(Conduct a close reading of a passage (~25–100 lines) from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that engages with the cycle theme of Animals, People, and Power. Construct an interpretive thesis about how this passage relates to a larger theme in the play and paraphrase specific textual evidence from the passage to support your claim. How do literary features—including character, setting, plot, diction, imagery, and figurative devices—connect your specific passage to the play as a whole? How and why do Shakespeare’s literary decisions enhance the deeper meaning and dramatic impact of the passage?
