In the play "A Midsummer Nights Dream" wrote by William Shakespeare, I examining the language and the context in which its used. I am only anaylsing Act 1 and the opening scene of Act 2. Shakespeare writes in 3 dirrerent styles of language. These intail prose, blank verse and rhyming verse such as "Thorny Hedgehogs, be not seen, newts and blind worms do no wrong come not near our fairy Queen." That quote is from A fairy, the characters who speak in verse (In Shakespeares plays) are usually refined.

Prose is every other text apart from verse, the people who talk in prose (In Shakespeares plays) are usually "common" people. There's the faeries who who use verse then you have the coutiers who speak in blank verse. Rhyming verse is measured in Iambic pentamiter, such as 10 sylabols per line.

Then theres Bottom and the Mechanicals who try to use verse but are not succecessful even amonst the most elegant creatures, he still acts "common", like in this prime example "Scratch my head peaseblossom, wheres monsieur Cobweb?". Peaseblossom is A fairy, A magical creature and on discovering this marvel of the world he is no more excited than any other day. He mearly treats it as a servant.

The play A Midsummer Nights Dream is about 3 different stories that entwine together to create 1 big english litterature master piece. The story starts with 2 men who love the same woman (Hermia) although Hermia only loves one of the men (Lysander) which leaves Demetrius, Hermia's second admirer. There is also A girl named Helena who is madly in love with Demetrius. Unfortunatly Demetrius only has eyes for Hermia.

In the first scene Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius are in the Dukes home along with Hermia's father whom has brought them there because he wishes for his daughter to be wed to Demetrius. If she does not wed Demetrius her father wishes her to be killed or placed into A nunery, the Duke is going to wed the Queen of the Amazons. So to sort this problem out Hermia and Lysander run away together, but before they do they inform Helena who is A good friend of Hermia. Hermia loves Demetrius so much she delivers the secret to Demetrius whom sets off to find them both (Along with Helena).

Also in the forest on this night is The Mechanicals who are planning to reherse A play in secret, for the Dukes wedding. Also the Fairy King and Queen are arguing over A small Indian boy. The boy isn't A too important factor the argument is more based on power, who's the more powerful out of the couple. The dominant partner. Oberon (King of the faeries.) wants the boy and Titania (Queen of the faeries) won't allow Oberon to have him. So for revenge he sends Puck (his servant) to get A magical flower which one of cupids arrows had hit by mistake, because Cupid is blind as is love. While Oberon is awaiting Pucks return he manages to see Helena swooning over Demetrius and also the hostility she receieves from Demetrius. So once Puck returns with the flower, he takes pitty on Helena and tells Puck to put it in the eyes of Demetrius.

Puck inquires on how he will know whom this man is, Oberon answers his question with "You'll know him by the Athenian Garnments he has is wearing." So Puck sets off and finds Hermia and Lysander sleeping and mistakens them for Helena and Demetrius. Then Helena sets eyes upon the sleeping Lysander and presumes hes dead. So she trys to awake him. When he awakens he sets eyes on Helena instantly becoming in love with her because of the necter from this mystical flower. Oberon finds out that Puck has made A mistake and informs Puck of his error. Puck hoping to fix things puts the necter in Demetrius's eyes.

So when he see's Helena he falls inlove with her also, so now Helena has the love of both men and Hermia has none. Helena thinks they are joking and teasing with her, toying with her emotions. Then Hermia awakens and thinks Helena has stole Lysanders love. So they fight whilst Lysander and Demetrius fight (Over Helena).

