A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is about four young Athenian lovers, their relationships, and the events that transpire in an enchanted forest. The play involves the intermingling storylines between the lovers, led astray by a mischievous fairy named Puck, and a group of amateur actors rehearsing in the same forest. Through magic and mistaken identities, the lovers endure romantic complications and misunderstandings before the play concludes with their relationships resolved and a humorous play-within-the-play performed for the married couples.

1. A MidsummerA Midsummer
Night’s DreamNight’s Dream
A Comedy by William ShakespeareA Comedy by William Shakespeare
Ms. Aixa B. Rodriguez ESL TeacherMs. Aixa B. Rodriguez ESL Teacher
High School for World CulturesHigh School for World Cultures
Bronx, NYBronx, NY

2. What isWhat is A Midsummer Night’sA Midsummer Night’s
DreamDream about?about?
• Themes are universal and fundamental ideasThemes are universal and fundamental ideas
in a work of literaturein a work of literature..
• Themes in this play include:Themes in this play include:
– Difficulty of Love-Difficulty of Love- jealousy, arranged marriage,jealousy, arranged marriage,
parental approval, competition, imbalance.parental approval, competition, imbalance.
– Magic-Magic- fairies, love potions.fairies, love potions.
– Dreams-Dreams- within the play and the play itself.within the play and the play itself.

3. What isWhat is A Midsummer Night’sA Midsummer Night’s
DreamDream all about?all about?
• Motifs are recurring structures that informMotifs are recurring structures that inform
themesthemes
– Contrasts or opposites-Contrasts or opposites- tall and short, ugly andtall and short, ugly and
beautiful, serious and happybeautiful, serious and happy
• Symbols are objects, colors and figures used toSymbols are objects, colors and figures used to
represent ideas or concepts in a workrepresent ideas or concepts in a work
– Theseus and Hippolyta:Theseus and Hippolyta: represent order andrepresent order and
stabilitystability
– The Love Potion:The Love Potion: unreasoning and fickle nature ofunreasoning and fickle nature of
lovelove
– The Craftsman’s playThe Craftsman’s play: represents the themes of the: represents the themes of the
Midsummer Night’s dream revisited.Midsummer Night’s dream revisited.

4. Who are the characters in this play?Who are the characters in this play?
The FairiesThe Fairies
• Puck -Puck - Oberon’s jester, a mischievous fairyOberon’s jester, a mischievous fairy
who delights in playing pranks on mortals.who delights in playing pranks on mortals.
• OberonOberon - The king of the fairies,- The king of the fairies,
• TitaniaTitania - The beautiful queen of the fairies- The beautiful queen of the fairies
• Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote, andPeaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote, and
MustardseedMustardseed - The fairies ordered by- The fairies ordered by
Titania to attend to Bottom after she fallsTitania to attend to Bottom after she falls
in love with him.in love with him.

5. Who are the characters in this play?Who are the characters in this play?
Mortals: The LoversMortals: The Lovers
• LysanderLysander - in love with Hermia- in love with Hermia
• DemetriusDemetrius - initially in love with- initially in love with
Hermia and ultimately in love withHermia and ultimately in love with
Helena.Helena.
• HermiaHermia - Egeus’s daughter, in love with- Egeus’s daughter, in love with
Lysander, a childhood friend of Helena.Lysander, a childhood friend of Helena.
• Helena -Helena - in love with Demetrius toin love with Demetrius to
whom she was once engaged, but thenwhom she was once engaged, but then
was abandoned for Hermia.was abandoned for Hermia.

6. Who are the characters in thisWho are the characters in this
play ?play ? Mortals: AtheniansMortals: Athenians
• EgeusEgeus - Hermia’s father, has given- Hermia’s father, has given
Demetrius permission to marry HermiaDemetrius permission to marry Hermia
• TheseusTheseus - duke of Athens, engaged to- duke of Athens, engaged to
Hippolyta.Hippolyta.
• HippolytaHippolyta - The legendary queen of the- The legendary queen of the
Amazons, engaged to Theseus.Amazons, engaged to Theseus.
• PhilostratePhilostrate - party planner responsible for- party planner responsible for
organizing the entertainment for Theseus’organizing the entertainment for Theseus’
wedding.wedding.

