Midsummer Night's Dream
Setting
In a forest, on the street and in Theseus's castle. The beginning of the play was in Theseus's castle where Egus came in with his complain about his daughter and then at the end when they all came to watch the play. The rest of the scenes where in the forest with fairies and the people doing the play. The four lovers also fled in to the forest. There was a short scene when the people doing the play had met up on the street.
Characters
Oberon
He is the Fairy King. His wife is Titania.
Puck
He is Oberon's Jester and a mischievous spirit.
Titania
She is the Fairy Queen and is married to Oberon.
Snug
He is a cabinetmaker
Robin Starveling
He is a tailor. Plays the part of Thisbe's mother.
Tom Snout
He is a handyman
Francis Flute
He is a bellows-repairman. Plays the part of Thisbe in the play.
He is a bellows-repairman
Peter Quince
Author of the play. He is a carpenter.
Nick Bottom
Plays Pyramus in The most lamentable comedy and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe. He is a weaver.
Demetrius
In love with Hermia, but engaged to Helena. After the Potion love Helena again.
Lysander
In love with Hermia. Due to the love potion temporarily in love with Helena.
Theseus
King of Athen. Engaged to Hippolyta
Egus
Hermia's father.
Hippolyta
Queen of the Amazon. Engaged to Theseus
Helena
Loves Demetrius, and were once engaged. Lacks confidence in her looks.
Hermia
Egeus's daughter, loves Lysander, friends with Hermia and hates Demetrius. Runs away with Lysander to marry him.
Conflict
Person vs Person
Hermia and Helena
Hermia and Helena also fight with each other when Hermia thinks that Helena won over Lysander and Helena thought that Hermia made Demetrius and Lysander act like they love her to make fun of her.
How low am I? I am not yet so low
But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes (III.ii.305-306)
Lysander and Demetrius
Lysander and Demetrius were first fighting each other over Hermia since they both loved her. They were also fighting with each other when Puck had put the potion on both of them and they both had fallen in love with Helena.
"Now she holds me not.
Now follow, if thou darest, to try whose right,
Of thine or mine, is most in Helena" (III.ii. 346-348)
"Relent, sweet Hermia—And, Lysander, yield
Thy crazèd title to my certain right." (I.iv.91-92)
Theme
Dreams
The play is called Midsummer Night's Dream. All the events that happened in the play were called dreams.Bottom and the 4 lovers also described everything that happened as dreams. In the beginning Hippolyta said "Four days will quickly steep themselves in night.
Four nights will quickly dream away the time." (I.i.7-8). Puck also said at the end that if the audience memeber were offended by the play think of everything that they saw was a dream
Magic
Magic caused chaos but it also resolved the main problem. It added to the first problem which was Demetrius loving Helena, It also made Lysander love Helena. Then later through magic both problems were resolved, Lysander loved Hermia again and Demetrius continued to love Helena.
Love's Difficulty
As Lysander said at the beginning of the play "The course of true love never did run smooth." (I.i.134). First Egus was not letting Hermia marry Lysander, and told her that if she does not marry Demetrius than she will be killed. Then due to Puck's mistake Lysander and Demetrius both started loving Helena, and after lots of chaos everything went back to normal. Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena got married and it was a happy ending.
