A Midsummer Night's Dream - Usborne English Reader Edition Synopsis
With a foreword by Becky Albertalli, author of Imogen, Obviously and Love, Simon
'The course of true love never did run smooth'
Hermia loves Lysander. But she must marry Demetrius or be condemned to life in a convent. Together, Hermia and Lysander plan to elope to escape their fate. But Helena, Hermia's best friend, secretly loves Demetrius and, hoping to win his heart, tells him about the plan.
Deep in the forest, the four unlucky lovers cross paths with Oberon, the jilted fairy king. When a powerful, love-inducing flower is put to nefarious use, a case of multiple mistaken identities sets in motion a night of magic and mayhem that could change all of their lives forever.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is Shakespeare's magical romantic comedy of trickery, love triangles and mistaken identities.
Discover STAGED, a limited collection of Shakespeare's unabridged plays celebrating the genius of the Bard and the tropes that continue to delight YA readers to this day.
Explore the rest of the STAGED collection: As You Like It - With a foreword by Talia Hibbert Hamlet - With a foreword by Faridah Àbìké-Íyìmìdé Macbeth - With a foreword by Kat Delacorte Much Ado About Nothing - With a foreword by Holly Bourne Romeo and Juliet - With a foreword by Jennifer Niven
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later.