CHARACTERS
Puck - is the most important character in the play. He is also known as Robin Goodfellow, and is Oberon’s servant and messenger. Puck is a mischievous fairy who makes fun of others and often plays jokes on the ordinary village people. With his magic, he plays deliberate pranks on human characters (transforming Bottom’s head into an ass) and makes unfortunate mistakes (placing the love potion on Lysander’s eyelids instead of Demetrius’s).
Oberon - is the king of the fairies, and at the start of the play, quarrels with his wife, Titania, because she refuses to give up a young Indian prince whom he wants for a page boy. Oberon sends Puck to take revenge on her by finding the love potion from a magic flower, and also uses his magical powers to help the humans.
Titania is the beautiful queen of the fairies and married to Oberon. She refuses to give up the young Indian prince to Oberon, who then plays a trick on her, making her fall in love with Nick Bottom, whose head Puck has changed into that of an ass. Titania and her fairies look after Bottom in a tender and thoughtful way.
Lysander is a young Athenian, in love with Hermia at the start of the play. He cannot marry her because Egeus, her father, wants her to marry Demetrius. Lysander and Hermia run away into the forest, Lysander, however, when under a magic spell wakes up in love with Helena.
Demetrius - A young man of Athens, who had previously jilted Helena for Hermia and doesn’t care for Helena’s feelings.He is in love with Hermia, but after the magic juice is squeezed into his eyes, Demetrius falls back in love with Helena.
Hermia - Egeus’s daughter, is short and dark, quick tempered, in love with Lysander, and a friend of Helena. As a result of the fairies’ mischief, Lysander and Demetrius suddenly fall in love with Helena. Hermia suspects that Helena has stolen Lysander away from her.
Helena is tall and fair, lacks confidence and is in love with Demetrius. Demetrius and Helena were once engaged, but when Demetrius met Helena’s friend Hermia, he fell in love with her and abandoned Helena. Helena thinks that Demetrius and Lysander are making fun of her when they fall in love with her.
Egeus - Hermia’s father, who brings a complaint against his daughter to Theseus: Egeus has given Demetrius permission to marry Hermia, but Hermia, in love with Lysander, refuses to marry Demetrius. He knows that it is against the law in Athens to go against a father’s wishes and if Hermia does this, she will be condemned to death or spend the rest of her life in a convent. He thinks Lysander has won Hermia over with gifts and compliments and made her disobedient to her father.
Theseus – He is kind courteous and good mannered to his subjects, a wise and sensible ruler. He is engaged to Hippolyta. He wants to see the play Pyramus and Thisbe and knows the humble people have put a lot of effort into it out of respect for him. He talks common sense later in the play, when the lovers tell the story of their night in the woods. He doesn’t believe in dreams and fairytales, which only affect the brains of lovers and mad people. He is only concerned about real everyday things.
Before he became ruler of Athens, he performed many great deeds. He is sorry for Hermia, but will not allow her to disobey the laws of Athens. He is wise, sensible and a good ruler and represents power and order in the play.
Hippolyta - Engaged to Theseus, she is the legendary queen of a tribe of female warriors called the Amazons. Theseus went to war with the Amazons, and, after defeating them, fell in love with their queen, Hippolyta. She is down to earth, fond of the open air, and hunting, but bored with the play.
Nick Bottom - The overconfident weaver chosen to play Pyramus in the craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. Bottom is full of advice and self-confidence but frequently makes silly mistakes and misuses language. A simple uneducated man, very likeable, keen on the play, but wants to play every part himself, although he is a terrible actor. He is unaware that his head has been turned into that of an ass and jokes and chats with Titania and the fairies.
Peter Quince - A carpenter and the nominal leader of the craftsmen’s attempt to put on a play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. Quince is often shoved aside by the abundantly confident Bottom. During the craftsmen’s play, Quince plays the Prologue.
Francis Flute - The bellows-mender chosen to play Thisbe in the craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. Forced to play a young girl in love, the bearded craftsman determines to speak his lines in a high, squeaky voice.
Robin Starveling - The tailor chosen to play Thisbe’s mother in the craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. He ends up playing the part of Moonshine.
Tom Snout - The tinker chosen to play Pyramus’s father in the craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. He ends up playing the part of Wall, dividing the two lovers.
Snug - The joiner chosen to play the lion in the craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. Snug worries that his roaring will frighten the ladies in the audience.
Philostrate - Theseus’s Master of the Revels, responsible for organizing the entertainment for the duke’s marriage celebration.
Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote, and Mustardseed - The fairies ordered by Titania to attend to Bottom after she falls in love with him.
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