A Midsummer Night’s Drea |Shakespeare’s Illustrated Classics

In the city of Athens, there was a great celebration. Duke Theseus was going to marry Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons after four days, on the night of the midsummer full moon. Everyone in the city from the richest to the poorest was preparing to celebrate the event.

As Duke Theseus and Hippolyta discussed the event, a nobleman named Egeus came to him to settle a troublesome issue in his family. His daughter, Hermia, was refusing to marry Demetrius, the man chosen for her by her father. She wished to marry Lysander whom she loved. Egeus had brought Hermia, Demetrius and Lysander with him.

There was a law in Athens that compelled a daughter to marry in accordance with her father’s wish. Otherwise, she either had to become a nun and shut herself away from the world, or she was condemned to death!

Demetrius said that he loved Hermia but she loved Lysander, who was as good and prosperous as Demetrius. She refused to obey her father and said that she would rather become a nun than marry Demetrius. Demetrius had earlier said that he loved another young lady named Helena. Helena also loved Demetrius!

Now, Egeus wanted the Duke to use the law to compel Hermia to obey him. Duke Theseus reminded Hermia of the law and told her that she had four days to make up her mind. On his wedding day, he would settle the matter. Knowing that the law was strict, Hermia and Lysander decided to run away from Athens that night. They would go to another city where Lysander’s aunt lived. There, they would be safe from this law!

Hermia confided her plan to run away that night with Lysander to Helena. She hoped that her friend Helena could make Demetrius understand. Demetrius broke off his engagement with Helena after he had fallen in love with Hermia. But Helena still loved him. She thought that he would become loving towards her again if she told him about Hermia and Lysander’s plans.

That night, a lot of people entered the woods! Lysander and Hermia were going quietly to his aunt’s house. Demetrius followed them and Helena followed Demetrius! And they were not alone. A group of the city’s artisans had come to practise for a play they would perform for the Duke and his bride.

And in the woods, the beautiful fairy queen Titania had come with her fairy maids and a little Indian pageboy. Oberon, her husband, the fairy king and Titania could not agree on who should look after the boy. Oberon wanted him to be his pageboy. But she refused. This led to a quarrel between them.

Angrily, Oberon decided to play a trick on Titania. He ordered Puck, his naughty servant, to find and fetch a magical flower. “Its juice, when applied on a person’s eyelids while they sleep, will make them fall in love with the first thing he or she sees on waking up. Apply it on Titania’s eyelids when she sleeps tonight,” he said.

Oberon had watched the humans in the woods and saw Demetrius treating Helena badly. To help Helena, he asked Puck to pour some drops on the eyelids of Demetrius. Puck obeyed him and first, he poured some drops on Titania’s eyelids. Then, he found Lysander sleeping and, thinking him to be Demetrius, he put some drops on his eyelids too!

Unfortunately, Lysander awoke to find Helena in front of him and fell in love with her. Realising that he had made a mistake, Puck put the potion on Demetrius’ eyelids as well. Demetrius too saw Helena when he awoke and there was absolute confusion! Both men declared their love for Helena which drove Hermia into a jealous fight!

Puck realised that he had made mistakes! To set things right, he lured Demetrius and Lysander away from each other. They were getting ready to fight a duel to win Helena. He mimicked their voices till the two men were lost in the woods. Helena wept, for she thought everyone was mocking her.

The artisans who were practising their play had left Bottom, the weaver, to sleep in the woods while they returned to the city. He was a particularly stupid fellow. He fell asleep under a tree and naughty little Puck had given him the head of a donkey! When Titania awoke, her eyes fell on Bottom!

Titania fell in love with him and made a complete fool of herself as she ordered all her fairies to look after him. She lovingly sat beside him and caressed him. Oberon felt he had punished Titania sufficiently. He ordered Puck to set right the spells that had been cast on Titania and Lysander and give Bottom his own head back!

As that magical night turned to dawn, Lysander and Hermia were united once again. To her delight, Helena found that Demetrius was really in love with her. Duke Theseus and Hippolyta found them in the woods and they all returned to be married in Athens.

All the newly married couples celebrated their wedding and then watched the play performed by Bottom and his fellow artists. Titania happily gave the little pageboy to Oberon. Then along with their fairies, they glimmered through the woods like fireflies. “It all seems a dream,” Puck said to Oberon, “a midsummer night’s dream!”

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