Introduction
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is one of Shakespeare's best and most confusing plays ever written. Two worlds within one play, the world of the fairies and the human world, as well as this in the human world the humans are preparing to put on a play for Theseus and Hippolyta, the future king and queen of Athens. In both worlds love has turned their lives upside-down; well everyone knows that the course of true love never did run smooth!
Washington Allston's 1818 painting Hermia and Hele...
Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing. Fro...
Study for The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania by Noe...Hermia has Lysander and Demetrius head over heels for her but only has eyes for Lysander, where as her father thinks she should wed Demetrius and if she doesn't obey his wishes her only other choices is to face life as a nun or no life at all, so she decides to elope to the forest with Lysander. As well as this little love triangle, there's Helena, who loves Demetrius, then due to some fairies magic mix-up Lysander falls for Helena, trying to undo this both boys fall for Helena, and then the girls have a cat fight over Lysander.
As well as all this commotion in the human world back in the fairy world Oberon and Titania, the fairy king and queen, are going through a rough patch in their marriage, causing Titania to think that her own squabbles with her husband are causing all this commotion among the humans.
If this isn't confusing enough Oberon and Titania are arguing over a servant. Wanting revenge on Titania, Oberon sends his assistant, Puck, to cast a spell on her making her fall in love with the first being she sees which is Bottom, a member of the cast of the play the humans are rehearsing. It just so happens, he plays a donkey! This is...