Play Comedy

A Midsummer
Night’s Dream
Author Year Published Original Language
William Shakespeare 1600 English

SYMBOLS

A Most Set in ancient Athens, A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows four young
lovers and six rough tradesmen into the wild woods, where they become
Fair Vision embroiled in a quarrel between the king and queen of the fairies. In the
fairy realm, a flower nectar love potion rearranges romantic partners,
causing confusion throughout the dreamlike night.

Moon

As a powerful force, stands

for love, dreams, and chaos

Woods

Symbolize untamed nature

and unpredictable fairy magic

Flowers

Represent both nature and

love’s magic by causing people
to fall in and out of love

Main Characters

Loves Married Loves under spell Enchants

Puck Lysander Helena

Mischievous fairy; sows chaos In love with Hermia; Young woman in love
through enchantment victim of magic with Demetrius

Bottom Hermia Demetrius

Oblivious weaver; Small, self-conscious Stubborn young man Hermia

overconfident actor young woman; object of must marry under the law
two men’s affections

Titania Oberon

Stubborn queen Disgruntled king

of the fairies of the fairies

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Author
by the Numbers

4 16
Days before the new moon Times the word dream or
that A Midsummer Night’s dreams appears in the text of
Dream takes place A Midsummer Night’s Dream
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
1564–1616

The feast day of St. John

the Baptist is celebrated
in England every June 24
(Midsummer Day). Some
people believed fairies held

1787 1935 their own festivity that night.

English playwright William

Year British astronomer Year the Academy Shakespeare wrote the

William Herschel Award–winning film A comedy A Midsummer

discovered Uranus's two Midsummer Night's Dream, Night’s Dream about what

largest moons, later named starring James Cagney as chaos might occur if fairies

Titania and Oberon Bottom, was released and humans mixed on

midsummer eve.

Themes

Patriarchy Love as a Magical Force Order vs. Disorder

Social order puts men in Magic causes mayhem in the Athenian laws demand
charge and is disrupted when forest while bringing to light the obedience and cause tragedy,
women take the reins. power of love and attraction. but in the woods, disorder
delivers an unexpected blessing.

T he course of true love never did run smooth.

Lysander, Act I, Scene I

Sources: Bardweb, Biography.com, IMDb, Introduction to A Midsummer

Night’s Dream by Harold Bloom, Introduction to Shakespeare’s Comedy of
A Midsummer-Night’s Dream by Katharine Lee Bates, Shakespeare Online,
Universe Today

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