A Midsummer Night’s Dream
(William Shakespeare’s)

Short Synopsis

After given an ultimatum by her father, Egeus, and Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to marry Demetrius on their command or become a nun, Hermia and Lysander, her lover, run away into the woods. Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, decides to tell him where Hermia has gone to get his attention. At the same time, the warring monarchs of the fairy world—Titania and Oberon—quarrel over an Indian Boy. Their quarrel leads to mischief, trickery, misunderstandings. What follows in the Athenian woods is a chaotic love story that, unsurprisingly for a comedy, ends with three happy weddings and the reunification of the fairy world.

Detailed Synopsis

Theseus and Hippolyta discuss their impending wedding. They are interrupted by Egeus, a nobleman, who asks Theseus for his help with his daughter, Hermia. She refuses to marry Demetrius, who Egeus has picked out for her and wants to follow her heart and marry Lysander for love instead. Hermia is told she must marry Demetrius or become a nun. Demetrius and Lysander argue with one another; Lysander reveals that Demetrius has led another woman, Helena, on, and now she is in love with him.

Lysander begs Hermia to run away with him so they can elope. They decide to meet in the Woods at night, and Lysander leaves to avoid suspicion. Hermia tells Helena about their plan. After Hermia leaves, Helena reveals that she is in love with Demetrius and is jealous of Hermia's superior looks. She thinks this is the reason Demetrius loves Hermia more than he loves her. She decides to tell Demetrius about Hermia's elopement to get in his finest books. Maybe, she thinks, this will put her in a kinder light.

In the meantime, the Mechanicals—a group of workers in an amateur dramatics club—arrive at a space in Athens to rehearse their play together. Quince, the leader of the group, hands out parts. Bottom, who is to play the lead role of Pyramus in Pyramus and Thisbe, interrupts at every chance he gets to provide his opinion, or ask to play more roles than just the lead. Quince politely disagrees with him each time. The others—Flute, Snout, Snug, and Starveling—are handed their parts and bring up their insecurities with each. For example, Snug is worried he won't be able to remember his lines as the Lion, even though his lines are all roars! Once all the parts have been handed out, they decide to meet in the Woods away from everyone else so they can rehearse without being interrupted.

In the Woods, Robin Goodfellow and another fairy meet. They talk about the King and Queen of the fairy world arguing over a stolen Indian boy. Queen Titania refuses to hand him over to King Oberon. As a result, the natural world is in disorder: fog has spread across the land and crops refuse to grow. They reveal to each other that Titania and Oberon are both coming to the Woods. The Fairy wants Oberon to go away so he won't upset her Queen.

Titania and Oberon meet. Oberon asks her for the Indian boy. Titania refuses as the boy's mother was a dear friend of hers who died. She looks after him for her friend. Oberon wants her to be obedient, but Titania refuses him. Titania knows the only reason Oberon has returned to the Woods is to wish Theseus well in his marriage, and because Oberon is in love with Hippolyta. Titania tells her fairies to follow her, and they leave Oberon and Robin alone. Oberon asks Robin to fetch a flower hit with a stray bow from Cupid's arrow and bring it to him: he will use the flower juice to make Titania fall in love with the next thing she sees so he can take the boy from her.

As Robin fetches the flower, Demetrius enters the woods, followed by Helena. Neither sees Oberon as he hides from sight. Helena begs him to love her again, but Demetrius threatens to rape her. She doesn't care if he hurts her; she's already hurt by the fact that he won't pursue her. Demetrius threatens to leave her with the wild animals and escapes into the thick of the woods once more, Helena hot on his heels. Oberon promises Helena that she will be pursued by the end of the night.

Robin returns with the flower. Oberon tells him to smear it on the eyes of an Athenian youth in the Woods so that he will love her more than she loves him. Oberon leaves to smear the flower juice on Titania's eyes.

Titania asks her fairy court to sing her to sleep and stand guard while she sleeps. Once she has fallen asleep, all but one leaves to carry out errands. Oberon enters and smears the flower juice across her eyes. He tells her not to wake up until something disgusting comes near, and then to fall in love with it. Oberon leaves.

Lysander and Hermia stumble in. They are tired and lost in the Woods. They decide to lie down to rest for a while. Lysander wants to lie close to Hermia, but she tells him to be gentlemanly and sleep further away. Lysander disagrees—they are in love; their hearts are as one, and so they should sleep near one another. Hermia refuses once more, and Lysander gives in, although points out he only meant the suggestion innocently. They go to sleep.

Robin enters and smears the flower juice across Lysander's eyes and chastises Hermia for sleeping so closely to him.

