A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By William Shakespeare

Magical Mischief! On a midsummer night a group of mortals becomes ensnared in a magical realm by Oberon the King of Fairies and Puck his faithful servant. This delightful romp is Shakespeare's most enduring and popular play. Captain of our fairy band, Helena is here at hand, And the youth mistook by me Pleading for a lover's fee; Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wilder Publications, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781627557269

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is arguably the most famous playwright to ever live. Born in England, he attended grammar school but did not study at a university. In the 1590s, Shakespeare worked as partner and performer at the London-based acting company, the King’s Men. His earliest plays were Henry VI and Richard III, both based on the historical figures. During his career, Shakespeare produced nearly 40 plays that reached multiple countries and cultures. Some of his most notable titles include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. His acclaimed catalog earned him the title of the world’s greatest dramatist.

Book preview

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Theseus, Duke of Athens.

Egeus, Father to Hermia.

Lysander, in love with Hermia.

Demetrius, in love with Hermia.

Philostrate, Master of the Revels to Theseus.

Quince, a Carpenter.

Snug, a Joiner.

Bottom, a Weaver.

Flute, a Bellows-mender.

Snout, a Tinker.

Starveling, a Tailor.

Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, bethrothed to Theseus.

Hermia, Daughter to Egeus, in love with Lysander.

Helena, in love with Demetrius.

Oberon, King of the Fairies.

Titania, Queen of the Fairies.

Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, a Fairy.

Peaseblossom, Fairy.

Cobweb, Fairy.

Moth, Fairy.

Mustardseed, Fairy.

Prologue, Pyramus, Thisby, Wall, Moonshine, Lion are presented by:

Quince, Bottom, Flute, Snout, Starveling, and Snug

Other Fairies attending their King and Queen.     Attendants on Theseus and Hippolyta

Scene.—Athens, and a Wood near it.

ACT I

Scene I. Athens. The palace of Theseus

Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, Philostrate, and Attendants

Theseus: Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour

Draws on apace; four happy days bring in

Another moon; but, O, methinks, how slow

This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires,

Like to a step—dame or a dowager,

Long withering out a young man’s revenue.

Hippolyta: Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;

Four nights will quickly dream away the time;

And then the moon, like to a silver bow

New—bent in heaven, shall behold the night

Of our solemnities.

Theseus: Go, Philostrate,

Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;

Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;

Turn melancholy forth to funerals;

The pale companion is not for our pomp. 

[Exit Philostrate

Hippolyta, I woo’d thee with my sword,

And won thy love doing thee injuries;

But I will wed thee in another key,

With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.

Enter Egeus, and his daughter Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius

Egeus: Happy be Theseus, our renowned Duke!

Theseus: Thanks, good Egeus; what’s the news with thee?

Egeus: Full of vexation come I, with complaint

Against my child, my daughter Hermia.

Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord,

This man hath my consent to marry her.

Stand forth, Lysander. And, my gracious Duke,

This man hath bewitch’d the bosom of my child.

Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes,

And interchang’d love—tokens with my child;

Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung,

With feigning voice, verses of feigning love,

And stol’n the impression of her fantasy

With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,

Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats— messengers

Of strong prevailment in unhardened youth;

With cunning hast thou filch’d my daughter’s heart;

Turn’d her obedience, which is due to me,

To stubborn harshness. And, my gracious Duke,

Be it so she will not here before your Grace

Consent to marry with Demetrius,

I beg the ancient privilege of Athens:

As she is mine I may dispose of her;

Which shall be either to this gentleman

Or to her death, according to our law

Immediately provided in that case.

Theseus: What say you, Hermia? Be advis’d, fair maid.

To you your father should be as a god;

One that compos’d your beauties; yea, and one

To whom you are but as a form in wax,

By him imprinted, and within his power

To leave the figure, or disfigure it.

Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.

Hermia: So is Lysander.

Theseus: In himself he is;

But, in this kind, wanting your father’s voice,

The other must be held the worthier.

Hermia: I would my father look’d but with my eyes.

Theseus: Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.

Hermia: I do entreat your Grace to pardon me.

I know not by what power I am made bold,

Nor how it may concern my modesty

In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;

But I beseech your Grace that I may know

The worst that may befall me in this case,

If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

Theseus: Either to die the death, or to abjure

For ever the society of men.

Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires,

Know of your youth, examine well your blood,

Whether, if you yield not to your father’s choice,

You can endure the livery of a nun,

For aye to be shady cloister mew’d,

To live a barren sister all your life,

Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.

