"A Midsummer Night’s Dream" by William Shakespeare

In the ancient city of Athens, the Duke Theseus was preparing for his wedding to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Their grand celebration was only four days away, and the entire city buzzed with excitement. But within the city’s walls, a drama of love and confusion was unfolding.

Hermia, a beautiful young woman, was in love with Lysander. But her father, Egeus, had different plans. He wanted her to marry Demetrius, a nobleman favored by the Duke. Egeus brought his case before Theseus, demanding Hermia obey his wishes or face death or life in a nunnery.

Theseus, though sympathetic, upheld the law. Distraught, Hermia fled the city with Lysander into the nearby enchanted forest, hoping to marry in secret. But their plans were overheard by Helena, Hermia’s childhood friend, who was hopelessly in love with Demetrius—despite his rejection of her.

Eager to win his affection, Helena betrayed Hermia’s secret and told Demetrius of their elopement. Demetrius followed the couple into the forest, and Helena, determined to prove her love, followed him.

But this forest was no ordinary place. It was a realm of fairies, ruled by the mighty Oberon and his queen, Titania. These two powerful beings were in the midst of a bitter quarrel over a changeling boy that Titania refused to give up to Oberon.

Seeking revenge, Oberon called upon his mischievous servant, Puck, to help. Oberon instructed Puck to find a magical flower, one touched by Cupid’s arrow, whose juice, when applied to the eyes of a sleeping person, would cause them to fall in love with the first creature they saw upon waking. Oberon intended to enchant Titania, hoping she’d fall in love with something ridiculous so he could shame her into surrendering the child.

As he plotted, Oberon witnessed Helena chasing after Demetrius through the forest. Moved by her devotion and Demetrius’s cruelty, he ordered Puck to use the same magic to make Demetrius love Helena.

Meanwhile, a group of Athenian craftsmen had ventured into the forest to rehearse a play they hoped to perform at the Duke’s wedding. Among them was Nick Bottom, a weaver with great enthusiasm and little talent. Puck stumbled upon their rehearsal and decided to cause some chaos. He transformed Bottom’s head into that of a donkey—much to the terror of his companions.

As fate would have it, Titania, under the influence of the magic flower, awoke and instantly fell in love with the ridiculous donkey-headed Bottom. She doted on him lavishly, surrounded by fairies who obeyed her every word.

But the real confusion had only just begun. Puck, having mistaken Lysander for Demetrius, enchanted Lysander instead. Upon waking, Lysander saw Helena and immediately fell madly in love with her, abandoning Hermia.

Now both Lysander and Demetrius were pursuing Helena, who believed they were mocking her. Hermia, meanwhile, was heartbroken and confused by Lysander’s sudden change.

Oberon, seeing the chaos Puck had caused, was both amused and annoyed. He ordered Puck to fix his mistake. Puck used his magic to separate the lovers and applied the antidote to Lysander’s eyes. Demetrius, however, remained under the spell and continued to love Helena.

With the lovers restored to a new balance—Lysander with Hermia and Demetrius with Helena—Puck created a fog to confuse them all and led them into a deep sleep.

Oberon, having succeeded in humiliating Titania and gaining the changeling boy, gently released her from the enchantment. Titania awoke, bewildered by her strange dream of loving a beast, and reconciled with Oberon.

Morning came, and the Duke and his entourage discovered the lovers asleep in the forest. After hearing their tales, Theseus overruled Egeus and declared the couples would be married alongside him and Hippolyta.

Back in the city, the weddings were celebrated with joy and laughter. That evening, the craftsmen performed their play—a hilariously poor retelling of “Pyramus and Thisbe”—which delighted the court with its unintentional comedy.

As night fell and the humans retired to bed, the fairies returned to bless the marriages. Oberon and Titania, now at peace, danced through the palace with Puck, who offered one final speech to the audience, suggesting that if anyone disliked the strange tale, they could pretend it had all been just a dream.