FREE ESSAY ON A MIDSUMMER NIGHT DREAM

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT DREAM

Jennifer Lopez
Period 7
English Book Report
The Mixed up Troubles of Love
A Midsummer's Night Dream is one of Shakespeare's romantic/comedy plays. This play is
about love and all the troubles that it brings to people. It also has a side story about
a pompous actor who has a mysterious dream in the forest. The four main characters are
all trying to find love with one another and when magic is involved it causes more cause
between the four than it does to help. 
The play is set in Monte Athena, Italy in the nineteenth century. The main characters are
the four lovers Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius. The Duke and his fiancee Queen
Hipolyta, Puck the mischievous creature who is half man half goat, the Fairy King Obecca
and the Fairy Queen Titania.
It starts out as Egeus, a wealthy Athenian, brings a problem upon Duke Theseus. Egeus
wants to marry his daughter Hermia off to Demetrius, but she refuses because she is in
love with Lysander, who her father does not approve of. Because Hermia is disobeying her
father by not wanting to marry Demetrius, whom she does not love, she will either have to
marry Demetrius or die. The other alternative the Duke gives Hermia is to become a
prioress for the rest of her life. The couple leaves the meeting with the Duke and they
decide to run off together to another town, where they can be wed and live in happiness.
The only person they tell about their plan is Helena. Helena agrees to help because she
is in love with Demetrius, although he does not return the love for her. She was once
seduced by him but he was through with her after their little affair. She follows him
everywhere and will not leave him be. So Helena decides to tell Demetrius of Hermia and
Lysander's so she can follow him into the woods and be with him. 
In another part of Athena a sign is posted of a dramatic competition with a rewarded
prize for the winner. The winners will have to perform their play for the Duke and his
wife on their wedding day. Here we are introduced to Nick Bottom the weaver who is a very
dramatic pompous actor, who runs away from his wife frequently to flirt with the young
damsels. His theatrical group decides to put on the play Pyrimus and Thisby, where Bottom
is given the part of Pyrimus. Yet he wants to play every part in the play, trying to show
off. The group decides to meet in the woods that night, which is the same night the
couple will be running away. 
That night Demetrius leaves to find Hermia and Lysander and stop them from getting away.
But without his consent Helena follows him the whole way out there, pestering and
bothering him. They go off into the forest where Shakespeare brings us to a party all the
fairies, spirits and mystical creates are drinking wine and frolicking around. Here we
are introduced to the mischievous troublemaker Puck, who is half goat half man. He is the
creature who scares maids in the sleep and frightens wives at night. The Fairy Queen
Titania soon appears in front of The Fairy King Obecca. They quarrel over a special child
that is left in to the queen and she leaves. The King tells Puck to find him a special
flower that cupid launched his arrow at. When the dew of this flower is placed into a
sleeping creature's eyes the first person they see when they awake they will fall in love
with. He wants to put this dew into the queen's eyes to teach her a lesson by making her
fall in love with a hideous creature. 
When Puck leaves, the king spies Helena bothering Demetrius again. He hears her profess
her love to him as he denies his love to her and instead professes his hatred to her. The
king decides that he wants to help this poor, pitiful mortal girl by making Demetrius
fall in love with her. Puck then returns with the flower and brings it to the king. While
the king goes to put the dew on the Fairy Queen's eyes he tells Puck of the two mortals,
Demetrius and Helena, and tells him to help her by making Demetrius fall in love with
her. 
Puck finds Lysander and Hermia sleeping in the forest and mistakes them for Demetrius and
Helena. So Puck puts the flower's dew on Lysander's eyelids. Helena happens to be passing
by and sees Lysander lying on the ground. She thinks he is dead and tries to wake him,
doing so he awakens and falls madly in love with her. He then forgets all about his love
for Hermia and chases after Helena. Hermia then awakes and frightened that Lysander is
gone, thinking that he is either harmed or dead.
Then the theatrical group comes to rehearse their play in a spot in the forest, which is
coincidently right under the basket that the Fairy Queen is sleeping in. While Nick
Bottom goes off from the group to practice his lines Puck puts a spell on him and
transforms him into a donkey. When the other men see him they run off. He then starts
talking to himself, which wakes up the Fairy Queen. He is then the first person she sees
when she wakes up, which makes her fall in love with him. The Queen captures him and
makes the other fairies serve him and give him all that he desires. 
Hermia finds Demetrius and goes off with him to find Lysander. The king watches them and
realizes that Puck has put the spell on the wrong person. He then sends him to correct
the mistake and put things back to normal. He then puts the flower on Demetrius' eyes
while he sleeps which makes him fall in love Helena as well. Lysander still thinks he is
in love with Helena and tells Hermia he does not love her any longer and he hates her.
The two boys fight over Helena, but Helena thinks they are mocking her and they are just
trying to make her feel bad. Hermia then becomes insanely jealous and angered that
Lysander's love is now only for Helena. She pushes Helena into the muddy water and the
girls begin to fight and role around in the mud. The King, watching all of this, gets an
herb that will reverse the love spell. Puck has the four kids running around the forest
trying to find each other; they then pass out from exhaustion. The four land in the same
spot of the forest with out knowing. While sleeping, the king puts the new herb onto
Lysander's eyes; reversing the love spell and bring him back to his true love for
Hermia.
Back at the Fairy Queen's place she falls asleep with Nick Bottom and the King puts the
herb on her eyes, which makes her see her true love. She awakes to see him and is
horrified to see a donkey lying next to her. 
The next morning the Duke is off riding with Hippolyta and they discover the two couples
lying in the tall grass nude. The couples awaken not knowing exactly what happened the
night before. The Duke makes them stand up to explain themselves. Lysander and Hermia
confess to their plan to run away. Hermia's father is they're telling her she must marry
Demetrius. Demetrius then professes his love for Helena; tell Hermia's father he can no
longer marry Hermia. The Duke talks with his fiance and they decide to have a triple
wedding. The father is not pleased with the idea, but goes along with it.
Nick Bottom then awakens in another part of the forest. He is back to his usual self,
with his usual clothing. He then concludes that the entire affair with Fairy Queen must
have all been a dream and then it couldn't have possibly occurred. His theatrical group
is worried that he will not show up; but he astonishes them all by coming to their
rescue. As they prepare for their performance, everyone else in the castle are preparing
for the wedding of the three couples.
The couples then celebrate their marriages to their loves and dine outside. The Duke's
assistant then presents him with a list of acts that he can choose from. This act will
then perform in front of the entire party. The chosen act is Pyrimus and Thisby, which is
Nick Bottom's play. The couples watch the tragedy play, which turns into more of a
comedy. At the end of the play the entire party viewing gave the group a standing
ovation. The Duke gave them approval and the group won their prize.
The three couples go to their bedrooms to make love all night long. As they lay there
with their lover the fairies fill the rooms and watch over them. They bring the couples
peace and happiness.