Midsumer nights dream

Anna Morales
AP Literature
Mrs. Stallings
March 6, 2011
Literary Analysis of A Mid-summer Nights Dream
1-Setting and Plot Summary
This Shakespeare play starts off with Theseus Duke of Athens and Hippolyta queen of the Amazons, planning their wedding. In the first few lines Theseus and Hippolyta conversing of their love, and the cruelty of time that keeps them from being apart. While theyare still talking Egeus, Hermia's dad, walks in with Hermia and her two lovers Demetrius and Lysander one of them being in her father’s favor and one her true love. Egeus makes his case be known to the Duke asking him to enforce the Athenian law to this matter giving Egeus the right to make Hermia marry Demetrius instead of Lysander. Theseus tells Hermia that she will have to obey her father in thechoice that her father wants and picks, yet she is relentless to give in. Theseus gives Hermia three choices to surrender to her father’s will, live a life as a virgin, or die. Lysander states that he is a worthier man than Demetrius because of his love to Hermia. Lysander also states that Demetrius is unfaithful about his feeling for Hermia because of an affair with Helen, Nedar's daughter.Knowing this fact Theseus takes Egeus and Demetrius for a talk, Hippolyta exits with them. While everyone leaves, Hermia and Lysander come up with a plan to run away and get married. Hermia and Lysander told Helen of their plan and Helen went off to tell Demetrius in exchange for a thanks. Scene two of act introduces Bottom and quince their friends dividing their roles for a play that is to be playedfor the Duke. Everybody agrees to meet next night to practice. Act Two introduces the Faerie the King and Queen of faeries that are fighting over some Indian kid that the queen has sworn to protect. Titania stomps off enraged. And oberon make a skim up a plan to get the Indian boy. Oberon send Puck, his servant to go look for a flower and use its use to make Titania to fall in love with ahorrible looking beast. Before Puck leaves, he and Oberon witness the rejection of Demetrius towards Helen that is following Demetrius. Oberon tells Puck to also pour drops into Demetrius eyes while he sleeps so that when Demetrius so that he could fall in love with Helen. So while the four lovers sleep that night puck drops into the guys eyelids. In the morning when Helen finds Lysander, he opens hiseyes and falls in love with Helen. Helen thinking its a bad joke goes to after Demetrius who sees her and falls in love with her. At this moment Hermia wake to find Lysander gone and goes to seek him out. Only to find him wooing Helen, Hermia shocked by this asks Helen what she has done. Lysander tells Helen that he does not love Hermia and that he can only love her. This making Hermia furiouswhich spring to attack Helen yet is restrained by Lysander and Demetrius. Which after Lysander scorns Hermia, Lysander duals Demetrius in a sword fight till death for Helen's love. As he leaves Hermia, she runs after Helen. Later on Puck being reprehended for his mistakes is sent to fix the chaos. Puck trick the guys into following his voice as the it gets late they fall asleep. Puck reverses thespell from Lysander and walks off. In the morning when the lover wake up they find each other and think that all that has happened is a dream. In the end they are found by Theseus, Hippolyta and Egeus that are on there way to their wedding. Theseus happy to know that the lovers have resolved their issues tell them to get married that same day with him and Hippolyta. After they are married they watchthe play that is acted out by Bottom and his friends.
2- Character Sketches
Theseus-Duke of Athens, and is engaged to Hippolyta, very little presence in the play
Hippolyta-Queen of the Amazons, future wife to Theseus, very little presence in the play
Hermia- is one of main protagonist that is in love with the male protagonist, yet her father doesn't approve of him
Lysander- is in love...