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Point of View. Although A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens with Theseus and Hippolyta, Shakespeare does not focus the action of the play solely, or even primarily, from the point of view of the Athenian rulers. Instead, the point of view alternates between three storylines: the Mechanicals preparing to put on a play, the fairies making mischief ...
- Robin Goodfellow (Puck) A type of fairy called a "puck," Puck is Oberon's faithful servant, but is also mischievous and enjoys nothing more than playing tricks and causing trouble.
- Nick Bottom. A weaver who's supreme confidence in his acting skill convinces the other laborers to give him the lead role of Pyramus in their version of Pyramus and Thisbe.
- Hermia. The daughter of Egeus and the beloved of Lysander and Demetrius (at least at the beginning of the play). She is strong-willed, believes in her right to choose her husband based on love, and is… read analysis of Hermia.
- Helena. She loves Demetrius, and at one time he returned her love. But before the play begins, he fell in love with Hermia and left Helena in despair. Because of Demetrius's abandonment of her, Helena… read analysis of Helena.
Mar 13, 2024 · Puck and Hermia, as portrayed by Mickey Rooney (left) and Olivia de Havilland, in the film A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1935. (more) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, comedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written about 1595–96 and published in 1600 in a quarto edition from the author’s manuscript, in which there are some minor inconsistencies.
- David Bevington
- Hermia
- Helena
- Lysander
- Demetrius
- Theseus
- Hippolyta
- Egeus
- Oberon
- Titania
- Puck
Hermia is the daughter of Egeus, an Athenian noble. She is in love withLysander, but her father wishes her to marry Demetrius instead. When her fathertells the duke of her disobedience, Theseus informs her that she must obeyEgeus or face the consequences: life in a nunnery or death. Instead, Hermiadecides to elope with Lysander and flee Athens. Unf...
Also a young woman of a noble Athenian family, Helena is in love withDemetrius. Though they were betrothed, the fickle Demetrius deserted Helena tocourt her friend Hermia—a match Hermia's father approves of. When Hermia andLysander run away together, Helena alerts Demetrius—thinking that this may helpher win back his love—and they follow the elopin...
Lysander is a young man in love with Hermia. Although Hermia's father,Egeus, would prefer her to marry Demetrius, Lysander does not relent. Whenpleading their case to Thesus fails to work, Lysander suggests to Hermia thatthey run away to his aunt's house. Since she dwells outside of Athens, theywill be free to from the duke's rule and may marry. Th...
A somewhat fickle young man, Demetrius was initially in love with—andbetrothed to—Helena but switched his affections to Hermia upon seeing her forthe first time. With the support of Egeus, Demetrius pursues Hermiarelentlessly at the beginning of the play, even though she has openly declaredher love for Lysander. Demetrius even follows them into the...
Theseus is a legendary duke of Athens. When the play opens, he is preparingto marry Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. He is known in legend forhis wisdom and sense of justice. Initially, he sides with Egeus in the disputeover whom Hermia should marry, but by the end of the play, he has changed hismind and allows her to wed Lysander. It is...
In Greek mythology (and this play), Hippolyta was the queen of the Amazons.She is captured by Theseus and forced to become his wife. Shakespeare portraysher as eventually willing to marry Theseus rather than as a victim of rape,which was the case in earlier portrayals of her.
Egeus is an Athenian noble and Hermia's father. He wishes his daughter tomake an advantageous marriage to Demetrius. When Hermia refuses, on account ofher love for Lysander, Egeus involves the duke and implores him to enforce thelaw, which states that Hermia must obey him or suffer dire consequences.
Oberon is the king of the fairies and a being with magical powers. He isfeuding with his wife, Titania, over a changeling boy, whom he wants for aknight. During their feud, he uses magic to make Titania fall in love withBottom, but he later restores her to her senses. It is Oberon who orders Puckto enchant the feuding lovers, and chaos ensues when ...
The queen of the fairies, Titania is beautiful and regal. She refuses torelinquish a changeling boy to her husband, and their feud over the boy leadsher husband to give her a love potion. Under the influence of the potion, shebecomes infatuated with Bottom, whom Puck has enchanted to have the head of anass. After Oberon claims the changeling boy, h...
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is a fairy with magical powers who serves Oberon.He is a figure from English folk legend, mischievous but not malevolent. He isa loyal servant but is liable to misinterpreting instructions, and he likes tohave a bit of fun of his own while he's carrying out Oberon's missions (forexample, turning Bottom's head into that of...
- Hermia. Hermia is a feisty, confident young woman from Athens. She is in love with a man named Lysander, but her father, Egeus, commands her to marry Demetrius instead.
- Helena. Helena is a young woman from Athens and a friend of Hermia. She was betrothed to Demetrius until he left her for Hermia, and she remains desperately in love with him.
- Lysander. Lysander is a young man from Athens who is in love with Hermia at the start of the play. Egeus, Hermia's father, accuses Lysander of “bewitching the bosom of [his] child” and ignoring that Hermia is betrothed to another man.
- Demetrius. Demetrius, a young man from Athens, was previously betrothed to Helena but abandoned her in order to pursue Hermia. He can be brash, rude, and even violent, as when he insults and threatens Helena and provokes Lysander into a duel.
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Jul 26, 2020 · A Midsummer Night’s Dream is William Shakespeare’s first comic masterpiece and remains one his most beloved and performed plays. It seems reasonable to claim that on any fine night during the summer at an outdoor theater somewhere in the world an audience is being treated to the magic of the play. It is easy, however, to overlook through ...
The main characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be put into three groups: The Fairies. The Mechanicals. The Mortals. The Fairies live in the woods and control most of the events in the ...
