“In the pure poetry and intoxication of words, Shakespeare never rose higher than he rises in this play.” —G. K. Chesterton This Norton Critical Edition includes: • Shakespeare’s most popular comedy—with its unforgettable love triangles, woodland fairies, and magic—based on Grace Ioppolo’s conflated text (Q1 with F1 variants) and accompanied by her introduction, note on the text, and explanatory annotations. • Five illustrations. • Seven sources for the play, including those by Geoffrey Chaucer, Plutarch, and Lucius Apuleius. • Fifteen wide-ranging critical assessments, including ones by Jan Kott, Margo Hendricks, and Peter Brook. • Adaptations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Robert Cox and Henry Purcell and Elkanah Settle. • A Selected Bibliography. About the Series Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format—annotated text, contexts, and criticism—helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.