A MIDSUMMER

NIGHT‘S DREAM
For
DUMMIES

by Theo, Savnoor, Quinn

10H, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS

pg 3: Synopsis

pg 4: Characterization

pg 5-6: ACT I

pg 7-8: ACT II

pg 9-10: ACT III

pg 11-12: ACT IV

pg 13: ACT V

pg 14: Conclusion
 SYNOPSIS

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a tale of love and enchantment all out of

Shakespeare’s imagination. It is divided into a 5-Act structure each filled with
detail and interesting content. Shakespeare makes various statements
concerning some of his beliefs about love through his characters and enlightens
the audience with this entertaining play. In our 14 page guide, we aim to dive into
A Midsummer Night’s Dream and break it down for people like you who have not
read it before or need a memory refreshor. Here is a Midsummer Night’s Dream
for Dummies.
 Characters

Lovers
Hermia
SETTING
ATHENS
D L HOME TO THESEUS’S
e y
m s COURT AND THE LOVERS
e a
t n
r d
i e
u r
s

MAGIC FOREST
Helena HOME TO THE FAIRIES
AND MOST OF THE
CHANGES MANY ACTION

MANY TIMES
 ACT 1 SCENE 1:

CHARACTE
RS IN THE S
CENE:
LYSANDE
R
HERMIA
DEMETR
IUS
HELENA
EGEUS
THESUS
HIPPOLY
TA

IN SCENE 1: H ICH IS
D A Y W
THEIR WEDDING
P O L Y T A DISCUSS
ND H IP
THESUS A
N 4 DAYS
OCC U R I N G I
O T H E S U S ABOUT
C O M PLAINS T
L Y B A R G ING I N ,
S H I S D A UGHTER
RIOUS HE WAN T
EGEUS, FU O B E D I E N C E ;
S N O T W ANT)
D A U G H T ER’S DIS S ( W H O SHE DOE
HIS I
M A R R Y DEMETRU E FERS)
R M I A T O S H E P R
HE
L Y S A N D ER (WHO
OF BEING
INSTEAD I S T S O N
’ S W I S H AND INS
I E S H E R FATHER
E N
HERMIA D
N DER
WI T H L Y S A
D A C T U PON THE
S T O E N FORCE AN L U T I O NS IS
G E U S O
S A G R E E S WITH E O F T H E P OSSIBLE HER’S
THESU C H O N E H E I R F A T
F A T H E N S IN WHI C O M P L Y WITH T
LAW O
C H I L D D OES NOT
...IF A
DEATH ...
WISH I D T H I S ISSUE
P E TO AV O
T O E L O
S A N D E R DECIDE I N L O V E WITH
ND L Y HELENA (
HERMIA A H E Y L E T
X T N I G HT. BUT T
THE N E
T H E I R S ECRET N D TELLS
S ) I N O N N D E R A
DEMETRIU E R M I A A ND LYSA
E L E N A B ETRAYS H G T O T A K E PLACE
H T IS GOIN
S W H A
DEMETRIU

PLAY SECTION: ACT 1

PROLOGUE

DETAIL INTO CHARACTER/SETTING

 ACT 1 SCENE 2:

SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE

2 2 2 2

Introduced to the “Rude Mechanicals” who are a group of actors

that Shakespeare uses to infuse comic relief into his play
They are:
Bottom the weaver
Peter Quince the carpenter
Francis Flute the bellows-mender
Snug the joiner
Robin Starvelling the tailor
Tom Snout the tinker

The group is at Quince’s home organizng roles for the play they will
perform for thesus and hippolyta As enterainment for their wedding

After Peter gives everyone their parts, the men agree to rehearse in
the woods the next evening
 ACT 2 SCENE 1

Introduced to new
characters and a
conflict

Scene one, act two begins with Oberon (king of the fairies)
fighting with his wife Titania (queen of the fairies) over a
changeling baby deep in the woods. The baby is in Titania’s
possesion and Oberon wants it for himself.

Titania refuses, and Oberon seeks to punish her for not doing
what he wants. He sends for his servant Puck to find a magic
flower. Oberon intends to put the juice of the flower in
Titania’s eyelids. This will make her fall in love with the first
LIVING creature she sees.

However, as Oberon starts to leave, he hides when he sees

Helena and Demerius coming in his direction. He overhears
Demetrius ridiculing Helena’s love and rejecting her. Being a
friend to lovers, Oberon orders his fairy servant Puck to apply
the same juice to Demetrius’ eyes to forcefully make him love
Helena.

PLAY SECTION: ACT 2

CONFLICT
Things are starting to spiral out of
control...
ACT 2 SCENE 2:

In scene two, Oberon carries out his plan and

puts the liquid in Titania’s eyes after she has
been lulled to sleep by her singing fairies.
Meanwhile, Hermia and Lysander, tired from
wandering through the forest all night fall
asleep. Puck, carrying out the task Oberon has
sent him to do mistakely takes Lysander for
Demetrius and applies the love potion to him.
After some time Helena comes, sees Lysander
sleeping and decides to wake him up. Lysander,
COULDN’T BE ME
under the spell instantly falls in love with
Helena. Not realizing that Lysander is under a
spell, Helena inteprets this as mocking then runs
away in disgust. Finally, Hermia herself wakes up
only to find that Lysander has gone.
 ACT 3 SCENE 1:
Puck aids in the deus ex machina by starting the resolution
of the ongoing conflict between Oberon and Titania. Carrying
out Oberons plan and turning Bottoms head into that of an
ass’s while the Rude Mechanicals are rehearsing together in
the woods, to prove he isnt afriad Bottom starts singing
while Titania is asleep and anointed with the love potion.
Leading to Titania waking up and falling in love with Bottom,
having her fairies take care of him.

