Summary and Notes for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

(Liberally-adapted from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Shakespeare’s Plays

and Cliffs Notes on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

plus various added comments from Professor Clark)

Shakespeare’s Life and Work

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, a small town of about 1500 people northwest of London. John Shakespeare, William’s father, worked mainly with leather as a tanner and glove-maker, but occasionally traded wool and grain also. John also worked, at one time or another, part-time government jobs such as the town’s ale taster, inspector of bread and malt, constable, city chamberlain, alderman, and high bailiff (the town’s highest public office, similar to a mayor). Mary Arden, William’s mother, could trace her ancestry back to William the Conqueror. In the mid-1570’s, John Shakespeare’s finances began to decline, so Mary mortgaged some of her inherited family properties to help sustain the family.

William attended school in Stratford-upon-Avon. Although no records survive that prove his enrollment, most experts accept it with certainty. In school, William would have studied reading and writing in English and Latin, as well as Greek and Roman writers such as Horace, Aesop, Ovid, Virgil, Seneca, and Plautus. William Shakespeare’s plays and long poems suggest that he had some knowledge of these ancient classics in their original forms, not just as translations.

In November 1582, at age 18, William married Anne Hathaway, age 26. Their first child, Susanna, was born the following May. The twins, Hamnet and Judith, were born in 1585. No records or résumés survive describing what work William Shakespeare did between 1585 and 1592 (although there are many theories). Surviving records from 1592 show that his wife and children were still living in Stratford-upon-Avon, but he was working in London with a theatrical troupe.

In 1558, when Elizabeth I became queen, any gentleman could sponsor a theatrical troupe. By 1572, the government had begun imposing restrictions on troupes. It became illegal for any nobleman below the rank of baron to maintain a troupe, although other theatrical companies could obtain special restricted licenses which protected the remaining licensed companies.

During the Great Plague of 1592-1593, many theaters closed and most theatrical companies dissolved or reorganized. By 1593, two main companies competed for theater customers. “The Lord Admiral’s Men” were headed by Edward Alleyn and backed by Philip Henslowe. Shakespeare was an actor, dramatist, and shareholder in “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” (later renamed “The King’s Men” when James I became king in 1603), headed by the Burbage family. (NOTE: The original “Globe Theatre” was built in 1599 by “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men,” but it burned down in 1613 from a fire started by cannon sparks during the play Henry VIII. The second version of the “Globe Theatre” was opened in 1614, but was closed by the Puritans in 1642, and was demolished in 1644. The third version of the “Globe Theatre” was officially opened in 1997, only 750 feet from the original site; see http://www.shakespeares-globe.org.)

Between the years of 1588 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote 37 or more plays in four broad (sometimes overlapping) categories: comedies, histories, romances, and tragedies. Also, Shakespeare wrote several “Ovidian” poems such as Venus and Adonis (1593), and The Rape of Lucrece (1594). Additionally, Shakespeare is well known for his sonnet sequence written in the early 1590’s, composed of 154 interconnected sonnets dealing with controversial issues such as love, fidelity, morality, and the artist’s power and voice.

Strangely enough, during Shakespeare’s life, his plays were not considered the most popular. Shakespeare’s predecessor Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare’s contemporary Ben Jonson (Britain’s first Poet Laureate) were both more popular. In fact, all of Shakespeare’s plays were not even published together until 1623, seven years after his death in 1616. However, his popularity rose considerably during the 1700’s and 1800’s. Today, Shakespeare is more widely studied and performed than any other playwright in the Western world. (For a list of Shakespeare’s “accepted” works, see http://shakespeare.mit.edu.) According to The Oxford English Dictionary, Shakespeare is also credited with creating over 1700 words now used in Modern English; he changed nouns into verbs, changed verbs into adjectives, connected words never used together before, added prefixes and suffixes, and devised some words that were wholly original.

It is well known that Shakespeare’s troupe was renamed “The King’s Men” in 1603 in honor of King James I. In fact, this troupe performed for the court of King James I more than any other theatrical company (see http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/summarychart.htm). Shakespeare also wrote the play Macbeth for King James I. In the 1980’s, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not television program mentioned the theory that Shakespeare secretly helped with translating and/or editing the “Authorised Version” of the Bible (commonly known as the “King James Version”) which was published in 1611, when Shakespeare was 46 years old. The proof is supposedly encoded in Psalm 46. If you begin counting forward at the beginning of Psalm 46, the 46th word is “shake.” If you begin counting backwards at the end of Psalm 46, the 47th word is “spear.” Supposedly, Shakespeare edited and rearranged the words of Psalm 46 in order to leave this “signature” in it. You can either believe this story or not, but you can always look up Psalm 46 in any KJV Bible! (Or look it up on http://www.biblegateway.com.)

