Shakespeare in performance works were plundered for these scenes. Among the drolls taken from Shakespeare were "Bottom the Weaver" (Bottom's scenes from "A Midsummer Night's Dream") and "The Grave-makers" (the gravedigger's scene from "Hamlet"). At the Restoration in 1660, Shakespeare's plays were divided between the two newly licensed companies: the King's Company of Thomas Killigrew and the Duke's Men of William Davenant. The licensing system prevailed for two centuries; from 1660 to 1843, only two main companies regularly presented Shakespeare in London. Davenant, who had known early-Stuart actors such as John Lowin and Joseph Taylor, was the main figure establishing some continuity with
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1969 film) A Midsummer Night's Dream (1969 film) "Le Songe d'une nuit d'été" (A Midsummer Night's Dream) is a French TV film from 1969. It is based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare, and was directed by Jean-Christophe Averty. The four lovers Hermia (Christine Delaroche), Helena (Claude Jade), Lysander (Michel Ruhl), and Demetrius (Dominique Serina) have fled to a forest near Athens to escape from their parents' marriage plans. The situation is a bad one, because Helena's beloved Demetrius is in love with Hermia. Since Helena wants to win over Demetrius, she reveals the escape plan. The four wander through