A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
Table of Contents
Cast of Characters
Theseus: Duke of Athens, responsible for maintaining law and order. Theseus is eager to wed his fiancé, Hippolyta. Although he stands behind Athens law in support of Egeus, he also emerges as a reasonable and sympathetic leader.
Hippolyta: the fiancée of Theseus and queen of the Amazons. Theseus won the right to marry her in battle, and she seems happy with the arrangement. With Theseus, Hippolyta embodies reason and social order.
Egeus: an Athenian nobleman and Hermia’s father. He appeals to Theseus in the matter of his daughter’s competing suitors, wanting to punish her for refusing to marry Demetrius. It is never clear why Egeus prefers Demetrius to Lysander, but his aggressive refusal to allow Hermia to choose her own husband establishes him as the least likeable character in the play.
Hermia: daughter of the Athenian nobleman, Egeus. She is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. During her escape into the woods with Lysander on their way to elope, she temporarily loses Lysander’s love as a result of the love potion. However, once Puck manages to restore balance to the lovers’ situation, she is happily married to Lysander.
Lysander: an Athenian man who plans to elope with Hermia. Under the enchantment of the love potion, he is temporarily infatuated with Helena. Once the fairies have set things right again, however, Lysander is happily wed to Hermia.
Demetrius: an Athenian man, once engaged to Helena but now in love with Hermia. He follows Lysander and Hermia into the woods, where he is ultimately enchanted into loving Helena once again.
Helena: a young Athenian woman and friend to Hermia. She is brokenhearted at the beginning of the play because Demetrius has jilted her in order to pursue Hermia. Puck’s mistaken application of the love potion results in Helena’s wounded feelings because she believes that both...
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