SUMMARY:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream ACT I starts with Theseus starts to discuss with Hippolyta their wedding that is going to occur in four days. Then Egeus enters with Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius. Egeus claims that his daughter Hermia is to marry Demetrius, but that Lysander has cast a “magic spell” over her, making her fall in love with him. He asks Theseus, the duke, if he can practice his right as a father and have her either marry Demetrius or have her killed. No matter what Hermia argues, Theseus makes a decision that either she marry Demetrius or she become a nun and never have any man for the rest of her life. Hermia does not budge and decides she’d rather wither away her life as a nun than to be with Demetrius. Theseus then decides that he will give her until his wedding day to decide what to do. Demetrius asks Hermia to just give up and marry him, which then Lysander tries to claim his worth to the Duke and explain to him why he is just as worthy or more worthy than Demetrius’ unfaithful self. When everyone left besides Lysander and Hermia, he tells her to run away with him to his widowed aunt’s place outside of Athens where the can marry each other and it won’t be permitted.
Helena speaks of her love for Demetrius and how foolish it is of her to obsess over somebody that is obsessing over somebody else. She explains that love makes people do things in bad judgment sometimes. In desperation for attention from Demetrius, she decides she will tell him about Hermia and Lysander’s plans to flee.
Then the scene skips to the characters Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling. Quince gathers the men to discuss the plays they are going to put on for the duke and duchess on their wedding day and the characters they play. Meanwhile through all of this, Bottom keeps interrupting.
EXPECTATIONS/ CHALLENGES:
Hermia is expected to marry Demetrius and Lysander to back off, but I believe that Lysander and Hermia will