Thrice—blessed they that master so their blood

To undergo such maiden pilgrimage;

But earthlier happy is the rose distill’d

Than that which withering on the virgin thorn

Grows, lives, and dies, in single blessedness.

Hermia: So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,

Ere I will yield my virgin patent up

Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke

My soul consents not to give sovereignty.

Theseus: Take time to pause; and by the next new moon—

The sealing—day betwixt my love and me

For everlasting bond of fellowship—

Upon that day either prepare to die

For disobedience to your father’s will,

Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would,

Or on Diana’s altar to protest

For aye austerity and single life.

Messenger: Relent, sweet Hermia; and, Lysander, yield

Thy crazed title to my certain right.

Lysander: You have her father’s love, Demetrius;

Let me have Hermia’s; do you marry him.

Egeus: Scornful Lysander, true, he hath my love;

And

Reviews for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

[kennethwdavis_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite Shakespearean comedy, a miracle.

[pilgrimjess · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

" The course of true love never did run smooth."This is one of Shakespeare's most performed comedies and as such probably one of his best known. Consequently I'm not going to going to say anything about the plot. I personally studied this whilst at school as part of an English Literature course and despite my callow years I remember enjoying. However, I haven't read it since.Now, far too many decades later, I read Bernard Cornwell's novel 'Fools and Mortals' which centres around a speculative and fictional première of the play. Having really enjoyed reading that book decided to revisit the original. Once again I found it a highly enjoyable read which made me smile and a piece of true genius.

[jfoster_sf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great romantic comedy.

[anagarika · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Kinda boring.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This will always be my favorite Shakespeare play. I love all the fairies, Puck especially, and I'll never get over the four lovers' quarrels when half of them are under spells. Plus, how can anyone not enjoy Pyramus and Thisby?

[amaraduende · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*gasp* Can I put Shakespeare in my fantasy shelf? :)

This is just such a delicious treat to read. Do yourself a favor and read it outloud - at least parts of it. It's just so fun.

[grytajme · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was a stagehand for this. Incredibly fun.

[leslie398 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I liked the overall plot, I found this to be one of the plays in which Shakespeare's language is hard for me. I have seen some of the film versions (most notably the 1935 movie with Olivia de Havilland & Jimmy Cagney and the BBC Production with Helen Mirren as Titania) & seeing the action does help (especially in the 'humorous' parts!).One thing that I noticed in reading this was how unpleasant I found Oberon to be.

[paradox98_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite comedies. Significant to me because I've actually been in a love rhombus, as it were; therefore, I can relate some of the characters.

[therebelprince · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A reasonably mild edition of a great play, but one that will be eminently suitable for highschool students and actors.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Studied it for A Level. I wasn't really fond, though there were some good/clever bits in the writing.

[osunale · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I consider this my first Shakespeare: this is the play that made me fall in love with the master. It's a supremely delightful work that never wears thin with time. It's that immortal "O lord, what fools these mortals be" that does me in every time. Humorous and splendidly human despite the fairies dancing across the words.

[lhlogan1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Finally, a Shakespeare book I can get behind. Fun, light and crisp; this tale is a hit.

[brianinbuffalo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As hard as I've tried, I could never quite get into this one. I've read it once and seen it performed twice. Both productions were classy. Still, I found the play tedious.

[jwhenderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The course of true love never did run smooth,” comments Lysander, articulating one of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s most important themes—that of the difficulty of love (I.i.134). Though most of the conflict in the play stems from the troubles of romance, and though the play involves a number of romantic elements, it is not truly a love story; it distances the audience from the emotions of the characters in order to poke fun at the torments and afflictions that those in love suffer. The tone of the play is so lighthearted that the audience never doubts that things will end happily, and it is therefore free to enjoy the comedy without being caught up in the tension of an uncertain outcome.This play has insoired many musicians, notably Felix Mendelssohn who wrote an overture and incidental music for the play. It also inspired Benjamin Britten to write one of his best and most impressive operas. Britten used the text of the play for his libretto which is rarely done. A fantasy, this is among my favorite of all Shakespeare's plays.

[librarylou · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of my favourite Shakespeare plays, very witty and funny.

[antao-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Physics of the Impossible: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare, Burton Raffel, Harold Bloom Published 2005.