Demetrius and Helena enter. Demetrius continues to threaten Helena's safety. She begs him to stay with her, even if it means killing her. Demetrius tells her that he'll leave her to the wild animals and runs away again. Helena is too tired to run after him and decides to lie down to sleep, but, before she can, she sees Lysander. He wakes up and immediately falls in love with her. Lysander wants to find Demetrius so he can kill him for Helena's heart. Helena thinks that Lysander is making fun of her. She runs away. Lysander tells the still sleeping Hermia not to wake up or follow him as she is too sweet for him now. He runs after Helena.

Hermia wakes after a terrifying nightmare in which her heart is being eaten by a snake, and finds herself alone. She calls out to Lysander, but he does not answer. Fearing the worst, she decides to try and find him.

The Mechanicals gather in the Woods for a rehearsal of the play. They discuss various elements in the play that they need—Moonshine and a Wall—and how best to represent these on stage. Bottom is also worried about using a sword on stage when Pyramus has to kill himself. He doesn't want to frighten the audience, and so they decide to write a Prologue to explain to the audience that the play isn't real. Snout is also worried about the Lion frightening the audience, and Bottom decides that he should speak to the audience instead of roar to reassure the ladies. Once these issues have been resolved, the actors start to rehearse. None of them are remarkably talented.

Robin enters and is at first upset that they are rehearsing so close to Titania, but is intrigued by the prospect of an entertaining play. He thinks that Bottom's Pyramus is the strangest portrayal he's ever seen, and follows him off “stage” behind some bushes. Bottom returns with a donkey's head instead of his own, transformed by Robin. The others flee frightened that the monster will attack them. Bottom thinks that they are trying to trick him into being upset and refuses to run away. He sings, which wakes Titania. She falls in love with him on sight. Bottom doesn't quite understand why she has fallen in love with him, but doesn't actually argue with her. Titania calls her most trusted fairies—Peaseblossom, Moth, Cobweb and Mustardseed—to take care of Bottom. They leave to go and sleep in a flowerbed.

Oberon wonders whether or not Titania has fallen in love with something horrid yet. Robin enters and reports that she has fallen in love with Bottom, who he has given a donkey's head, and the Athenian youth is also in love with Helena as requested. Oberon sees Demetrius and Hermia coming—Robin reveals he has never seen Demetrius before, and may have mixed up the Athenian men. Hermia thinks Demetrius has killed Lysander as there's no other reason why he would have left her, but Demetrius defends himself: he hasn't even seen Lysander. Hermia won't talk to him again and runs away into the woods. Demetrius doesn't want to go after her while she's upset and goes to sleep.

Oberon tells Robin off, sends him to fetch Helena, and smears flower juice across Demetrius' eyes so that he will fall in love with Helena. Demetrius wakes and declares his love for Helena when she enters. Helena believes that both of the Athenian men are in on the joke now, and is upset. Demetrius gives up on his claim for Hermia and tells Lysander to go marry her instead, but Lysander doesn't want her either.

Hermia enters and asks Lysander where he went. He followed his love: Helena. Helena accuses Hermia of persuading the boys to trick her, but Hermia doesn't understand. They quarrel with one another, and once Hermia realizes Lysander genuinely does mean what he says; she threatens to beat Helena up. Demetrius and Lysander, too, decide to duel for Helena's hand.

Helena tries to reason with Hermia--she loves Hermia. They grew up together! Hermia tells her to leave. Helena does, afraid that Hermia will attack her. Demetrius and Lysander leave to fight one another further away in the woods. Hermia doesn't know what to think anymore. She leaves.

Oberon blames Robin for the mess he's made. Robin assures him that he made a mistakes. Oberon asks Robin to make the Woods dark so the two Athenian men won't be able to see one another to fight, and imitate their voices to lure them away from one another. He gives Robin a new flower to smear across their eyes and undo the damage he has caused. When the youths wake up, they will think of the night as if it were all a dream. Oberon plans to do the same for Titania after she gives him the Indian boy. They have to work fast to complete the work before the impending sunrise!

Lysander and Demetrius, still trying to find one another, follow Robin around the Woods. He uses their voices to call to them alternately until they both grow tired. They both lie down to sleep. Helena and Hermia, in separate areas of the Woods, decide to sleep as well, exhausted and weary from the trying night. Robin smears the flower juice on Lysander's eyes to cure him and bids them all to find the one they truly love when they wake.

While the others sleep, Titania and Bottom enter with her fairies. She dotes on him, scratching his ears and threading flowers in his hair. Bottom wishes nothing more than to sleep, and so Titania tells her fairies to leave them alone, and curls up with Bottom in a flowerbed.

