Act 1
In Act 1 we meet Theseus, Hippoyta, Egeus, Hermia, Demetrius, Lysander, and Helena. Theseus is going to marry Hippoyta. Egues asks Theseus to enforce Athenian law because, Hermia won't obey him and marry Demetrius. Theseus says that Hermia must choose to marry Demetrius, die, or to become a nun. Lysander and Hermia decides to elope. Hermia tells Helena that they are running away to elope. Helena decides to tell Demetrius to gain his favor.
Act 2
In Act 2 we meet Oberon the king of fairies and the queen of fairies Titania. We also meet Puck who is a fairy servant. Oberon and Titania are fighting about the Indian prince. Oberon decides to force Titania to give him the child by using a herb to cause her to fall in love with the first living creature she sees when she wakes up. Oberon also over hears a conversation between Demetrius and Helena, so he plans to have Puck use the herb on Demetrius. Oberon puts a spell on Titania. Hermia and Lysander enter the forest grove and decide to rest because they are lost. Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and puts the herb into Lysander eyes. Helena has a symbolic nightmare about a snake eating her heart while Lysander laughs. When Lysander wakes up the, the first person he sees is Helena and he falls in love with her. Hermia wakes up and asks Lysander for help.
Act 3
In Act 3 Peter Quince and his company are rehearsing their rendition of Pyramus and Thisby. Bottom has serious reservations about the play: Pyramus kills himself with a sword, and the lion is frightening, both factors that are sure to terrify the women in the audience.The otehr players agree, wondering if the play should be abandoned, but Bottom has a solution. A prologue needs to be written to explain that Pyramus is only an actor, and the actor playing the lion must show half of his face during his performance and tell the audience his true identity. Quince mentions two other difficulties with the upcoming performance: It requires moonshine and a wall. For moonshine, they can simply leave a window open. An actor covered in plaster will play the role of the wall. Everyone agrees, and the rehearsal begins. Puck eacesdrops on the preformance. Puck can't resist playing a joke on Bottom and gives Bottom an ass' head. When Bottom enters, declaring his love for Thisby, the other terrified actors dash into the woods. Unaware of his transformation, Bottom has no idea what frightened them. Bottom walks singing through the woods, Titania, with the love juice on her eyes, awakens and falls immediatly in love with the bewastly Bottom. Titania appoints four faries- Peasbloosom, Cobweb, Mote, and Musterdseed- to serve the needs of new lover. Encountering Oberon in another part of the forest, Puck explains the outcome of his experiments with th love potion. Oberon is pleased to learn that Titania has fallen in love with the monstous Bottom and that Puck has also fixed Athenian. Demetrius and hermia enter the scene. Oberon recognizes Demetrius, but Puck realizes this not the same Athenian be bewitched with the potion. Lysander has mysteriously disappered, so Hermia accuses Demetrius of Murdering him and hiding the body. Demetrius insists that he didn't kill his enemy, but hermia refuses to believe him. Giving up the argument, Demetrius sinks to the ground and falls asleep, while Hermia continues her search for the missing Lysander. Oberon is angry with Puck for apointing the wrong Athenian with the love juice. To correct the situation, Oberon sends Puck in search of Helena and the squeezes the magic potion into the cold-hearted Demetrius' eyes. Lysander and Helena enter the scene still fighting because, Helena thinks he is moking her. Their voices wake Demetrius phony declarations of love, Helena is furious: Both Lysander and Demetrius are now making fun of her. When Hermia enters, the situation gets even worse. Not knowing about the potion-induced change in Lysander's feelings for her, Hermia is shoked that her childhood friend could be so mean. After the lovers have all fought and fled the scene, Oberon forces Puck to fix the problem before the men kill each other. Oberon advises Puck to create a deep fog in which the lovers will get lost and, finally, fall asleep in exhaustion. When they awake in the morning, the nights crazy events will seem like a dream except that Demetrius will be in love with Helena. Oberon then rushes to Titania bower to beg for the Indian boy.
Act 4
Titania is trying to please Bottom by granting his every wish. Bottom and Titania go to sleep. Oberon and Puck discuss how Oberon got Titania to give him the Indian boy. Oberon removes the spell from Titania by using the juice of another flower. Titania wakes up and realizes she was in love with a monster. They (Oberon and Titania) put Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helina into a deep sleep. Oberon tells Puck to transform Bottom back into a man. Thisby is taking Hypotina hunting, and Egeus is with them. The hunters find the lovers and wake them. Thysbe remembers that it is the day Hermia must choose. Lysander reveals that he and Hermia were going to elope. Egues asks Thysbe to enforce the law on Lysander. Demetrius declares that he no longer wants to marry Hermia, but chooses Helina instead. Thysbe says that Lysander and Hermia and Demetrius and Helina will marry at the same time he marries Hypotina. The young people discuss what has happened. Bottom wakes and begins looking for the other actions.
Act 5
The lovers are married. They choose to see the play Pyramus and Thysbe which they find humorus not tragic. The lovers go to bed. The faries come and bless any children they may have. Puck tells you to think of the play as a dream.