I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the
wit of man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass, if
he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was—
there is no man can tell what. Methought I was—and
methought I had—but man is but a patch’d fool, if he
will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man
hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand
is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart
to report, what my dream was.
(4.1.203–212)

(Paraphrase: I had the strangest dream. It is outside of the abilities of mankind to explain it: a man is as foolish as a donkey if he tries to about to expound this dream. Methought I was—there explain the dream of mine. I thought I was – well no one can really say what exactly. I thought I was – and I methought I had, -- but man is but a patched fool, if thought I had – but someone would be an idiot to say what I thought I had).

I remember watching the play for the first time in Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra in 2002 (staged by Rui Mário). Shakespeare has always been an over-riding need for me. I don't have the ability to act, though I do write betimes, but there's nothing like the thrill of a life performance, like the one I watched in 2002.

The rest of this review can be found elsewhere.

[meandmybooks-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well, what do you know? Third time wasn't the charm with this one – between reading it during my own education and with my kids for theirs, this is more like my fifth go with this play – but it's finally growing on me! I've always thought of this as “that stupid play with the lovers, the donkey, and all the irritating fairies,” but this time it seemed less stupid! I give the credit, as usual this year, to the amazing Marjorie Garber. Her essay, in Shakepeare After All, on this play was particularly good. Having just read “Romeo and Juliet” last week, I could fully appreciate the parallels she drew between the two plays, and she persuasively illustrated the ways the themes of love and envy, dreams and rationality, transformation and imagination give depth, meaning, and coherence to the play that I just hadn't seen before. The lovers are still silly and Theseus is still obnoxious, sure, but the play isn't quite the silly fluff I'd previously thought. A solid four stars.As well as Garber's book, my reading was enhanced by an audio performance from L.A. Theatre Works (2013) and the BBC's creative retelling of the play from their “Shakespeare Retold” series. The notes in the Folger Shakespeare Library (Updated) edition are quite adequate without being excessive, though in the mass market paperback edition I have the inside margin is so skimpy that the text threatens to disappear into the gutter.

[aarondesk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A comedy by Shakespeare on love and marriage. The way he mixes English culture with ancient mythology is brilliant.

[elmyra_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Was promted to re-read this by reading Neil Gaiman's eponymous Sandman short story. Learned:That my English has gotten a hell of a lot better in the last 11 years. This was the first Shakespeare play I tried to read, and I read it by myself at the time, so I didn't really get it.That I still don't really get the "brilliance" of this particular Sandman story.That I should probably read more Shakespeare.That some of the notes to this edition are utterly useless, and that Reclam can't quite decide what level of audience they're aiming their notes and translations at.

[kerrilea-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story of romance with enough trickery to make it fantastical. He loves her but she loves him, and nothing is ever clear when you're in the middle of it all!

This is an easy-to-read for anyone who is new to Shakespeare, play formats, or both. I highly recommend this for a fun look into romance and the drama that naturally ensues. It seems that we all have our own Fae dictating the rules of our hearts, sometimes.

[clq_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've been meaning to catch up on various Shakespeare plays that "everyone" has read, and after finishing a book and having no immediate plans for what to read next, A Midsummer Night's Dream was conveniently waiting for me on my Kindle.In short, I didn't really like reading it much. I can see how it would probably work much better on stage, but read as a book it didn't really do much for me.If I ever get the opportunity to see it on stage I probably will, and I'll be prepared to be pleasantly surprised at how well it can work as a play.That said, I do enjoy poems, and I found the lyrical nature of the dialogue, the rhythm and the rhyme, to be quite fun. But as a story I just didn't really appreciate it as much as I had expected.

[fredacochran · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read it in high school. Loved it, it was funny

[seraphinac.b4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In "A Midnight's Summer Dream", there are four lovers, Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena. Hermia wishes to marry Lysander but Demetrius is also in love with her. Hermia's father, Egeus, wants her to marry Demetrius. If she refuses, she could receive the full extent of the law and be executed. Nevertheless, Hermia and Lysander plan to flee Athens the next night and marry in the house of Lysander's aunt. They tell Helena, who was once engaged to Demetrius, who still loves him even though he dumped her for Hermia. Helene wanting to regain Demetrius's love, tells him about Lysander and Hermia escaping. Demetrius follows Lysander and Hermia while Helena follows Demetrius. Fairy king, Oberon, notices how cruelly Demetrius acts towards Helena. Oberon orders Puck, a fairy messenger, to spread the juice of a magic flower on Demetrius's eye lids so that the first person he sees, he will love. Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and when Lysander wakes up he immediately falls in love with Helena, who was the first person he saw. Later that night, Puck tries to fix his mistake, but it ends up that they both now love Helena. The next night Puck succeeds in making Lysander love Hermia, and Demetrius love Helena. Theseus, a duke, and Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, find them sleeping and take them to Athens to be married. Overall, this book was lacking. I thought this because it was dull. I found it dull because you would know what happened next. it didn't have any cliffhangers. I thought it was slow to get to the climax... if there was one. Shakespeare wrote using strong literal and metaphorical language, which makes it confusing. It was not my cup of tea.