Shakesperean plays

A deus ex machina is where the plot is

The third act in Shakespearean resolved through a seeminlgy very
sudden or unexpected manner, usually
plays is always the act that starts
through some form of divine
the turning point, and in terms of intervention, or in this case it is Oberon
a comedy like A Midsummer and his fairies.
Night’s Dream, it means the main
conflict beginning to be resolved. The turning point in Shakespearean
plays can vary depending on the nature
The way this is achieved in the
of the play, if it is a comedy it usually
play is through a deus ex machina ends well, with some sort of marriage, if
its a tradgedy on the other hand it often
ends in death.

LOVERS
Hermia

D L
e y
m s
e a
t n
r d
i e
u r
s
n
tio
po
ve
lo

Helena
 ACT 3 SCENE 2:

Puck reports the success of the plan to Oberon, who is

very happy, just then Demetrius and Hermia pass by,
loudly argueing with each other. This leads Oberon and
Puck to realize that the wrong Athenian was anointed with
the love potion, after scolding Puck, Oberon tasks him
with setting his wrongs right, furthering the deus ex
mahcina.

This scene is where the

most changes in the
lovers dynamic happens, Relationships

as Puck is setting his Lysander loves Hermia (Antidote)

wrongs in order and in Hermia loves Lysander
Demetrius loves Helena
the process changes all
(Love potion)
the current relationships Helena loves Demetrius

PLOT DIAGRAM ACT 3

PLAY SECTION: ACT 3

RISING ACTION

CLIMAX
 ACT 4 SCENE 1:

The deus ex machina is wrapped up in this act, as Oberon

has a conversation with Titania that isn't seen by the
reader which completely resolves the issue regarding the
Indian boy. Then Bottom gets the asses head taken off of
him and meanwhile Theseus heads a hunting party into
the woods and finds the four lovers asleep on the ground.
Here is where the second deus ex machina occurs, as
Theseus contradicts what he said in Act 1 Scene 1 and
overrules Egeus’s will, allowing Hermia to marry Lysander
as Helena and Demetrius are both in love.
 ACT 4 SCENE 2:

IN THIS SCENE
THE MECHANICALS SEEK BOTTOM WORRIED ABOUT THEIR
PERFORMANCE. BOTTOM ARRIVES PROMISING TO TELL THEM
EVERYTHING, BUT INSTEAD INFORMS THEM TO PREPARE AS THE DUKE
IS READY TO WATCH THEIR PLAY.

CHARACTER
INVESTIGATION
BOTTOM
In this play Bottom is shown as a very self
centered and foolish character. He believes
that he is capable of playing any role in the
play and even jumps up to show himself
when he can. When they are in the forest, a
reason that puck puts and ass head on him
is that bottom reminds puck of being foolish
and dumb. Some other traits of bottom
include over confident, ridiculous,

SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY SECTION: ACT 4

FALLING ACTION
 ACT 5 SCENE 1:

IN THIS SCENE
HIPPOLYTA AND THESEUS DISCUSS THE LOVERS' STORY, WHICH THESEUS
DISMISSES AS A DREAM. THE MECHANICALS' PLAY IS PERFORMED DESPITE
WARNINGS THAT IT IS TEDIOUS. THE WEDDING PARTY WATCHES THE
PERFORMANCE, WHICH IS INTERRUPTED BY GUESTS. THESEUS
APPRECIATES THE PLAY AND REQUESTS A DANCE INSTEAD OF AN
EPILOGUE. AFTERWARD, THE LOVERS RETIRE, AND PUCK, OBERON, AND
TITANIA BLESS THE MARRIAGES. PUCK ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE,
CONCLUDING THE PLAY.

MARRIAGES
Theseus ❤
Lysander ❤
Hermia
Hippolyta
❤
Demetrius Helena

The Final Play

the play played by the mechanicals is
Pyramys and This-be in which: Pyramus and
Thisbe are in love and speak to each other
through a chink in the wall. They agree to
meet in secret. A lion frightens Thisbe and
tears her veil. Pyramus finds her torn veil
with blood stains on it and assumes she’s
been killed by the lion, so he kills himself.
When Thisbe finds his body, she kills herself.

Pucks conclusion
At the end puch says a final statement to the audience
and concludes the play and confronts audience

PLAY SECTION: ACT 5

DENOUMENT
 CONCLUSION

Through this work, we have been able to showcase briefly

Shakespeare’s take on love in his play: “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream”. He uses Helena’s character to show that love can
make people go to the extreme. On the other hand, Lysander’s
character shows that there could be risk in love but it might
be worth it. In any case we invite you to delve into the world
of Shakespeare too and bring forth your own meaningful
intepreations that will help others.