A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream is William Shakespeare's comedy in which four young lovers enter a wood governed by the fairy rulers Oberon and Titania. Their quarrel and Puck's mistaken use of an enchanted flower unsettle affections, while a group of craftsmen rehearses a play for an Athenian wedding. Bottom's transformation brings the two worlds into comic contact. The eventual return to Athens does not entirely explain away the night's experiences. Through dreams, theatrical performance and changing perceptions, Shakespeare connects the instability of desire with the imaginative work involved in seeing others and making stories.