Book Anatomy · A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1600, 17,150 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1600, 17,150 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
17,150 words. Modern plays often runs 15,000 to 30,000 words, so this is in the usual range today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 17,150 words, this is a short play, much shorter than modern novels. For a stage play it is typical length. Modern fantasy romance novels would be 80,000 to 120,000 words, making this very brief by comparison.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1600, 17,150 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The play is divided into five acts across nine scenes. Act I (c1 to 2) sets up the conflict. Act II (c3) introduces magic. Act III (c4 to 5) escalates chaos. Act IV (c6 to 7) resolves it. Act V (c8 to 9) provides closure and epilogue.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5, Scene 6
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: 'Sorcery of Thorns' by Margaret Rogerson (magic and romance), 'The Cruel Prince' by Holly Black (fairies and love), 'Howl's Moving Castle' by Diana Wynne Jones (magic and transformation), 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman (magical adventure).
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Today this would be shelved as Young Adult Fantasy Romance. Readers aged 14 to 18 would find the love triangle, magic, and comedy appealing. Adults interested in Shakespeare or classic fantasy would also read it.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: parental control and forced marriage (c1), magical coercion of love (c4 to 7), physical transformation (c5), mild violence (lovers threaten to fight, c6), class-based comedy (craftsmen portrayed as comic relief).
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 4, Scene 5, Scene 6, Scene 9
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
When magic goes wrong in an enchanted wood, two couples find their love tested by mischief and mayhem. A young woman defies her father to follow her heart, but a fairy's spell turns her world upside down. Can true love survive when magic makes everyone fall for the wrong person?
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is poetic and evocative, typical of Shakespeare's play titles. It names the setting and season rather than the plot or characters. Modern genre titles tend to be more direct ('The Lovers' Spell') but this style fits the romantic fantasy genre well.
Ask A Midsummer Night's Dream a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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