The Play: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Many years ago, when I studied Shakespeare at Union University, I wrote a research paper that attempted to analyze all of the “paranormal entities” or “supernatural beings” that are used as characters in Shakespeare’s plays. It seems clear that Shakespeare, like many people of his era, believed in God as well as a variety of spirits, ghosts, fairies, and other beings. This sentiment is echoed in the play Hamlet: “There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio.” (Also see http://www.qsl.net/kb4rpv/fairies.htm.) Because of the interaction between human beings and spirit beings (fairies, etc.), A Midsummer Night’s Dream is difficult for some people to like, and is often misunderstood. For several centuries, Shakespeare’s actual script was ignored as producers presented the play onstage as a song-and-dance musical, opera, or ballet. Beneath the surface of secret potions and magic spells, it is still a clever drama with lovely verse, recognizable quotations, and complicated meanings. Shakespeare weaves a maze of multiple plots and subplots. Many people believe he wrote this play around 1595-6 for a private wedding because the play’s second act mentions the rough summers during that period of time. (See http://www.qsl.net/kb4rpv/mid-hist.htm.)

The original setting of the play is in mythical ancient Athens, including the nearby woods. The 1999 movie version sets the play in the fictional “village of Monte Athena in Italy at the turn of the 19th century,” when “necklines are high, parents are rigid, and marriage is seldom a matter of love” (Hoffman). This movie also features a transportation device unknown in Shakespeare’s time, the bicycle. Michael Hoffman, the movie’s producer, leaves out some of the long dialogues; this shortens the running time, and perhaps, makes it sound more relevant to modern audiences. Certainly, it can be argued that the Victorian Era setting, beautiful scenery, and movie-magic special effects make the style closer to the Harry Potter movies than to anything Shakespeare could have performed on stage.

NOTE: The night of “Midsummer Eve” (called “St. John’s Eve” in the Christian calendar) is the evening of the Summer Solstice, when ancient mystics believed that the veil between the human world and the spirit world is opened, and beings can cross freely back and forth between these two different realms. In Shakespeare After All, Marjorie Garber states that “the title of the play comes from the concept of ‘Midsummer Madness,’ the idea in folk culture in England … that on ‘Midsummer Eve,’ June 23, the longest day and shortest night of the year, madness, enchantment, and witchcraft would invade and transform the world” (Garber 217-8).

Act 1, Scene 1 Characters

Demetrius (played by Christian Bale) is engaged to Hermia by arranged marriage yet displays real feelings for Hermia.

Egeus (played by Bernard Hill) is Hermia’s overbearing father.

Helena (played by Calista Flockhart) is Demetrius’ ex-girlfriend and Hermia’s close friend.

Hermia (played by Anna Friel) is Theseus’ daughter, in love with Lysander but engaged to Demetrius.

Hippolyta (played by Sophie Marceau) is Queen of the Amazons and is Theseus’ fiancé.

Lysander (played by Dominic West) is Hermia’s true-love boyfriend.

Philostrate (played by John Sessions) is Duke Theseus’ Master of Revels (official party planner) who later arranges the selection of performances for Theseus’ wedding.

Theseus (played by David Strathairn) is Duke of Athens and is engaged to Hippolyta.

Summary of Act 1, Scene 1: Duke Theseus’ Friends & Acquaintances

Act 1, Scene 1 of the play begins with preparations for the wedding of Duke Theseus and Hippolyta in four days. They are looking forward to the wedding, even though the duke acknowledges having captured his fiancé during a military fight (Hippolyta was queen of the Amazons, a detail which is conveniently left out of the 1999 movie). He promises to marry her with much celebration. However, Theseus quickly becomes distracted by a problem: he has to act as a judge in a father-daughter dilemma. Duke Theseus’ friend Egeus is very unhappy with his daughter Hermia and wants Theseus to help. Egeus expects Hermia to marry Demetrius in an arranged marriage. Hermia does not want to marry Demetrius because she loves Lysander instead. Egeus accuses Lysander of bewitching his daughter and stealing her love by underhanded means. Hermia boldly asks Theseus what the worst is that can happen if she refuses. Under Athenian law, she can be sent to a nunnery, or she can even be executed. But crafty Lysander has a plan: he realizes that if he can sneak Hermia to another town where his rich aunt lives, Athenian laws would not apply. Thus, Lysander and Hermia could legally marry and live there. When Hermia tells her friend Helena about the elopement plans, Helena decides to secretly report these plans to Demetrius. Helena still has a “crush” on Demetrius and wants to win Demetrius’ favor and love.

Act 1, Scene 2 New Characters

Francis Flute (played by Sam Rockwell) is a bellows-mender who portrays Thisbe.

Nick Bottom (played by Kevin Kline) is a weaver who portrays Pyramus.