[cathywoolbright · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Every read of this classic reveals another tongue in cheek pun. This humorous comedy of errors deals with love, romance, fairies in an enchanted forest, a traveling actors' troupe that passes itself as professional, but offers comic relief, mistaken identity, and of course parents at the crux who will not let true love have its way. Just a simple, straightforward Shakespearean tale. Enjoy!

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read this book twice and I really like it, it even might be my favorite among Shakespear books, for some reason the song "Strange And Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)" Lyrics by Aqualung always reminds me of this book:

I've been watching your world from afar
I've been trying to be where you are
And I've been secretly falling apart... Unseen
To me, you're strange and you're beautiful
You'd be so perfect with me
But you just can't see
You turn every head but you don't see me

I'll put a spell on you
You'll fall asleep
When I put a spell on you
And when I wake you I'll be the first thing you see
And you'll realize that you love me

Sometimes the last thing you want comes in first
Sometimes the first thing you want never comes
But I know that waiting is all you can do
Sometimes

I'll put a spell on you
You'll fall asleep
When I put a spell on you
And when I wake you I'll be the first thing you see
And you'll realise that you love me

I'll put a spell on you
You'll fall asleep
Cause I put a spell on you
And when I wake you I'll be the first thing you see
And you'll realize that you love me

[unclebob53703 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful copy of Shakespeare's play, with the text written out by hand and Arthur Rackham's gorgeous illustrations and decorations. Gave away my copy of this to my niece one Christmas, and recently found this replacement. I'm not sure it's the same size.

[hvymetalmg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having taken a Shakespeare class in college, I've read, studied and analyzed a number of the bard's plays. This was a sleeper as it turned out to be my favorite. If a book this old can make me laugh, that says something, especially when most television shows today can't make me smirk.

[soulflower1981 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I am not a huge Shakespeare fan I did find this particular play to be pretty darn good. I enjoyed the fact that there was this mix of fantasy with ideas that we can all relate to with unrequited love. It was fascinating to see how Shakespeare made fun of his own play "Romeo and Juliet" within the story as well. There is such a great woven story here that anyone that enjoys reading plays should read this. This was another book that I had to read for my Theatre course.

[ncgraham_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I honestly feel as though I’ve ruined this play for myself. When I first read it during my last year of middle school, I was immediately taken with nearly everything about it—the quarrelling lovers, the comedy, the supernatural element—so taken that I tried to film a shortened version of it with some of my friends. Obviously, what with reading my own bowdlerized imaginings of the lines over and over again, not to mention listening to all of us trying to recite the Bard, my estimation of it was sullied somewhat.Reading it again, I find that I still enjoy it, and can respect it as a finely-crafted piece of comedy, but I don’t think it will ever again number among my very favorites from Shakespeare. And that is my fault, not his.As for the play itself, what is there to say? The language is wonderful, of course. Every word, every phrase, every sentence is perfectly judged. No one has ever equaled Shakespeare when it comes to using literary devices to bring about specific dramatic effects. The same features that make Oberon’s speeches so lyrically beautiful—alliteration, rhyme, assonance—Shakespeare uses to highlight the ridiculousness of the mechanical’s entertainment. Has there ever been alliteration as funny as this?Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade,He bravely broached his broiling blood breastThe whole of the Pyramus and Thisbe play-within-a-play is inspired; I don’t know whether Midsummer came before or after Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s oeuvre, but it’s wonderful to see him touch on the same themes in a comic context. I had to stage that scene with zombies and werewolves for a class this past semester (you see? … this play just won’t let me alone!), and let me tell you, anything that can survive that treatment is pure gold.Some things surprised me while I was rereading this. One was the maturity of the content; Demetrius basically tells Helena that, if she does not stop following him, he will rape her! Shakespeare ain’t for the kiddies, folks.Helena is, I think, my favorite character, after Bottom and Puck. The latter’s closing speech is one of my favorites from Shakespeare, and probably the best of his epilogues, with the possible exception of Prospero’s from The Tempest.In spite of my erratic history with the play, I would recommend it. You can’t go wrong with the Bard.