In Athens, Theseus, Duke of Athens, is to marry Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Bottom the weaver and his friends are planning rehearsals for a play they hope to stage for the wedding celebrations.
Four young Athenians are in a romantic tangle. Lysander and Demetrius love Hermia; she loves Lysander and her friend Helena loves Demetrius (who used to love her!). Hermia’s father, Egeus, demands that Hermia marry Demetrius, and Theseus supports the father’s right to determine her future.
All four young Athenians run away into the woods, where the fairies are in chaos – because Oberon the Fairy King and Titania the Fairy Queen are squabbling over who should have a little changeling boy to be their servant. Oberon decides to play a trick on Titania, and to put a love potion in her eyes, so that she will fall hopelessly in love with something hideous. Oberon also commands Robin Goodfellow, a puck who serves him, to put the potion in the eyes of Demetrius so that he will fall back in love with Helena. Robin Goodfellow gets it all wrong, puts the potion on the eyes of Lysander who wakes to see not Hermia but Helena, and begins to pursue her. To try and solve the problem he puts the love potion on Demetrius eyes, who then also sees and pursues Helena. Meanwhile Titania has been made to fall in love with Bottom, who now, thanks to Robin Goodfellow, wears an ass’s head.
Oberon and Robin Goodfellow contrive that everyone should fall asleep and as they do so Robin Goodfellow restores Lysander’s love for Hermia, so that now each young woman is matched with the man she loves. Oberon disenchants Titania and removes Bottom’s ass’s head. The two young couples join the royal couple in getting married, and Bottom rejoins his friends to perform the play.