Peter Quince (played by Roger Rees) is a carpenter who directs the group of actors.

Robin Starveling (played by Max Wright) is a tailor who portrays the Moonshine.

Snug (played by Gregory Jbara) is a joiner who portrays the Lion.

Tom Snout (played by Bill Irwin) is a tinker who portrays the Wall.

Summary of Act 1, Scene 2: The Amateur Actors

In Act 1, Scene 2, the comic relief comes in: the subplot involving the amateur actors. The “Mechanicals” are a group of working-class tradesmen who work with their hands. In the cottage of Peter Quince, the “Mechanicals” are rehearsing a Romeo and Juliet type of play to perform at Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. This play, Pyramus and Thisbe (actually adapted from a tale in Ovid’s Metamorphoses) tells the tragic story of two lovers who die during a clandestine meeting. After assigning the characters and parts to be played, Quince sends the amateur actors off to learn their lines. He also reminds them to meet at the Duke’s Oak the following evening for a rehearsal.

Act 2, Scene 1 & 2 New Characters

Oberon (played by Rupert Everett) is King of the Fairies, married to Titania.

Robin “Puck” Goodfellow (played by Stanley Tucci) is Oberon’s jester, an impish hobgoblin who frightens young women in the village and misleads night travelers.

Titania (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) is Queen of the Fairies, married to Oberon.

Titania’s attending fairies: Peaseblossom (played by Flaminia Fegarotti), Cobweb (played by Annalisa Cordone), Moth (played by Solena Nocentini), Mustardseed (played by Paola Pessot), and other assorted fairy beings.

Summary of Act 2, Scene 1: The Fairies/Spirits Interact with the Human Couples

Act 2, Scene 1 begins in the woods outside of the city of Athens/Monte Athena, where Oberon and Robin “Puck” Goodfellow are having a conversation. Robin warns one of Titania’s attending fairies to keep Titania away from this part of the woods because Oberon will be there, and Robin wishes to avoid conflicts between Oberon and Titania. As expected, when Titania suddenly enters the scene, she begins bickering with Oberon. Each accuses the other of numerous affairs, and Titania claims that this conflict is even creating chaos in the human world such as flooding rivers, rotting corn, and rheumatic diseases. Oberon counters that if she will give him a changeling Indian boy who she is taking care of, peace will be restored. Titania refuses to give up the boy because his human mother was a close friend of hers, and when the mother died in childbirth, Titania promised to raise her son. Oberon plots a plan to change Titania’s mind, and sends Robin in search of a mysterious flower called “Love-In-Idleness.” The nectar of this flower has a magical effect when it is dropped on the eyelids of someone asleep. When the affected being (human or fairy) awakes, he or she will fall in love with the first living creature seen. After Robin leaves, Demetrius and Helena accidentally stumble into Oberon’s domain, although Oberon and the other spirit beings are invisible to them. Helena pursues Demetrius, but he pushes her away and vows to hurt her unless she leaves him alone. After watching this drama for awhile, Oberon tells Robin to put the magic nectar on the eyes of the Athenian man (Demetrius) so that he will fall in love with Helena. Oberon apparently feels sorry for Helena and tries to help her; unfortunately, Robin has never seen Demetrius, so he does not know which Athenian man that Oberon is referring to.

Summary of Act 2, Scene 2: The Fairies/Spirits Interact with the Human Couples

Act 2, Scene 2 begins with Titania’s attending fairies singing her to sleep. While Titania sleeps, Oberon drops the magical flower nectar onto her eyelids and casts a magic spell to awaken her when something vile comes near her. After Oberon leaves, Lysander and Hermia wander into Titania’s domain, but Titania and the other fairy beings are invisible to them. Since Lysander and Hermia are lost, Lysander suggests that they should stop to sleep. Even though they are engaged, Hermia will not let Lysander sleep near her. Soon Robin enters, looking for the Athenian referred to by Oberon. Robin sees Lysander and Hermia, and mistakes them for Demetrius and Helena. Robin drops the magical flower nectar on Lysander’s eyes. After Robin leaves, Helena pursues Demetrius into the fairy bower, but Demetrius manages to escape from Helena farther into the woods. Helena stops to rest and sees Lysander asleep. She wakes him, and under the effect of the magical flower nectar, Lysander immediately falls in love with Helena. Helena thinks Lysander is teasing her, so she runs away, but he chases after her. Hermia wakes up from a nightmare about a snake eating at her heart, notices that Lysander is missing, and then runs farther into the woods.

