-Plot Summary

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the story of the events surrounding the marriage of
Theseus, king of Athens, and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. It follows the lovers
Hermia and Lysander as they attempt to elope but are dogged by Demetrius, in love
with Hermia, and Helena, in love with Demetrius. Parallel is the story of Titania and
Oberon, monarchs of the forest, who are embroiled in their own fight. Puck, their fairy
jester, functions as a liaison between the two parties, as Oberon orders him to use a love
potion to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena. Oberon’s plan backfires, and it is
Puck’s duty to right his wrong. As the play is a comedy, it ends with a many-part
marriage between the happy lovers.

Major Characters
Hermia: A young woman from Athens, daughter of Egeus. In love with Lysander, she is
headstrong enough to rebel against her father’s orders to marry Demetrius.
Helena: A young woman from Athens. She was betrothed to Demetrius until he left her
for Hermia, and she remains desperately in love with him.
Lysander: A young man from Athens, who starts out the play in love with Hermia.
Despite his alleged devotion to Hermia, Lysander is no match against the magic potion
of Puck.
Demetrius: A young man from Athens. Once betrothed to Helena, he abandoned her
to pursue Hermia, to whom he is arranged to marry. He can be brash and rude, insulting
Helena and threatening her harm.
Robin "Puck" Goodfellow: A sprite. Oberon’s mischievous and merry jester. Unable
and unwilling to obey his master, he represents the forces of chaos and disorder,
challenging the ability of both humans and fairies to enact their will.
Oberon: The king of the fairies. Oberon shows a kind side in ordering Puck to give
Demetrius a love potion that will make him fall in love with Helena. However, he still
cruelly demands obedience from his wife, Titania.
Titania: The queen of the fairies. Titania refuses Oberon’s demand for the beautiful boy
she has adopted. Despite her resistance to him, she is also no match for the magic love
spell and falls deeply in love with the donkey-headed Bottom.
Theseus: The king of Athens. He is a force of order and justice, and is counterpart to
Oberon, reinforcing the contrast between human and fairy, Athens and the forest,
reason and emotion, and ultimately, order and chaos.
Nick Bottom: Perhaps the most foolish of the players, he is Titania’s brief lover when
Puck is ordered to embarrass her.

Major Themes
Foiled Perception: Shakespeare’s emphasis on the inability of the lovers to make
correct decisions based on their knowledge of the events at hand—symbolized by Puck’s
magic flower—shows the importance of this theme.
Control Versus Disorder: Throughout the play we are shown how characters
attempt to control that which they cannot, especially the actions of other people and
their own emotions. This plays out in particular on the part of men attempting to control
the women in their lives.
Literary Device, Play-Within-a-Play: Shakespeare invites us to consider the fact
that while bad actors (like those of the poor players’ production) make us laugh at their
attempts to fool us, we are hoodwinked by good actors. He also suggests this way that
we are always acting, even in our own lives.
Challenging of Gender Roles, Female Disobedience: The women of the play
offer a consistent challenge to male authority. Women embracing their power often
suggests a challenge to male authority, and there is no better place for women to seize
their power than in the chaos of the forest, where male authority has no place.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE (Who’s who in the play)

Theseus - Mayor of Athens, and soon-to-be husband of Hippolyta, Queen

of the Amazons.
Hippolyta - Queen of the Amazons, whom Theseus defeated in battle and
is going to marry.
Egeus - Father to Hermia; wants her to marry Demetrius.
Hermia - Daughter to Egeus, beloved of Lysander and Demetrius.
Lysander - Hermia’s Boyfriend.
Demetrius - Wants to marry Hermia, who hates him.
Helena - Best friend to Hermia, in love with Demetrius.
Peter Quince - A carpenter, and author of the play “Pyramus and Thisbe”.
Bottom - A weaver playing the part of Pyramus.
Flute - A bellows-mender (in our version an A.C. repairman) playing the
part of Thisbe.
Snout - A tinker (mender of pots and kettles) who plays the wall.
Snug - A joiner (fitter of furniture) who plays the lion.
Starveling - A tailor who plays moonshine.
Oberon - King of the Fairies.
Titania - Queen of the Fairies.
Puck - Oberon’s servant and all around mischief-maker.
Peaseblossom, Moth, and Mustardseed - Fairies who serve Titania.