The document analyzes William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream", summarizing its themes of love, art/culture, foolishness, and magic. It also summarizes the plot, which involves two sets of lovers in an Athenian forest dealing with magic and misunderstandings, as well as amateur actors and the fairy king and queen. The analysis examines the themes in context of the plot events and characters, concluding that Shakespeare uses the themes and complicated love story to ultimately show that true love can overcome difficulties.

1. Themes and Plot analysis in A
Midsummer Night’s Dream by
William Shakespeare
By Femmy Rachmawati

2. Abstract
In this research, the writer tries to
analyze A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare. The purpose of
this writing is to analyze the themes and
plot in this story. The writer uses textual,
contextual, and hypertextual by close
reading method. To sum up, Pygmalion
by Bernard Shaw can be easier to
understand by the readers.
Keywords: themes, plot, close reading

3. Introduction
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a
comedy play written by William
Shakespeare in 1595/1596. The story of
this play is about four young Athenian
lovers and some amateur actors who
manipulated and controlled by fairies.
This play is one of the most popular
works of Shakespeare for the stage and
is performed across the world.

4.  Methodology
a. Analyzing the themes in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream.
b. Analyzing the plot in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream.
 Research Object
The objects of research are sorted into a
material and formal object. Material object in
this study is A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

5. Biography of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor,
widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the
world's pre-eminent dramatist. Shakespeare was born and brought up in
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne
Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet
and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful
career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company
called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He
appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, at age 49, where he died
three years later.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and
1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories, which are
regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these genres. He then
wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King
Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English
language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as
romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.

6. Synopsis of A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream" deals with the universal theme of
love and its complications: lust, disappointment, confusion, marriage. The
plot focuses on three parallel stories: the trials and experiences of two
sets of lovers camping in a magical forest, the world of the Fairy King and
Queen and their elves, and a group of rough craftsmen attempting to
stage a production of "Pyramus and Thisby" for the wedding of the Duke
of Athens.
Hermia is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry
Demetrius. To escape the arranged marriage, she and Lysander elope
into the woods. Demetrius follows them, and he is pursued by Helena,
who nurses an unrequited passion for him. A love quadrangle develops
among the young lovers when mischievous Puck plays Cupid. "The
course of true love never did run smooth" says Lysander. Meanwhile, a
group of amateur actors rehearses a badly-written play in the woods, and
soon all find their lives changed by the doings of Oberon and Titania, the
warring king and queen of the fairies. Magic, action, love and humor are
the ingredients for this unforgettable spell.
This work is widely performed around the world, and no wonder -
it's about the world's most popular pastime, falling in love. But as Puck
knows, falling in love can make fools of us all. Love is crazy, love is mad.
Will love win out in the end?

7. Themes
 Love
Love make us irrational, foolish idiots. In the play, magic love juice
causes characters to fall in love erratically and they chase each other
around the woods, and makes a Fairy Queen fall in love with a
monster. In this play the writer tell us that love is a battlefield.
 Art and Culture
Throughout “A Midsummer Night's Dream”, a group of Athenian
craftsmen practice a play for Theseus's wedding celebration. The play
is Pyramus and Thisbe. The performance of “Pyramus and Thisbe”
functions as a parody of bad theater and reminds us that being a stage
actor is craft that requires intellect and its own set of skills.
 Fooliness
It can be seen in the play when a man with a donkey's head wandering
around on stage for crying out loud. And since the play is all about how
ridiculous love can be, no one can avoid embarrassing foolishness.
 Magic
The fairies’ magic, which brings about many of the most bizarre and
hilarious situations in the play. Shakespeare uses magic to create the
power of love (the love potion). Although the magic causes chaos, as
when Puck mistakenly applies the love potion to Lysander’s eyes.
Additionally, Puck uses magic to reshapes Bottom’s head into that of an
donkey head and imitate the voice of Lysander and Demetrius.

