Act 4 Scene 1

Act 4 Scene 1 starts in on Bottom being pampered and waited on by Queen Titania’s fairies. He acts as if he is of high class and orders the fairies to get him whatever comes to mind. Oberon informs Puck that he has taken the Indian boy from Titania and that there is no use in keeping the love spell on Titania. Puck leaves and reverses the spell on Titania. Oberon uses music to put Bottom into a deep sleep, and then turns Bottom’s donkey head into his normal head. Oberon and Titania meet and dance.

Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus enter the forest to celebrate May Day. While walking, they stumble upon Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena in a deep sleep. Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus wake the four up. Now Lysander’s love returned to Hermia, and Demetrius was in love with Helena. Lysander spills out his plan to wed Hermia in a place free from the Athenian law. Egeus then boils with anger and demands that Theseus do something about such a plot. Interrupting, Demetrius claims his love for Helena. At this, Theseus pays no attention to Egeus and declares that they will have all their weddings at once. The group leaves the forest and later Bottom awakes from his nap. However he thinks the whole donkey head event was a dream. Bottom then returns to his fellow actors and they welcome him with smiles on their faces.

Act 3 Scene 2 begins as Puck reports back to Oberon and informs him that he has used the love potion on Titania, making her fall madly in love with Bottom, the ass-head. Puck also tells Oberon that he has put the potion into the eye of the Athenian man. But when Demetrius and Hermia enter the scene, they listen while Hermia brands Demetrius with killing Lysander because he is nowhere to be found in the forest. Demetrius rejects that he has killed Lysander and frustrated Hermia flees the scene. Instead of following after Hermia, Demetrius lye’s down, quickly dozing off. Oberon hastily corrected Puck on his mistake of putting the love potion into the wrong mans eye. He orders that Puck go and fix the problem he had created, while he puts the nectar into Demetrius’s eyes.

Helena and Lysander enter, but Oberon makes Puck keep them at a distance, so that Demetrius is not awakened. Helena battles back and forth with Lysander accusing his heartfelt love as mockery and joking. Opening his eyes, Demetrius sees Helena, becoming insanely in love with her. Both men were now in love with Helena, not Hermia. Demetrius and Lysander begin to fight over who loves Helena more and during this rambling Hermia comes upon the tree of them. She questions Lysander wondering where he has been, but she is denied, for Lysander is speaking of how he only loves Helena, constantly showering her with compliments. Heartbroken Hermia decides to take it out on Helena, branding her of stealing her love even tough they were friends. Helena insults Hermia and calls for help from Demetrius and Lysander. The four of them break up and strut into the woods.

King Oberon asks Puck to reverse the love spell on Lysander with yet another special herb. First Puck fools Demetrius and Lysander by disguising his voice, making it sound like the two men’s voices. Both tired from trying to find each other, the men fall asleep. Later comes Helena and then Hermia who also fall asleep. Now Puck can fix the mess of love.

Act 3 Scene 1

In Act 3 Scene 1, Quince and his crew of actors gather and begin to practice their lines. The actors recognize that the play might frighten the audience. They convince Quince to include an introduction of the true actors behind the intimidating characters they play. While they rehearse Puck quietly comes upon the group and observes their preparations. Sneaky Puck lures Bottom away from the scene. Puck then, turns Bottom into an ass-head, literally replacing his head with that of a donkey. Bottom returns to his fellow actors unaware of this new change. Confused, Bottom wondered why they all ran shrieking into the woods. To prove he isn’t scared, Bottom sings merrily up and down through the forest. Bottoms singing wakes fairy Queen Titania and at the instant she sees him, she falls in love with him. Queen Titania then makes her fairies spoil him with food and wait on him.

Act 2 Scene 1&2

In Act 2 Scene 1 Oberon, the king of fairies and Titania, the queen, are introduced. Oberon and Titania have been arguing as a result of their jealousy towards each other. King Oberon is jealous of the little Indian boy Titania takes care of. For he feels the little boy is winning most of Titania’s love. In envy Oberon orders Puck (Robin) to retrieve a flower which, when dropped into your eye, would make you fall in love with the first thing you saw. The king planned to use this herb on Titania to make her fall in love a beast, allowing him to get rid of the Indian boy. In this process Oberon hears Helena telling Demetrius how much she loves him. Feeling sorry for Helena, because of Demetrius’s hatred rejection, Oberon told Puck to put the herb on Demetrius’s eyes. This creating a greater love for Helena, then even she had for Demetrius.

Unfortunately, in Scene 2, such a perfect plan was bound to go wrong. Instead of dropping the potion into Demetrius’s eyes, Puck put it in Lysander’s eye thinking he was Demetrius, making him fall in love Helena. But Helena took this love talk as a mockery and trailed off with Lysander not far behind her every footstep. Poor Hermia was left in the woods wondering where her Lysander was, while at that moment, he was off admiring Helena. Hermia, puzzled and empty, left to find her beloved Lysander.

Act 1 Scene 1&2

As Act 1 Scene 1 begins, Theseus, the duke, and Hippolyta are making their wedding arrangements. In come Egeus, Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander. Egeus brings the news of his daughter, Hermia, who has fallen in love with Lysander, instead of her father’s preference, Demetrius. Egeus pressured Theseus to force Hermia to follow his orders and marry Demetrius, become a nun, or die for disobeying. Hermia tries to reason with her father and Theseus that Lysander would make a fine husband for her. Theseus tells Hermia to think about her choices and report back to him the next day. He exits the room along with Egeus and Demetrius, leaving Hermia and Lysander together. Hermia and Lysander make plans to get married and flee to a place free from the Athenian law. They come upon Helena, spilling out their devious plans of marriage to her. Helena, jealous of Demetrius’ love for Hermia, devises to tell Demetrius in spite of gaining his love for herself.

Transitioning into Scene 2, the Pyramus and Thisbe play preparations for Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding are being made. Bottom is to play Pyramus, and Flute is to play Thisbe. Confident Bottom announces that he should play the part of both Pyramus and Thisbe, continuing on to perform both roles. Quince, the director, gives out the rest of the parts, turning down Bottom’s request. Robin Starveling plays Thisbe’s mother. Snout, the tinker, must play Pyramus’ father. Lastly, Snug will play the lion. Bottom once again exclaims that he should play the lions part too, but Quince rejects him. Finishing giving out the roles, Quince schedules the next rehearsal at the Duke’s Oak.