A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

This is a fun, easy one-act rewrite of William Shakespeare's famous romantic comedy blending love, magic, and mischief. As Duke Theseus prepares to marry Hippolyta, Hermia rebels against her father’s command to marry Demetrius,  and flees into the forest with her true love, Lysander. They are pursued by Demetrius and Helena, who loves him hopelessly. In the forest, the fairy king Oberon and fairy queen Titania, quarrel. When Titania falls asleep, Oberon squeezes the juice of a magic flower into her eyes so that she will fall in love with the first being she sees. Then, he sees Demetrius spurn Helena and tells his rascally servant, Puck, to use a magical flower to set things aright between the would-be lovers.  Meanwhile, a group of Athenian craftsmen have gone to the woods to rehearse a play in private. Still filled with mischief, Puck transforms one of the actors, Bottom, by giving him a donkey’s head. Titania awakes, sees Bottom, and immediately falls in love with him. Once Oberon has been satisfied by the mirth, he sets things right. The lovers are properly matched, and all return to Athens for a joyful triple wedding. The actors present their rustic play to the Duke and Hippolyta. Puck closes the story, hinting it may have all been a dream.

Some of these characters can be doubled:

Theseus, Duke of Athens

Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons

Oberon, King of the Fairies

Titania, Queen of the Fairies

Hermia, a young lady

Lysander, a young gentleman

Helena, a young lady

Demetrius, a young gentleman

Egeus, father to Hermia

Puck, Oberon's mischievous fairy

Peaseblossom, Titania's helper

Bottom, an actor

Quince, the playwright

Snug, an actor

Flute, an actor

Snout, an actor

Starveling, an actor

Philostrate, the Duke's helper

In Athens and the surrounding forest. It is summer, and a new moon is about to show.

PUCK

Captain of our Fair band,

Helena is here at hand.

Shall we their fond reunion see?

Lord what fools these mortals be.

OBERON

Stand aside. The noise they make

will cause Demetrius to awake.

LYSANDER and HELENA enter.

LYSANDER

Why do you not believe me that I love you?

HELENA

But you have given an oath of love to Hermia.

LYSANDER

Demetrius loves you not.

DEMETRIUS wakes, and sees HELENA

DEMETRIUS

Oh, Helena. Goddess. Lymph. Perfect divine.

Come to me. Be forever mine.

HELENA

O spite! I see you all are bent

To toy with me for your merriment.

LYSANDER

You are unkind, Demetrius. Be not so.

For you love Hermia, this I know.

DEMETRIUS

Lysander, keep thy Hermia.

HERMIA enters

HERMIA

Lysander! I have found you.

LYSANDER

Stay back, wretched one. I love Helena now.

HERMIA

This cannot be.

HELENA

Lo, she is one of this confederacy.

HERMIA

I scorn you not. It seems that you scorn me.

LYSANDER

Stay, gentle Helena. Hear me. My love, my life.

HELENA

Oh excellent!

HERMIA

Why are you grown so rude? What change is this? Sweet love...

LYSANDER

Thy love! Out, I say. Out. You hated thing.

HERMIA

Do you not jest?

HELENA

Yes, and so do you.

LYSANDER

I do hate thee, and love Helena.

HERMIA

Oh me! You thief of love.

HELENA

Fie, fie, you pretender. Fie! You puppet.

HERMIA

Ah, I see. She makes a joke of my height. I am not yet so low that I cannot reach my nails

unto thine eyes.

HELENA

I pray you, though you tease me, Gentlemen. Let her not hurt me.

LYSANDER

Be not afraid. She shall not harm thee, Helena.

DEMETRIUS

No, she shall not.

HELENA

I cannot trust you. I no longer stay in your company.

HELENA exits, followed by LYSANDER,

DEMETRIUS and HERMIA.

OBERON

This is thy wrongdoing! Puck, with your magic, make this night too dark to see through.

Lead these mortals back and make them sleep. Then crush this herb into Lysander’s eyes.

It will cure him of the Love Flower’s magic.

Then I will to Titania go, to release the magic from her eye, also.

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