8. Plot
 Situation
Egeus complain with anger to Theseus about her
daughter Hermia, because she loves Lysander and
refused to marry with Demetrius (Act 1, Scene 1,
Page 2-3). And there’s someone who loves
Demetrius, she is Helena. Sadly, no one loves
Helena(Act 1, Scene 1, Page 8). Egeus wants his
daughter killed if she doesn't follow his plan of
marrying Demetrius (Act 1, Scene 1, Page 2).
 Conflict
Because of Lysander and Hermia want to fight for
their love, so they decided to run off together. They
will go to Lysander’s aunt who lives about twenty
miles from Athens, and they will marry and live there
(Act 1, Scene 1, Page 6-7). They promise to meet in
the wood, but Helena and Demetrius follow them.
Then, Oberon asks Puck to puts love potion in
Demetrius’s eyes (Act 2, Scene 1, Page 10) but Puck
makes a mistake, he puts love potion on Lysander’s
eyes that would makes him fall in love Helena and
forsake Hermia (Act 2, Scene 2, Page 4). Oberon
realizes the mistake that Puck’s has made, and soon
he asks Puck to put love poition on Demetrius’s eyes
and then Demetrius fall in love with Helena too (Act 3,
Scene 2, Page 4-5).
In the wood, Oberon is restless because Titania
doesn’t fulfill his request to make the Indian boy for
himself. Thus, he put love potion to Titania eyes too
(Act 2, Scene 1).
 Climax
Demetrius and Lysander would've fought over Hermia
anyway, but now they fight over Helena (Act 3, Scene 2,
Page 17), which inspires Hermia to try to fight Helena.
During this row in the woods, some pretty harsh words are
thrown around, and ugly things get brought up from the past
(Act 3, Scene 2, Page 12). Titania's love for Bottom is
climactic insofar (Act 4, Scene 1). Eventually, Oberon will
have Titania released from the spell (once he gets the Indian
child) and likely he'll have everything fixed with the lovers by
then, too. Until then, we can enjoy the madness at the peak
of the play.
 Anti Climax
Oberon asks Puck to imitate the voice of Lysander and
Demetrius when they’re fighting to get them away from each
other until they’re so exhausted that they’ll sleep. When
they’re asleep Puck put flower’s juice into Lysander’s eyes.
The flower’s juice has the power to erase all the damage
that’s been done to his eyes, and to make him see normally,
the way he used to. When they wake up, all this trouble and
conflict will seem like a dream or a meaningless vision. Then
the lovers will go back to Athens, united together until death.
Oberon will ask Titania once again for the Indian boy. And
then he’ll undo the spell that cast over her, so Titania won’t
be in love with that monster anymore (Act 3, Scene 2, Page
15).
 Denoument
Oberon releases Titania from the spell (Act 4, Scene 1,
Page 3). Puck gives Lysander the remedy juice (Act 3,
Scene 2, Page 19). Demetrius declares that he's in love with
Helena. Theseus announces that the couples will be married

9. Conclusion
William Shakespeare in his play entitled “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream” uses some themes, such
as love, art and culture, foolishness, and magic. All of
the themes are blended into a beautiful play. Not only
the themes but also the plot that make the play
legendary and wonderful. The story starts when
Egeus wants his daughter to marry Demetrius but
she loves Lysander. Then, they’re run off to the wood
because Hermia would be killed if she still wants to
marry Lysander. Suddenly, the love of Lysander was
change because of love potion but he get remedy
juice after that and Demetrius then loves Helena.
Finally, the three couples will be
married.Shakespeare shows the complicated love
story and finally the true love finds the way while
they’re find some difficulties.

10. References
 https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/ms
nd/facts.html
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakesp
eare
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_N
ight%27s_Dream
 http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-
theme-in-literature-definition-examples-
quiz.html
 http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-
drama-terms-time-periods-and-styles.html
 http://www.midsummernightfilm.com/film-
synopses.html