A Midsummer Night's Dream

by Robert Swindells

Robert Swindells's A Midsummer Night's Dream is set in a very modern-day Yorkshire. Theseus, the neighbourhood tycoon is getting married. Bottom and his mates are roped into putting on a play for the wedding because, well, there's nothing much to do when you're on the dole. But, before the wedding, there are young lovers with problems to resolve ... and a drop of magic and mischief in the mix!
The Shakespeare Today series captures the magic of Shakespeare's text and sets it in an accessible and contemporary style.

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Robert Swindells was born in Bradford in 1939, the eldest of five children. He left the local Secondary Modern School at fifteen to work as a copy holder on the local newspaper. At seventeen he enlisted in the RAF and served for three years, two in Germany. On being discharged he worked as a clerk, engineer and printer until 1969 when he entered college to train as a teacher having obtained five 'O' levels at night-school. His first book 'When Darkness Comes' was written as a college thesis and published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1972. In 1980 he gave up teaching to write full time. He likes travelling and visits many schools each year, talking and reading stories to children. He is the secutatry of his local Peace Movement group. Brother in the Land is his first book for Oxford University Press. He is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in Bradford.

Author description taken from Brother in the Land.

Reviews

[Victoria Vivente · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Swindells' A Midsummer Night's Dream is less an adaptation and more of an ideological reinterpretation. It is valuable as a curiosity and a discussion piece for examining how classic texts can be violently reshaped to reflect modern concerns. However, as a functional, accessible introduction to Shakespeare's actual play for the average student, it is likely to misfire. Recommend it with extreme caution: it is best suited for advanced, older students already familiar with the original play, as a comparative study in adaptation, rather than as a first encounter for younger readers seeking the story's magic.