A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

I. Exposition
A. Time - Mythological time period
B. Place - Ancient Greece (Athens)
C. Preliminary Situations - Theseus has captured Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, on the battlefield, and they plan to marry. Also, Egeus stipulates that his daughter Hermia must marry Demetrius, but she wants to marry Lysander, whom Hermia's friend Helena is in love with.

II. A. Initial Incident

Act 1, Scene 1

Theseus, the duke of Athens, has captured an Amazon, Hippolyta, and they are planning for their wedding when Hermia's father, Egeus, enters with his daughter and her two suitors, Lysander and Demetrius. He wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, whom Hermia does not love; she has a requited love for Lysander. Egeus asks Theseus to make sure that Hermia marries Demetrius, and to kill her if she does not. Hermia is rather desperate to not marry Demetrius, and asks Theseus what her punishment would be if she does not marry him. Theseus tells her that she could either marry Demetrius, die, or live as a barren nun the rest of her life, chanting hymns to the moon. Lysander complains to Theseus that this decision is not fair; he loves Hermia more and she loves him back, and he also has more wealth than Demetrius. He also says that Demetrius is immoral, and has courted Helena, who now loves him.

When alone, Hermia and Lysander are upset that "the course of true love never run smooth." He proposes to Hermia that they run away to his rich and childless aunt, where the Athenian law would no longer be applicable to them. They decide to meet together in the woods the next night.

Helena enters, whining that Lysander loves Hermia, and not her. Hermia consoles her, saying that Demetrius will have to stop chasing after Hermia since she and Lysander are running away to Athens the next night. Hermia and Lysander both with Helena luck with Demetrius before they leave. Helena is left alone, anxious to please Demetrius, and decides to tell him about Hermia's and Lysander's plan. She is sure he would pursue Hermia in the woods, and Helena decides to follow him, because even just his sight gives her pleasure.

B. Rising Action

Act 1, Scene 2

Six Athenian tradesmen (Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling) prepare to present a play for Theseus for his wedding. Quince tells them they will be performing "the most lamentable comedy and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe." Quince assigns the roles, and Nick Bottom is eager to take all the roles, including the two leads and the lion. Bottom is assigned to play Pyramus, and Flute is assigned to play Thisbe, despite his objections to not play a woman because he "has a beard coming." They decide to meet in the woods the next night to practice.

Act 2, Scene 1

Robin Goodfellow, who is also called Puck, warns a fairy attendant of the fairy queen, Titania. He tells her Oberon, the fairy king, is mad because they are fighting over a changeling boy stolen from an Indian king. Titania loves the boy and refuses to give him up, and Oberon is jealous because of the attention she gives to the boy. He tells Titania's attendant to make sure Titania does not come within sight of Oberon.

Titania and Oberon enter, fighting. Titania accuses Oberon of loving Hippolyta, and Oberon likewise accuses her of loving Theseus. Titania points out that their fighting has caused an imbalance in nature and the weather. Oberon demands that she give him the boy to be his henchman. Titania refuses, because she owes it to the boy to bring him up since his mother died. She leaves to avoid further confrontations with Oberon.

Oberon orders Puck to find a flower called "love-in-idleness," which, should the juice be put on a sleeper's eyelids, make the person fall in love with the first living thing (s)he sees when (s)he wakes up. If she does so, her obsession for the Indian boy would falter, and it would be easier to take him away from her. Puck leaves to find the flower, and Oberon watches as Helena chases after Demetrius. Demetrius shuns all of Helena's advances on him. Helena goes as far as to say that she'd have Demetrius treat her as he would a dog. He asks her what she is doing out in the dangerous woods, alone, and Helena responds that she is not alone; his presence is her protection, and since he is the world to her, when he is with her, the whole world is there with her. Helena is frustrated that she is chasing Demetrius, when it should be the man chasing the women. Demetrius runs away, with Helena appropriately chasing after him. Oberon sympathizes with Helena and decides to help her out. When Puck returns, he gives Oberon the flowers, who decides to go to Titania and streak her eyelids with the juice. Oberon gives Puck a few flowers back, and asks him to anoint Demetrius' eyes.

