Shakespeare Tales: A Midsummer Night's Dream

By Terry Deary

From the bestselling author of Horrible Histories, named 'the outstanding children's non-fiction author of the 20th century' by Books For Keeps
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Ideal for readers aged 7+

Molly loves travelling with Shakespeare's theatre company but the jester, Armin, keeps picking on her and faithful donkey, Dolly. Can she keep Armin away from Dolly and stay with the theatre company? Meanwhile, on stage, Helena wants revenge on Hermia, Lysander wants revenge on Demetrius and the fairy queen Titania has fallen in love with a donkey!

Terry Deary's Shakespeare Tales explore the fascinating world of William Shakespeare through the eyes of children who could have lived at the time. Join master storyteller Terry Deary for a trip back in time to Shakespeare's travelling theatre company and a laugh-out loud comedy. This edition features notes for the reader to help extend learning and exploration of the historical period.
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'Bubbling with wit, language play and robust dialogue....just the right mix of ingredients to trigger young readers' interest in all things historical' - Books For Keeps

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Apr 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781472917782

Terry Deary

Terry Deary is the author of over 200 fiction and non-fiction books, which have been published in 32 languages. His historical fiction for older children Tudor Terror has been praised as "a marvellous blend of fact and fiction" (School Librarian). His non-fiction has been consistently in the best-seller lists since 1994. His Horrible Histories celebrated their 15th anniversary in 2008, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide and been adapted as television series, theatre tours and museum exhibitions. Terry Deary was voted "Outstanding children's non-fiction author of the 20th Century" by Books for Keeps magazine.

Book preview

Contents

Act 1Athens and arguments

Act 2Fights and fairies

Act 3Juices and jokes

Act 4Donkeys and dreams

Act 5Workers and weddings

Act 1

Athens and arguments

The servant’s tale

Richard Armin was a Fool. No, no, no. I don’t mean he was a buffoon or a blockhead, a dunce or a dog-heart, a beef-wit or a bird-brain.

I mean he was a jester, a comic, a wit. Master Shakespeare, the great play writer, hired Armin to play the part of the Fool in all of his plays. Even in the sad plays Master Shakespeare had to write a scene or two for a clown. That’s what so many people came to the theatres to see.

Master Shakespeare wrote a terribly sad play called ‘Hamlet’ where a prince set out to avenge his father’s murder. By the end of the play there were ten bodies, like litter, on the stage. Prince Hamlet himself died. But even that sad play had to have a part for Richard Armin to play a buffoon… Armin acted as a gravedigger who made jokes about skeletons and skulls as he dug. A young girl died and Armin made the crowds laugh. I cried.

Oh how those audiences loved him. They laughed and cheered and