland sees the Elizabethan practice of doubling as a structural device, where 'the audience's recognition of an actor was used to underline the interconnectedness of a series of roles he performed in a play.' Although I'm no historian of critical thought, it seems to me at least that Holland anticipates some of the more influential work of recent scholars. Louis Montrose's study of the Elizabethan theatre's subversion of patriarchal values is hinted at in this edition's Commentary. (See the note on Bottom's apparently innocent use/misuse of the word 'deflowered', p247n, for example.) Equally praiseworthy are the references made to those filmed versions of Dream, like Reinhardt's (1935), that might be considered too dated for extensive, post-Peter Brook discussion. Arden's forthcoming Dream will have a difficult job surpassing its Oxford competitor, first published in 1994. It's just a shame that in the intervening 17 years OUP haven't managed to reference page numbers mentioned in at least three sections of the book: Introduction, Editorial Procedures and Commentary. 'See p000' might suffice at proof stage, but it really isn't good enough so many years on. Peter Holland's informed and constantly illuminating edition deserves better. ## Features - New Store Stock ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 10,817 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 28 in Drama (Books) 566 in Fiction Classics (Books) 1,705 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,519 Reviews | ## Images ![A Midsummer Nights Dream, cover may vary - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71znjAjsboL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another fantastic quality book. *by C***N on 22 February 2026* You can't go wrong with any Macmillan collection books, superb quality, this book is no exception, pleasure to read and own. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lucid Dream *by J***S on 29 January 2011* Most editors are well disposed towards the plays they are asked to edit and Peter Holland is no exception - he tells us that there was no other title he'd have chosen in preference. Not everyone would agree with him about the play's merits, however. His undergraduate friend considered it 'a pappy play', and there have been plenty of other disparaging comments across the centuries. (Famously, Pepys described Dream as 'the most insipid ridiculous play', while for Malone it was unbelievably thin and trite.) After reading this exemplary edition, which reveals much of its full complexity, Dream should not be mistaken for such simple and unsubstantial fare again. Holland begins with a succinct account of modern dream theories, before tackling Classical, medieval and Renaissance views. Particularly interesting is his discussion of treatments of dream in the literature of Shakespeare's contemporaries, where Robert Greene's dismissive stance approximates to that of the rational (but limited) Theseus, while Thomas Lodge's more credulous acceptance of dreams and their mystery aligns him more closely with Hippolyta. The Introduction is astute as well as comprehensive. It observes that doubling the roles of Theseus/Oberon and Hippolyta/Titania has become routine since the 60s, but is critical of those who see this revival of doubling primarily as a solution to financial or pragmatic problems, insisting that it originally had an 'interpretative' function. Holland sees the Elizabethan practice of doubling as a structural device, where 'the audience's recognition of an actor was used to underline the interconnectedness of a series of roles he performed in a play.' Although I'm no historian of critical thought, it seems to me at least that Holland anticipates some of the more influential work of recent scholars. Louis Montrose's study of the Elizabethan theatre's subversion of patriarchal values is hinted at in this edition's Commentary. (See the note on Bottom's apparently innocent use/misuse of the word 'deflowered', p247n, for example.) Equally praiseworthy are the references made to those filmed versions of Dream, like Reinhardt's (1935), that might be considered too dated for extensive, post-Peter Brook discussion. Arden's forthcoming Dream will have a difficult job surpassing its Oxford competitor, first published in 1994. It's just a shame that in the intervening 17 years OUP haven't managed to reference page numbers mentioned in at least three sections of the book: Introduction, Editorial Procedures and Commentary. 'See p000' might suffice at proof stage, but it really isn't good enough so many years on. Peter Holland's informed and constantly illuminating edition deserves better. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good *by I***Y on 20 August 2017* Very good play. Good edition. Shakespeare is always fun to read. Go and read this play and enjoy it. Entertaining. ## Frequently Bought Together - A Midsummer Nights Dream, cover may vary - A Midsummer Night's Dream (York Notes for GCSE) - Study Guide to A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (Bright Notes) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/710878201-a-midsummer-nights-dream-cover-may-vary](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/710878201-a-midsummer-nights-dream-cover-may-vary) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-30*