Act 2, Scene 2

Titania tells her fairies to sing her a song while she goes to sleep, then leave and gather grubs to make coats. After the fairies leave, Oberon sneaks in and rubs some of the nectar on Titania's eyes and hopes that she wakes with some vile thing near. He leaves and Lysander and Hermia arrive. They've been wandering around in the woods, and are tired. Lysander pushes Hermia to sleep in the same bed together, but Hermia refuses. When they fall asleep, Puck enters, looking for the Athenian that Oberon told him of. He sees Lysander, thinking he is Demetrius, and anoints his eyes. He leaves, unaware of his mistake. Demetrius runs in, with Helena chasing him again. Demetrius outruns her and leaves, and Helena is out of breath. She sees Demetrius on the ground, and unsure of his condition, she wakes him to make sure he's okay. When he wakes up, the charm takes it's toll and he immediately falls in love with Helena. When he professes his love for her, she thinks he is mocking her. Helena leaves in despair. Lysander bids a pathetic goodbye to his sleeping Hermia, who now makes his stomach churn when compared to Helena. He leaves to pursue Helena. Helena wakes up from a nightmare and calls for Lysander, but he is nowhere around. She leaves to find him.

Act 3, Scene 1

The tradesmen meet in the woods to practice their play. Nick Bottom and Peter Quince point out and solve some problems in the play, such as how to get moonlight on the stage and how to present a wall for a certain scene. Bottom is also worried that his self-professed realistic acting will upset the ladies, who will think that he is really dead, and that there is a real lion onstage (instead of an actor dressed as a lion). Puck enters, invisible to the actors. He hears Bottom's recitation of Pyramus' lines, and Puck follows him as he leaves. He turns Bottom into an ass. Bottom re-enters, wearing an ass's head. The other players are afraid and leave, worried that they are haunted. Puck follows them. Bottom thinks that they are trying to frighten him. He starts singing to prove he is not afraid, and his singing wakens Titania. She falls in love with him, and orders four fairy attendants to take him away to sleep in her bower.

Act 3, Scene 2 (lines 1-374)

Oberon wonders if Titania has been awakened yet, and Puck arrives to report that she's fallen in love with a monster. He explains how he carried the plan out, and Oberon asks to double check that Puck anointed the right Athenian's eyes. Puck almost answers, but Demetrius and Hermia enter and interrupt. Puck realizes "this is the woman, but not this the man." Hermia thinks Demetrius killed Lysander while he was sleeping. Demetrius denies it, and Hermia leaves. Oberon realizes Puck's mistake and orders Puck to find Helena while he anoints Demetrius' eyes with the flower. Puck brings in Lysander and Helena, and Puck and Oberon move to the side to watch. Lysander wakes up Demetrius from his sleep in an attempt to impress Helena with his love for her. When Demetrius wakes, he sees Helena and professes his love for her as a result of the flower juice. Helena is upset and convinced that they are all bent on humiliating her. Lysander accuses Demetrius of loving Hermia, and Demetrius denies it and accuses him of the same. Hermia enters and is surprised as Lysander proclaims his disdain for her. Helena accuses Hermia of being part of their conspiracy, and is hurt that she thinks her friend could stab her in the back. Hermia is confused, and accuses her instead, "it seems that you scorn me." They both exchange insults and conspiracy theories that each is plotting against the other. Hermia takes Lysander's hand and wants him to help settle the conflicts, but he instead insults her. Lysander and Demetrius leave to prepare to fight for Helena's love, and Hermia and Helena leave because they can't stand to be near each other.

C. Climax

Act 3, Scene 2 (lines 375-end)

Oberon and Puck emerge, and Oberon accuses Puck of causing this situation by his negligence. He gives Puck detailed instructions (so he doesn't screw up again) to crush the flower into Lysander's eye to reverse the spell. Oberon then leaves to take Titania's boy from her while she is distracted by Bottom. Puck creates a fog to lead Lysander and Demetrius to the same place, when he then imitates both of them until they fall asleep late into the night. Helena and Hermia arrive, and also fall asleep. Puck applies the nectar to Lysander's eyes.

The primary turning point is when Puck fixes all the disputes between the couples so they can make up.

D. Falling Action

Act 4, Scene 1

Titania is still under the spell and still in love with Bottom, who is reclining next to her. Bottom demands much attention from Titania's fairy assistants, and enjoys being pampered. They fall asleep next to each other. Oberon, who has been watching them, comes forward and Puck arrives. He tells Puck how Titania willingly handed over the Indian boy after some prodding. Eager to fix what he and the other fairies have done, he tells Puck to undo the horse's ass on Bottom. Oberon himself applies nectar to the sleeping Titania, thereby removing the spell. Titania wakes up and comments that she dreamt that she was in love with an ass. Oberon points out Bottom next to her, and Puck removes the ass's head from Bottom. Oberon orders for music, and he and Titania dance. Oberon and Titania notice the sleepers on the ground, and they leave with Puck to let them be married with Theseus and Hippolyta.

Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus enter the woods to find the missing people. They stumble upon the sleepers, and Egeus wonders what brought all four of them together in the woods. Theseus is certain that they are preparing to celebrate May Day, and then he recalls that today is when Hermia is supposed to give an answer on her choice of marrying Demetrius or facing the alternatives. A horn sounds, and Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena awaken. Theseus asks Lysander what he is doing in the woods, and Lysander admits that he isn't sure how he got here, but he had intended to flee from Athens to marry Hermia. Egeus is angered by this comment and demands that Hermia marry Demetrius. He tries to make Demetrius angry and jealous that Lysander is stealing his wife, but Demetrius answers that he no longer loves Hermia; he loves Helena now. Theseus decides to breech Egeus's wishes, and will allow the couples to peacefully marry with himself and Hippolyta. He, Hippolyta, and Egeus leave. The four people are confused at the turn of events, and wonder whether they are awake or asleep. They leave to follow Theseus to Athens, while trying to make sense of their dreams, hence, the title of the play.

Bottom wakes up, thinking he also had a strange dream. He decides to have Peter Quince write a ballad called "Bottom's Dream" ("because it has no bottom") to be sung at the end of their play.

Act 4, Scene 2

The tradesmen are worried that Bottom is lost, and realize that without him, they cannot perform the play. They also mourn that Bottom lost the chance to earn six pence a day for playing Pyramus. Bottom then rushes in, explains that this is not the right moment to tell them about his experiences, but that he will soon. Bottom tells them that Theseus has dined, and they leave to go to the palace, after Bottom gives them advice on how to look and smell.

Act 5, Scene 1

Hippolyta tells Theseus and the Philostrate how strange she thinks the story is that the two couples confess, but Theseus writes it off as simply a figment of their imagination. Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia happily enter, and Theseus calls for entertainment before bed. The Philostrate gives Theseus a list of ready diversions for him to choose from, and he decides he'd like to see the play of Thisbe and Pyramus. The Philostrate tries to warn Theseus of how bad the play is, but Theseus insists on seeing it anyway. The Philostrate presents the actors, and Quince starts the prologue. The audience laughs at his mistakes, because his performance is terrible. The prologue finishes, and Snout presents himself as a wall, making a "V" with his fingers for Pyramus and Thisbe to talk through. Bottom, as Pyramus, doesn't see Thisbe on the other side of the "wall" and curses the wall. Theseus comments that the wall should curse again, and Bottom stops acting to respond to Theseus' statement. Thisbe (Flute) then appears on the other side of the wall, and they talk to each other. They both kiss the wall and agree to meet at Ninny's tomb. The audience still critical, Hippolyta says "This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard." Snug enters, as the lion, and reassures the ladies that he is really Snug the joiner, and not a true lion. Starveling enters as moonshine and explains that his lantern is supposed to be the moon. Thisbe arrives at the tomb, but is scared off by the lion, and the lion bloodies her clothes that she left behind. Pyramus sees her bloodied clothes and stabs himself, thinking Thisbe is dead; Thisbe then re-enters, sees the dead Pyramus, and kills herself as well (much like Romeo and Juliet). For the end, Bottom offers a choice between an epilogue and a rustic Bergomask dance, and Theseus asks that they leave the epilogue alone and perform the dance instead. The players dance and exit.

Theseus points out that it is almost midnight, "fairy time." He says that the dull play has made time pass, and now he is tired so he excuses the pairs to bed. The fairies enter the castle, and Oberon leads them in song and dance. The fairies bless the palace, and all but Puck leave. Puck speaks to the audience and tells them to think of the play as if it were a dream, and he promises the fairies will make amends if the play offended anyone.

E. Conclusion

Demetrius and Helena, Hermia and Lysander, and Theseus and Hippolyta all successfully marry. The fight between Oberon and Titania is resolved. The plot involving Bottom also turns out well, in that he does not remain a horse's ass.

III. Characters

Puck - The mischievous fairy who screws things up, then sets them right again.

Theseus - The Duke of Athens who represents the law and reason and has the other two couples married with himself and Hippolyta.

Hermia - One of the four lovers; both of the men at some point love her, and she boldly denies her father's demands to marry Demetrius and opts for Lysander instead.

IV. Theme

"The course of true love never did run smooth."

V. Personal Reaction

I thought this play was a little complicated (with four plots), so I was confused for most of the play, although I liked how it ended. It was humorous.

VI. Quotations

"I know a bank where the wild thyme grows."
-Oberon

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
-Puck

"The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well."
-Puck

"The course of true love never did run smooth."
-Lysander

"Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me, / neglect me, lose me; only give me leave / (Unworthy as I am) to follow you."
-Helena