Somewhere not too far away Oberon places the necter into Titania's eyes which makes her fall in love with the next creature she encounters. Using fairy magic Puck transforms Bottoms head into the head of an ass. His friends, terrified flee from Bottom, alone he wonders deeper into the forest, and straight into Titania's grove. She wakes and her heart is set on Bottom. The spell wears off on Titiania and she is horrified. The Mechanicals perofmr there play and Oberon fixes the mess with the Courtiers. Lysander and Hermia stay as A couple whilst Helena and Demetrius become an item. So it seems the Faeries story has crossed lines with the Courtiers, and also the Mechanicals. The play seems to have no particular genre, its starts off as A tradgedy but then using twists and turns mutates into A comedy with Bottom and the Mechanicals. The Mechanicals names are comedy.

In source A he seems to come across as unkind... or is he just honest. It does support the quote in some context, although it could just be showing hes honest. I believe it is biased because he adds, "The nation must be prepared to see heavy casualty lists." Now if I was A General Id want to win the war with as little casualties as possible, but he doesn't seem to care. He expects it, so when he hears an enormas ammount of mens lives were lost, he won't be shocked.

Source B does not seem to support the quote, General Haig is saying that everything went well, and it was brilliantly planned (giving himself A pat on the back). He talks about how several of the troops said "they have never before been so instructed and informed of the nature of the operation before them. The barbed wire has never been so well cut, nor the artillery preparation so thorough." I can only wonder what the rest thought, 570,000 men had died on that first day but this is not featured in the extract so It does not support the veiw.

Source C does support the quote, it features description of the carnage what took place in the Battle of the Somme. "It was clear that there were no gaps in the wire at the point of attack." The fact that Haig was no where near the front line, is the reason he didn't know. Its been said that the wrong shells were used, instead of breaking the wire it just lifted it up and brought it down, often in A worse tangle than before. I think the fact he sent the men out in these conditions is uncaring. Sacrificing men did not phase him, he seems to have an out look on the situation where he has an infinate ammount of men he can just keep throwing at the German lines. This is A loss of many lives for no reason at all.

Source D supports the quote about Haig, its just trying to tell A message through comedy. "Haig is about to make yet another "giant" effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin." This shows that Haig does no care for the lives of his men. He is losing many lives for little ground.

Source E supports the quote which referes to Haig as A butcher. He is uncaring, he expects these men to go over the top with A high chance of dying when he isn't even near the front line. "The absence of the General". Which means he isn't even going to be at the battle. How would this affect morale? In A negative way I think. Its like A coach who does not turn up to his teams football match. I think its quite selfish of him to not even be near the battle.

Source F is supporting that Haig is A butcher, it is A passage wrote for A book named "British Butchers and Bunglers of World War." It referes to his lack of care and consideration for the lives of these men, "if he could kill more Germans, than Germans could kill his men, then at some time he would win the war." This is A prime example of his lack of care.

Source G also supports the quote, "The battle of the Somme had no great importance". That sums it up in one. It didn't have no importance although it cost millions upon millions of lives. Men fought and died for absolutely nothing, this appauls me. I think it would have been better not to send men over the top but wait for the other side to do so. Therefor the casualties were low and the Germans were losing men. The only thing that The Battle of the Somme attributed too was raising morale. A speech would have raised morale, instead it took alot of lives.

I think source H does not support the quote that Haig was A butcher. "Germany's spirit of resistance was broken, mainly by the courage and resolution of Haigs armies, which had complete confidence in the leadership of there Commander." Its commending Haig and his stratergies. Although it was another General, he could have been Haigs friends. He also fought in both wars which means he may have got them mixed up.

Source I
Source I does not agree with the quote, because its A letter congratulating him on his work. "I congratulate you most warmly on the skill with which your plans were laid." This is A possitive source commending Haig.

Source J is negative, and does support the quote. He talks about how "The Somme would not have saved us from A stalemate." The Americans were the the reason we won. Our troops were hungry, tired, sick of the mud and morning the deaths of there friends. I saw in A program that our men were giving up all hope, then the Americans came. They had not fought so they did not despair, where as the German soildiers were also sick of it. The Somme was basically A waste of men from both sides. Many men were killed from each sides, pointless deaths. Its sickening.