A Midsummer Night's Dream
Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, are getting married and great celebrations are planned.
Hermia, Egeus' daughter, is in love with Lysander but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. The Duke orders Hermia to obey her father or, according to Athenian law, die or enter a convent.
Hermia and Lysander decide to elope that night. They confide in their friend Helena. However, she's secretly in love with Demetrius so, hoping to win his affection, she tells him of Hermia's plan. That night, all four lovers set out into the forest.
Meanwhile, a group of Athenian tradesmen are planning to perform a play in celebration of the Duke's wedding. They decide to rehearse The Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe in the same forest.
Elsewhere in the forest, the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, argue over Titania's refusal to give up her page-boy to Oberon. He sends his servant Puck to find a magic plant so he can cast a spell on Titania. The juice of the plant, when squeezed onto the eyes of someone asleep, causes them to fall in love with the first creature they see when they wake up. Oberon uses the juice on Titania as she sleeps.
Puck overhears the tradesmen rehearsing and magically transforms Bottom's head into that of an ass. The other men are terrifed and flee the forest. When Titania wakes, the first creature she sees is Bottom and she falls in love with him.
Helena chases Demetrius in the forest and their fighting disturbs Oberon. He tells Puck to use the magic plant on Demetrius too, so that he will fall in love with Helena. However Puck uses it on Lysander instead, who falls in love with Helena. Both women are confused and Hermia furiously attacks her friend.
Hermia, Egeus' daughter, is in love with Lysander but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. The Duke orders Hermia to obey her father or, according to Athenian law, die or enter a convent.
Hermia and Lysander decide to elope that night. They confide in their friend Helena. However, she's secretly in love with Demetrius so, hoping to win his affection, she tells him of Hermia's plan. That night, all four lovers set out into the forest.
Meanwhile, a group of Athenian tradesmen are planning to perform a play in celebration of the Duke's wedding. They decide to rehearse The Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe in the same forest.
Elsewhere in the forest, the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, argue over Titania's refusal to give up her page-boy to Oberon. He sends his servant Puck to find a magic plant so he can cast a spell on Titania. The juice of the plant, when squeezed onto the eyes of someone asleep, causes them to fall in love with the first creature they see when they wake up. Oberon uses the juice on Titania as she sleeps.
Puck overhears the tradesmen rehearsing and magically transforms Bottom's head into that of an ass. The other men are terrifed and flee the forest. When Titania wakes, the first creature she sees is Bottom and she falls in love with him.
Helena chases Demetrius in the forest and their fighting disturbs Oberon. He tells Puck to use the magic plant on Demetrius too, so that he will fall in love with Helena. However Puck uses it on Lysander instead, who falls in love with Helena. Both women are confused and Hermia furiously attacks her friend.