PHILOSTRATE

: Theseus has conquered Hippolyta and is soon to marry her. Hermia loves Lysander, but her father Egeus wishes her to marry Demetrius, who has jilted Helena for her. Egeus invokes an Athenian law which allows him to have her executed for disobedience — though Theseus points to the additional option of lifelong — chastity in a nunnery. Lysander proposes fleeing with Hermia beyond Athenian jurisdiction, | and they confide their plans to Helena - who tells Demetrius in the hope of winning his favour. He pursues Lysander and Hermia into the woods, and Helena follows him. Marital strife between Oberon and Titania over a changeling boy has. led to chaos in the natural environment. Oberon sends Robin Goodfellow to fetch a magic flower whose juice can compel love. Seeing Demetrius reject Helena, Oberon sends Robin to use some of the juice on him, while he himself uses some on Titania. On the lookout for Athenian clothing, Robin comes upon Lysander and Hermia sleeping, and anoints his eyes. Helena discovers Lysander, and wakes him; he falls in love with her and pursues her, leaving Hermiaalone. — - A group of artisans, planning to perform Pyramus and Thisbe at Theseus’ wedding, meet for a rehearsal in the woods. They begin to adapt the play to avoid scaring the ladies in the audience, and to make it possible to represent the moon and a wall on stage. During the rehearsal, Robin metamorphoses Bottom, putting an ass’s head on him, and scares off the other artisans. Titania wakes, sees him, and falls in love. Oberon and Robin observe as Demetrius pursues Hermia, who assumes that he has murdered Lysander. Oberon sends Robin to fetch Helena while he anoints Demetrius’ eyes. Helena arrives, pursued by Lysander, and wakes Demetrius to find that both young men now love her; she infers that she is the object of a practical joke. Demetrius and Lysander prepare to fight each other, but Robin spreads darkness across the sky and leads them away from one another. Having got all four lovers asleep, he administers the antidote to Lysander. ; , Titania hands over the changeling boy to Oberon, has fun with the monstrous Bottom, and sleeps with him. Oberon applies the antidote, and they are reconciled. The sleeping lovers are found by Theseus, out hunting in the forest. Demetrius no longer wants Hermia, but Egeus insists. Theseus overrules him and the courtly characters have a triple wedding. Bottom takes his experience to have been a dream, and joins his fellow artisans, who are…