7. Who are the characters in thisWho are the characters in this
play ?play ? Mortals: The CraftsmenMortals: The Craftsmen
• Nick BottomNick Bottom - weaver chosen to play Pyramus- weaver chosen to play Pyramus
in the craftsmen’s playin the craftsmen’s play
• Peter QuincePeter Quince - carpenter plays the Prologue.- carpenter plays the Prologue.
• Francis FluteFrancis Flute - bellows-mender plays Thisbe- bellows-mender plays Thisbe
in the craftsmen’s playin the craftsmen’s play
• Robin StarvelingRobin Starveling - tailor chosen to play the- tailor chosen to play the
part of Moonshine.part of Moonshine.
• Tom SnoutTom Snout - tinker who ends up playing the- tinker who ends up playing the
part of Wall, dividing the two lovers.part of Wall, dividing the two lovers.
• SnugSnug - joiner chosen to play the lion- joiner chosen to play the lion

8. Act I : Exposition
• Theseus, duke of Athens, is preparing for his
marriage to Hippolyta.
• Egeus comes to Theseus with his daughter, Hermia,
and two young men, Demetrius (who loves
Hermia) and Lysander (who Hermia loves).
• Egeus wishes Hermia to marry Demetrius and asks
for the full penalty of law to fall on Hermia’s head if
she disobeys.
• Theseus warns her that disobeying her father could
result in her being sent to a convent or killed.

9. Inciting Incident
• Hermia and Lysander plan to escape
Athens the following night and marry in
the house of Lysander’s aunt.
• They tell Hermia’s friend Helena, who was
once engaged to Demetrius.
• Helena tells Demetrius of the lovers’ plans.
Demetrius goes into the woods after
Hermia and Helena follows him.

10. Hoping to
regain his love,
Helena tells
Demetrius of
Lysander and
Hermia’s plans
and follows him
into the woods

11. Rising Action
• Fairies, including Oberon, the fairy king, and
Titania, his queen, and a group of Athenian
craftsmen rehearsing a play are also in this forest.
• Oberon and Titania are fighting over a young
Indian prince given to Titania by the prince’s
mother.
• The boy is so beautiful that Oberon wishes to make
him a knight, but Titania refuses.
• Seeking revenge, Oberon sends his merry servant,
Puck, to acquire a magical flower, the juice of
which can be spread over a sleeping Titania to
make her fall in love with the first thing she sees
upon waking.

12. The boy is so
beautiful that
Oberon wishes
to make him a
knight, but
Titania
refuses.

13. Rising Action:
Complications and Suspense
• Puck gets the flower
• Oberon, having seen Demetrius
act cruelly toward Helena, orders
Puck to spread some of the juice
on the eyelids of a young
Athenian man.
• Puck mistakes Lysander for
Demetrius and puts the love
potion on his eyes.
• Lysander sees Helena and falls
deeply in love with her,
abandoning Hermia.
• Titania wakes, the first person
she sees is Bottom, whose head
Puck has transformed into that
of a donkey.

14. Titania wakes,
the first
person she
sees is
Bottom,
whose head
Puck has
transformed
into that of a
donkey.

15. Conflict and Climax
• Puck has to undo his mistake
• Lysander and Demetrius both end up in
love with Helena, who believes that they
are making fun of her.
• Hermia becomes jealous and challenges
Helena to a fight.
• Demetrius and Lysander nearly do fight
over Helena’s love, but Puck confuses them
by mimicking their voices.

16. Demetrius and Lysander nearly do fight over
Helena’s love, Hermia becomes jealous.

17. Hermia becomes jealous and challenges Helena to a fight

18. Falling Action
• Oberon obtains the Indian boy
• Puck spreads the love potion on Lysander’s
eyelids, and by morning all is well.
• Theseus and Hippolyta discover the
sleeping lovers in the forest and take them
back to Athens to be married
• Demetrius now loves Helena, and Lysander
now loves Hermia.

19. Resolution
• After the wedding, the couples watch the
craftsmen perform their play, a fumbling,
hilarious version of the story of Pyramus and
Thisbe.
• The lovers go to bed; the fairies bless the
sleeping couples and then disappear.
• Puck remains, to ask the audience for its
forgiveness and approval and to urge it to
remember the play as though it had all been a
dream.

20. A play within a play
The couples watch
the craftsmen
perform their play,
a fumbling,
hilarious version
of the story of
Pyramus and
Thisbe.

21. References
• SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on A
Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002.
Web. 7 Dec. 2009.
• Pictures from a Google search “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream”