A Midsummer Night's Dream (2024)

TL;DR (may contain spoilers): People get lost in the woods. Puck manipulates their romantic affections and (in one case) anatomical head-shape. They put on a play.

Four Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry.

More detail: 3 minute read

Act I

As Duke Theseus prepares for his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, he is interrupted by a courtier, Egeus. Egeus asks for the Duke to intervene in a dispute. His daughter, Hermia, will not agree to marry Demetrius (whom Egeus has chosen for her) because she loves a gentleman named Lysander. The Duke asks Hermia to be obedient to her father. He offers her one of two options: she must either die or accept a celibate life as a nun in Diana's temple.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1)

Naturally upset with the offer, Lysander and Hermia plan to elope and share their secret with Helena, Hermia's friend. Helena is desperately in love with Demetrius, who seems to have abandoned her in favour of Hermia. At night, Lysander and Hermia escape from Athens; but they soon lose their way in the woods. After Helena tells him of their intention to defy the law, Demetrius decides to follow the lovers into the woods. In turn, Helena follows Demetrius in the hope that he will give up on Hermia and choose her instead.

Meanwhile, a group of working men are preparing a play of the tragic love-story of Pyramus and Thisbe to present before the Duke Theseus on his wedding day. Nick Bottom, the weaver, is to play the lover Pyramus, while Flute, the bellows-mender, begrudgingly agrees to play Thisbe.

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

— A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1 Scene 1

Act II

Nearby, Oberon - King of the Fairies—has recently quarrelled with his queen, Titania. She acquired a magical child from one of her waiting women, and now refuses to hand him over to Oberon to use as a page. Oberon begins to plot a way to get revenge on Titania for her disobedience. He sends his fairy servant, Puck, to fetch a purple flower with juice that makes people fall in love with the next creature they see.

Afterwards, Oberon overhears Helena and Demetrius arguing in the forest. Oberon hears Demetrius mistreat Helena and tells Puck to anoint 'the Athenian', so Demetrius will fall in love with the first person that he sees. Puck mistakes the Athenian and puts the flower juice on the eyes of the sleeping Lysander. When he is woken by Helena, he immediately falls in love with her and rejects Hermia. When Demetrius rests, Oberon puts magic juice on his eyes, which makes him fall in love with Helena as well.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (2)

Want to test your knowledge? Have a go at our multiple choice A Midsummer Night's Dream Quiz

Act III

The workers' rehearsals in the wood are overheard by Puck, who plays a trick on them by giving Bottom an ass's head. After frightening the others away, Bottom is lured towards the sleeping Titania whom Oberon has anointed with Puck's magic flower juice. On waking, the fairy queen falls in love with the ass and entertains him with her fairies.

The course of true love never did run smooth.

— A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1 Scene 1

Meanwhile, Demetrius and Lysander, still under the spell of the flower juice, pursue Helena. Hermia is jealous and confused about the lack of attention paid to her. Oberon and Puck watch the chaos, and Oberon commands Puck to put it right again. The lovers' arguments have tired them all out as they have chased one another through the woods. Puck eventually distracts the two men from their pursuit of Helena by impersonating their voices, and they get lost in the woods. The four lovers fall asleep, exhausted. Puck places restorative juice on Lysander's eyes.

Act IV

A Midsummer Night's Dream (3)

After an afternoon of being pampered by Titania's fairies, Bottom falls asleep beside her. Oberon restores Titania's sight and wakes her (thank goodness). After expressing her dismay at the sight of Bottom, she reconciles with Oberon, and she ends up giving him the little Indian prince for his page. Bottom's ass head is removed, and he returns to the city to rejoin his friends as they prepare to perform their play. The lovers are woken by Theseus and Hippolyta's hunting party. Lysander sees Hermia and falls in love with her once again.

Act V

Happily reunited (Lysander with Hermia and Demetrius with Helena), they agree to share the Duke's wedding day. The play of 'Pyramus and Thisbe' is presented before the wedding guests. As the three couples retire to bed, Puck and the fairies return to bless the palace and its people.

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

— A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1 Scene 1

For additional reading, see our blogs on A Midsummer Night's Dream

Discover poetic love lines from A Midsummer Night's Dream and other plays by visiting Shakespeare Quotes on Love

A Midsummer Night's Dream (2024)

FAQs

What is the famous line from Midsummer Night Dream? ›

I had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was… The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was.

Why is Egeus so angry act 4 scene 1? ›

Egeus is angry

He is angry that his daughter, Hermia, refuses to marry his choice of suitor, Demetrius. He invokes an ancient law that states if Hermia will not do as he says she should be put to death. The Duke agrees and sentences her to death if she does not marry Demetrius.

What are some questions about a midsummer night's dream? ›

Questions & Answers
  • What is Egeus so upset about in the play's first scene? ...
  • Why do Peter Quince and his fellow craftsmen want to perform a play for Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding? ...
  • Why does Oberon order Puck to fetch the magic flower? ...
  • Why does Puck delight in causing chaos and confusion?

What does Titania kiss as she lays in the grove? ›

As the Athenian lovers lie asleep in the grove, Titania enters with Bottom, still with the head of an ass, and their fairy attendants. Titania tells Bottom to lie down with his head in her lap, so that she may twine roses into his hair and kiss his “fair large ears” (IV. i. 4).

What was Puck's famous line? ›

Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound, A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire, And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

What is the deeper meaning of A Midsummer Night's Dream? ›

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play about love. It proposes that love is a dream, or perhaps a vision; that it is absurd, irrational, a delusion, or, perhaps, on the other hand, a transfiguration; that it is doomed to be momentary (“So quick bright things come to confusion” [1.1.

Does Titania forgive Oberon? ›

Titania respects Oberon and is quick to forgive him and forget their arguments after her experiences in the play.

Why does Oberon trick Titania? ›

What happened between Oberon and Titania? Oberon is angry with Titania because she has a changeling child and refuses to give the child to him. Oberon wants the child as a henchman. Additionally, both Oberon and Titania accuse each other of infidelity.

Who has more power, Titania or Oberon? ›

Oberon is powerful, but Titania appears to be just as headstrong, and they seem equally matched. However, as a result of this impasse, Oberon vows to exact revenge on Titania. Because of this, he can be considered quite spiteful: "Well, go thy way.

Who is Helena in love with? ›

Helena is a young woman in Athens. She is in love with Demetrius but he is not in love with her. Instead, he loves her best friend Hermia.

What is the main moral of A Midsummer Night's dream? ›

The main moral theme in A Midsummer Night's Dream is love, a subject to which Shakespeare returns constantly in his comedies. Shakespeare explores how people tend to fall in love with those who appear beautiful to them.

Who is Titania jealous of? ›

Titania's Jealousy of Oberon

She is also jealous of Oberon because he's allegedly cheating on her with Hippolyta, ''the bouncing Amazon, Your buskin'd mistress, and your warrior love'' (with ''buskin'' meaning ''booted'').

What did Puck do to the Bottom? ›

Puck uses magic to turn Bottom's head into a Donkey head, while he is rehearsing in the forest. Titania sees Bottom when she wakes up and she falls in love with him.

What does Bottom want to eat? ›

Bottom is starting to act like a real donkey by making donkey noises all the time and also wanting to eat what donkeys eat saying he has a desire to eat hay and how good it sounds to him. How he would be satisfied with oats or dried peas.

Why must the actors not eat onions or garlic before their play? ›

As they leave, Bottom tells them not to eat onions or garlic before the play, as they must be prepared to “utter sweet breath” (IV.

What is a famous quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania? ›

Titania
  • Out of this wood do not desire to go.
  • Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
  • I am a spirit of no common rate,
  • The Summer still doth tend upon my state.
  • And I do love thee; therefore go with me.
  • I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee,
  • And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,

What is a famous quote from a Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 scene 1? ›

O Hell, to choose love by another's eyes! (I.i.) If then true lovers have been ever crossed, It stands as an edict in destiny.

What are the last lines of Midsummer Night's Dream? ›

So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, And Robin shall restore amends."

What are the first lines of Midsummer Night's Dream? ›

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream, Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and Earth, And, ere a man hath power to say “Behold!”

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