Oberon and Robin, hidden from view, talk about Oberon's meeting with Titania. He managed to persuade Titania to hand over the Indian boy with no problem. After he releases Titania from the spell—for Oberon wants her to see what a fool he has made of her—Oberon wants Robin to remove Bottom's donkey head. Titania wakes up and is horrified to find that she was in love with Bottom, and never wants to see him again. Robin gives Bottom his human head back. While the Athenians sleep, Oberon and Titania dance together. Oberon is overjoyed; he has Titania back and is convinced that there will be three weddings the next day. Robin interrupts them: the night is almost over! Oberon and Titania leave for the other side of the world to catch up with the night.

Theseus and Hippolyta enter with servants and Egeus. They talk about a epic hunt they have planned, and praise the ability of hunting dogs to bark loudly enough for it to echo off cliffs and trees. Theseus suddenly sees the Athenians sleeping on the ground. He wakes them up with the servants' horns. Theseus assumes they are out in the Woods because they knew Theseus would be there, but questions Lysander and Demetrius as to why two enemies could sleep so closely to one another. They have no idea how they got there, but do remember running into the woods. Although Egeus calls for Lysander to be arrested upon hearing he planned to elope with Hermia, Demetrius interrupts with his version of the events and proclaims his love for Helena. He doesn't know how exactly it has happened, but his love for Hermia seems to have disappeared. Theseus refuses to uphold Egeus' wish and will allow the two happy couples to marry one another. They give up on hunting now that the day is running into the afternoon, and head back to Athens for the weddings. All but the four Athenians leave; they're not sure if they're awake yet or not, but decide they must be if they all saw Theseus. They decide to compare dreams along the way to Athens.

After they leave, Bottom awakes. He can't put into words what he just experienced, but will get Quince to write it down for him.

Back in Athens, the Mechanicals lament the loss of Bottom. They don't know where he is, and assume he has been kidnapped. They're upset that the play won't be put on as Bottom was the only person fit to play Pyramus. While they compliment his characteristics, Snug arrives to tell the group that there have been three couples married that day. Bottom arrives! He won't tell them what happened to him just yet as they need to get ready for the play!

Theseus, Hippolyta and Philostrate discuss the strange things the Athenian youths have been saying. Theseus believes it sounds downright made up and blames love for their hallucinations. Hippolyta wonders if it wasn't a dream as their dreams were all the same.

Demetrius, Helena, Lysander and Hermia arrive. After an exchange of blessings, Theseus calls on Philostrate to list the entertainment he has planned for the wedding party. Theseus rejects a few—including a retelling of Hercules and the Centaurs—but asks to see Pyramus and Thisbe. Philostrate warns them against it as he watched them rehearse earlier; they were awful! Theseus still wants to see it, and so Philostrate leaves to fetch them. Hippolyta doesn't want to laugh at poor people, but Theseus assures her that they will be respectful and compliment what they do well.

The play begins. It's a bit of a shamble: the actors explain exactly what is happening on stage rather than acting out the story. After a brief Prologue telling the audience they are not there to entertain them, Pyramus and Thisbe talk through the Wall, played by Snout, who holds up his two fingers to form a chink in the wall. The two lovers plan to meet at Ninny's tomb. In a series of asides to one another, Hippolyta, Theseus and Demetrius criticize or compliment the actors. Hippolyta thinks this play is the silliest she's ever seen.

Snug as the Lion appears on stage and explains to them that he's not actually a Lion. The Moon enters, carrying a lantern and explains rather confusingly that he is the man in the moon and the lantern is the moon. Demetrius jokes that he would like to see how the man could fit into the lantern so easily, but the Moon continues on regardless. Meanwhile, Thisbe is frightened by the Lion, who tears her cloak off and rips it.

Pyramus finds Thisbe's cloak and assumes she has been killed and stabs himself with his sword. Hippolyta hopes Thisbe won't cry over Pyramus too much as he isn't truly worth it. Thisbe finds Pyramus and stabs herself. Breaking character, Bottom asks if the audience wants to hear the Epilogue, but Theseus thinks that a play where all the main characters have died doesn't need an Epilogue; there's no-one left to blame!

Theseus congratulates them on their performance, and then announces to the others that it is time for bed.

Robin steps in. He talks about the ghoulish and supernatural things that happen when night comes. He has been sent ahead to clean the house and make sure no one disturbs the sleeping Athenians before the fairies arrive. Oberon and Titania sing and dance together to bless the house, the marriages, and the couples' future children. They all leave but Robin, who addresses the audience. He asks them to think of the play as a kind of dream if it has offended them. If they give him a chance, he can set things right, and if he doesn't set things right he will be called a liar. He asks the audience to applaud if they are still friends, and then leaves.