A Midsummer Night's Dream

Characters:

• Puck/ Robin Goodfellow
• Oberon's jester
• mischievous fairy who delights in playing pranks on mortals
• Oberon
• king of fairies
• initially at odds with his wife, Titania, because she refuses to relinquish control of a young Indian prince whom he wants for a knight
• Titania
• queen of the fairies
• resists the attempts of Oberon to make a knight of the young Indian prince she has been given
• Lysander
• young man of Athens in love with Hermia
• however, he cannot marry her openly because Egeus, her father, wishes her to wed Demetrius
• falls in love with Helena as a victim of misapplied magic
• Demetrius
• young man of Athens, initially in love with Hermia but ultimately in love with Helena
• Hermia
• Egeus's daughter
• in love with Lysander
• childhood friend of Helena
• self-conscious about her height
• Helena
• in love with Demetrius
• was once betrothed to Demetrius, but Demetrius fell in love with her friend Hermia
• lacks confidence in her looks
• Egeus
• Hermia's father
• wants Hermia to marry Demetrius
• brings a complaint against his daughter's disobedience to Theseus
• Theseus
• duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta
• Hippolyta
• legendary queen of the Amazons, engaged to Theseus
• Nick Bottom
• overconfident weaver chosen to play Pyramus in the craftsmen's play for Theseus's marriage celebration
• full of advice and self-confidence but frequently makes silly mistakes and misuses marriage
• Peter Quince
• carpenter and leader of craftsmen's attempt to put on a play for Theseus's marriage celebration
• often shoved aside by the over-confident Bottom
• plays the Prologue for the craftsmen's play
• Francis Flute
• bellows-mender chosen to play Thisbe in the craftsmen's play
• bearded but is determined to speak his lines in a high, squeaky voice
• Robin Starveling
• tailor chosen to play Thisbe's mother in the craftsmen's play
• ends up playing the part of Moonshine
• Tom Snout
• tinker chosen to play Pyramus's father in the craftsmen's play
• ends up playing the part of the Wall dividing the two lovers
• Snug
• joiner chosen to play the lion in the craftsmen's play
• is worried his roaring will frighten the ladies in the audience
• Philostrate
• Theseus's Master of Revels, responsible for organizing the entertainment for the duke's marriage celebration
• Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote and Mustardseed
• fairies ordered by Titania to attend to Bottom after she falls in love with him

Plot summary:

• Theseus, Duke of Athens, is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta. He commissions Philostrate to find suitable entertainment for the occasion
• Egeus marches into Theseus's court with Hermia, Demetrius and Lysander. He wishes Hermia to marry Demetrius but Hermia is in love with Lysander and refuse to comply. Egeus demands the full penalty of law on Hermia if she continues to disobey her father's will.
• Theseus gives Hermia until his wedding to consider her options, warning her that she could be sent to a convent or even executed.
• Hermia and Lysander plan to escape Athens the following night and marry in Lysander's aunt's house, some seven leagues from the city. They inform Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, of their plans.
• Hoping to regain his love, Helena tells Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander's elopement. At the appointed time, Demetrius stalks into the woods after his intended bride and her lover with Helena following him. 
• The woods are occupied by a band of fairies including Oberon and Titania, who has recently returned from India to bless Theseus and Hippolyta's marriage. A band of Athenian craftsmen are also rehearsing a play in the woods which they hope to perform for Theseus. 
• Oberon and Titania are at odds over a young Indian prince given to Tiania by the prince's mother; Oberon wishes to make him a knight, but Titania refuses. Seeking revenge, Oberon sends his servant Puck to acquire a magical flower, whose juice can be spread over a sleeping person's eyelids to make that person fall in love with the first thing he or she sees upon waking.
• Puck obtains the flower which Oberon intends to spread over Titania's eyelids. He also orders Puck to spread some on Demetrius because he saw him acting cruelly towards Helena.
• Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and afflicts him with the love potion. Lysander sees Helena upon waking up and falls in love with her, abandoning Hermia. 
• Puck attempts to undo his mistake but instead both Lysander and Demetrius end up in love with Helena, who believes that they are mocking her.
• Hermia becomes so jealous that she tries to challenge Helena to a fight. Demetrius and Lysander nearly fight over Helena but Puck confuses them by mimicking their voice and leading them apart until they are lost separately in the forest.
• When Titania awakes the first person she sees is Bottom, whose head Puck has transformed into an ass. Titania begins doting on Bottom. 
• Oberon eventually obtains the Indian boy and Puck spreads the love potion on Lysander's eyelids, and by morning all is well.
• Theseus and Hippolyta discover the lovers in the forest and take them back to Athens to be married - Demetrius now loves Helena, and Lysander now loves Hermia. 
• After the group wedding, the lovers watch the craftsmen's play. The fairies emerge after to bless the sleeping couples with a protective charm. Puck remains and asks the audience for its forgiveness and approval and to urge the audience to remember the play as though it had all been a dream.