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William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Act 1

2 scenes

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    Scene 1Athens. A room in the Palace of Theseus7 characters13 min read

    Theseus rules that Hermia must marry Demetrius, face death or spend her life in chastity. Hermia and Lysander agree to flee Athens and marry beyond the reach of Athenian law. Hoping to gain his gratitude, Helena resolves to reveal Hermia and Lysander's escape plan to Demetrius.

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  2. Scene 2The Same. A Room in a Cottage7 characters5 min read

    Quince distributes parts for a performance of Pyramus and Thisbe at Theseus's wedding, casting Bottom as Pyramus. Despite Bottom's attempts to claim additional parts, Quince settles the casting and tells the players to rehearse in the wood.

Act 2

2 scenes
  1. Scene 1A wood near Athens6 characters14 min read

    Titania refuses to surrender her changeling boy to Oberon, prolonging their quarrel and its disruption of nature. Oberon sends Puck for a flower whose juice will make Titania love the first creature she sees upon waking. After overhearing Demetrius reject Helena, Oberon instructs Puck to make the Athenian man fall in love with her.

  2. Scene 2Another part of the wood10 characters8 min read

    Oberon puts the flower's juice on Titania's eyelids while she sleeps. Finding Hermia and Lysander asleep apart, Puck mistakes Lysander for his intended target and applies the love juice. Lysander wakes to see Helena, declares his love and follows her, leaving Hermia to wake alone and search for him.

Act 3

2 scenes
  1. Scene 1The Wood.13 characters10 min read

    During the players' rehearsal, Puck transforms Bottom's head into an ass's, frightening his companions into flight. Titania wakes to Bottom's singing, falls in love with him and orders her fairies to attend him.

  2. Scene 2Another part of the wood6 characters25 min read

    Discovering Puck's mistake, Oberon enchants Demetrius, who wakes and declares his love for Helena. Helena suspects a conspiracy to mock her, Hermia confronts Helena, and Lysander and Demetrius prepare to fight. Puck uses misleading voices to keep the men apart, then applies the remedy to Lysander's eyes once all four lovers are asleep.

Act 4

2 scenes
  1. Scene 1The Wood14 characters12 min read

    Having obtained the changeling boy, Oberon restores Titania's sight, reconciles with her and has Puck restore Bottom's head. Finding the lovers in the wood and hearing Demetrius profess love for Helena, Theseus overrules Egeus and orders a shared wedding. Bottom wakes alone, recalls his extraordinary experience as a dream and decides to have Quince turn it into a ballad.

  2. Scene 2Athens. A Room in Quince’s House5 characters2 min read

    As the players despair over his absence, Bottom returns and tells them to prepare for their performance at the palace.

Act 5

1 scene
  1. Scene 1Athens. An Apartment in the Palace of Theseus16 characters21 min read

    Theseus chooses Pyramus and Thisbe for the wedding entertainment, and the players perform it amid the spectators' amused commentary. After the newlyweds retire, Oberon, Titania and their fairies bless the palace, the marriages and their future children. Puck invites anyone offended by the play to think of it as a dream and asks for applause.