Ahh...Do you know how hard it is to quote Shakespeare and write rest of the title in iambic pentameter? A Midsummer Night's Dream is truly my favorite play by that famous man called Shakespeare. I carry around my old beat-up copy of this book to and from college with me every semester.

The story

Chaos ensues when the men of the species are unhappy with the women. As Theseus and Hippolyta prepare for their marriage, Egeus comes in fuming because his daughter Hermia wants to marry Lysander, and not the man he has chosen for her, Demetrius. Add Helena to the fray, who is madly in love with Demetrius, who won't even give her the time of day. When Hermia tells Helena of her plan to run away with Lysander and elope, the poor desperate girl tells Demetrius of this so that he will go after Hermia, and Helena can go after him. This brings them into the forest, where they become entangled in a giant mess created by fairies. Oberon, the fairy king, decides to humiliate his wife, the fairy queen Titania. He sends Puck to create much mischief...And that, he does. Add to this mix a bumbling troupe of bad actors who wish to perform at Theseus' wedding, and we have our comic relief. But then again, the whole play is really a comedy.

Why I love it

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I got to play Helena in our final presentation for my Shakespeare class back in high school. Act III Scene II is my absolute favorite scene of this, my favorite play. It is in this scene that we witness exactly what mess Puck has made of the four young lovers' lives. Instead of finding Demetrius to make him fall in love with Helena, he found Lysander, instead. Lysander awakens and professes his love to Helena, who can't believe he would mock her so. Puck realizes his mistake and then finds Demetrius. Now both men profess undying love for the girl, and she thinks they are doing nothing but making fun of her. In wanders Hermia, who cannot believe her eyes or ears when Lysander rejects her for Helena. She completely blames Helena for everything, and a grand old cat fight ensues.

You can't blame a girl for loving this scene, especially when she's playing the one being fawned over. The "O spite, O Hell!" monologue is a great one for auditions, too.

More intellectually speaking

The light and dark imagery is fascinating. All of the magic, mischief, and mayhem happens at night, in the dark. The dark is full of mystery. But in the light, when day comes, everything is very serious, and wrongs are made right. Until my Shakespeare teacher pointed that out, I wouldn't have thought to recognize that fact.

Who would enjoy this play?

Besides Shakespeare buffs, anyone who proclaims to be a hopeless romantic would love this play. Teenage girls might be specifically drawn to it, and even college age. Couples might appreciate reading the play together, perhaps reciting lines with one another.

And if you like this play...

Don't miss The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Comedy of Errors, or Much Ado About Nothing. These are all by Shakespeare, and all magnificent in their own right. As far as movies go, Midsummer recently came out on video, and there is also a popular version of Much Ado available at your local video store - both highly suggested.