Summary of Act 3, Scene 1: The Fairies/Spirits Interact with Nick Bottom

Act 3, Scene 1 begins with the return of the comic relief: the rehearsal of the amateur actors. As they begin to rehearse, Robin “Puck” Goodfellow is watching. When Bottom leaves the rehearsal area for a moment, Robin plays a prank on Bottom and changes Bottom’s head to resemble a donkey. When Bottom returns, the other actors quickly flee the scene in fright. However, Bottom has no idea that his appearance has changed, so he continues walking through the woods and singing. Bottom’s singing wakes up Titania, who immediately falls in love with him and his donkey-like face. Titania makes herself visible to Bottom and tells him that he must remain with her. She offers to purge his mortality and change him from a human being to an immortal “airy spirit.” She also tells her attending fairies to serve him, too, and to take him to Titania’s sleeping area.

Summary of Act 3, Scene 2: The Fairies/Spirits Interact with the Human Couples

At the beginning of Act 3, Scene 2, Oberon wonders what is happening with Titania. Robin arrives and tells Oberon about his experiments with the magical flower nectar. While Oberon and Robin talk, still invisible to the humans, they see Demetrius and Hermia arguing. Hermia accuses Demetrius of murdering Lysander, but Demetrius denies it. Exhausted, Demetrius sits down and falls asleep, while Hermia continues searching for Lysander. Oberon reprimands Robin for putting a love spell on the wrong Athenian. Oberon sends Robin to find Demetrius, and then Robin drops the magical flower nectar on Demetrius’ eyes. When Helena and Lysander arrive, Demetrius wakes up and falls in love with Helena. But Helena thinks that both men are making fun of her. When Hermia arrives, Lysander insists that he does not love Hermia anymore. Helena is convinced that Hermia has allied with Lysander and Demetrius to make fun of Helena. Lysander threatens to fight Demetrius. Oberon’s tells Robin to repair the problem. Robin creates a dark, dense fog and then leads Lysander and Demetrius astray until both men become exhausted and fall asleep. Elsewhere, Hermia and Helena also become exhausted and fall asleep. Robin drops curative flower nectar on Lysander’s eyes to undo the previous love spell. Thus, when they awaken, Lysander will again be in love with Hermia, and Demetrius will still be under the love spell with Helena. Robin states that these two couples will get married alongside Theseus. When Robin is finished, the four once-isolated humans are left sleeping next to each other.

Summary of Act 4, Scene 1: The Humans Are Returned to the Human Domain

At the beginning of Act 4, Scene 1, Bottom is thoroughly enjoying his time with Titania and her attending fairies. While Titania and Bottom sleep, Oberon drops the curative flower nectar on Titania’s eyes. She wakes up, sees Oberon, and tells Oberon that she dreamed of being in love with an ass. Oberon tells Robin to undo Bottom’s donkey-like face. Oberon, Titania, Robin, and all traces of the fairy domain disappear. The four lovers are returned to the human domain, but are still lost. Meanwhile, Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus, and others, along with their dogs, are on a hunting expedition. They suddenly find the four lovers asleep on the ground. Lysander says that he loves Hermia, and Demetrius says he loves Helena. Upon hearing this, Theseus over-rules Egeus’ wishes, inviting the couples to come celebrate at the wedding feast and to get married at the same time as Theseus and Hippolyta. After that, Bottom wakes up and goes searching for the other amateur actors.

Summary of Act 4, Scene 2: The Amateur Actors Get Ready for the Play

At the beginning of Act 4, Scene 2, the amateur actors are looking for Bottom, and are worried that they cannot put on their play without him. Bottom finally shows up, and mentions that Theseus and some other couples have already gotten married. The actors get their materials together so they can play their parts, and then they depart for Theseus’ house.

Summary of Act 5, Scene 1: Activities at Duke Theseus’ House

Act 5 returns to activities at Theseus’ house, where Theseus and Hippolyta are discussing the strange stories of the four lovers from the previous night. Duke Theseus, the head bureaucrat of Athens/Monte Athena, does not believe their stories, and thinks the stories are simply wild dreams. However, Hippolyta is not so swift to dismiss the stories. Like a good journalist, she points out that the stories are consistent and corroborate each other. After that, Theseus confers with Philostrate, the Master of Revels (official party planner) about possible performances for that evening. Theseus finally chooses Pyramus and Thisbe over Philostrate’s objections because it seems to be such a paradox: “merry,” “tragical,” “tedious,” and “brief.” The amateur actors present the play while the couples make snide remarks and critical comments about the performance. Pyramus and Thisbe, the play-within-the-play, is comical and bizarre, with the actors’ lines containing various grammar errors that twist the intended meaning of the dialogue. (Obviously, Shakespeare is poking fun here at the bad actors of his time and their over-inflated dialogue.) This act concludes with three epilogues: Robin’s poetic monologue, Oberon’s blessing on Theseus’ house and the three couples, and Robin’s apologetic closing speech.

Revised 5 April 2010.