A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy play by William Shakespeare, premiered in 1595 or 1596. It is in the public domain everywhere.
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  • Reading time: 1 to 2 hours
  • Setting: Athens, Ancient Greece, and a wood which overlaps human reality and fairyland, during Antiquity
  • Premise: Theseus, the ruler of Athens, is to marry Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. This is a big celebration that will take place at the next new moon. Hermia and Lysander are seeing each other against the wishes of her father, who would like her to be wed to Demetrius instead. Under Athens' laws at that time, she must obey her father or be condemned to live a secluded life. She has until Theseus's wedding to change her mind. Hermia and Lysander decide to meet up in the woods and elope. But Demetrius is a seducer, and Helena has fallen in love with him. Jealous, she tells Demetrius about Hermia's plan. In the meantime, the labourers and craftmen rehearse a play for Theseus' wedding. They do it in the woods to keep the surprise secret. In the end, that night, everybody will converge on the woods. But Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies, reign over the woods. And the fairies will use love magic to play tricks on the humans and create chaos among the couples. Will their love remain intact, and will order be restored in a way that pleases everybody?