AMSND

• Act 1

  • Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, discuss their upcoming wedding.
  • Egeus demands that his daughter Hermia marry Demetrius, though she loves Lysander.
  • Lysander and Hermia plan to elope to Lysander's aunt's house outside Athens.
  • Helena, in love with Demetrius, decides to betray Hermia's plan to him in hopes of winning his affection.
• Act 2

  • Oberon, the king of the fairies, and Titania, the queen of the fairies, argue over a changeling boy.
  • Oberon instructs Puck to retrieve a flower with the power to make someone fall in love with the first creature they see upon waking.
  • Oberon decides to use the flower's juice on Titania and on Demetrius, so he will love Helena.
  • Puck accidentally anoints Lysander instead of Demetrius, causing Lysander to fall in love with Helena.
• Act 3

  • Bottom and his companions rehearse a play for Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding in the forest.
  • Puck transforms Bottom's head into that of a donkey, frightening the other players away.
  • Titania, bewitched by the flower's juice, falls in love with donkey-headed Bottom.
  • Puck, realizing his mistake, makes Demetrius love Helena, leading to a quarrel among the four Athenians.
• Act 4

  • Oberon releases Titania from the spell and Puck removes the donkey's head from Bottom.
  • Oberon and Puck correct the love potion's effects on Lysander, restoring his love for Hermia.
  • Theseus and Hippolyta find the four lovers in the forest and agree to their marriage desires.
  • Bottom wakes up, thinking his experiences were all a dream.
• Act 5

  • Back in Athens, the three couples are married: Theseus and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena.
  • Bottom and his companions perform their play, "Pyramus and Thisbe," at the wedding feast.
  • The play concludes with Puck's epilogue, asking for the audience's forgiveness if they were offended and suggesting it was all just a dream.
• Written by William Shakespeare in 1595–1596
• Key moment in Act 1, Scene 1

  Lysander: "The course of true love never did run smooth"

  • In this line, Lysander is trying to comfort Hermia after her father and the duke tell her she must either marry Demetrius or face harsh consequences
  • This quote foreshadows the challenges that will unfold as the play progresses and sets the tone for romantic complications.
• Key moment in Act 2, Scene 2

  Robin: (squeezes flower joice on Lysander's eyelids)

  • In this line, Puck places the enchanted flower juice on Lysander's eyelids (instead of Demetrius's eyes). Lysander then wakes and falls in love with Helena.
  • This quote reveals a crucial point in the plot: the magical intervention. It sets the stage for a shift in Lysander's affections and further complicated the love triange.
• Egeus - Hermia's father, who wants her to marry Demetrius
• Helena - In love with Demetrius, Hermia's best friend
• Hermia - Egeus's daughter, in love with Lysander
• Demetrius - Initially in love with Hermia, but later falls for Helena
• Lysander - In love with Hermia, but hated by Egeus
• Theseus - The Duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta
• Hippolyta - The Queen of the Amazons, engaged to Theseus
• Puck - Oberon's mischievous servant, also known as Robin Goodfellow
• Oberon - The King of the Fairies, married to Titania    
• Titania - The Queen of the Fairies, married to Oberon
• Bottom - A weaver, who is turned into a donkey by Puck