Theseus

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Act 1 Scene 1

Match

Match the following

• The duke of Athens and Hippolyta's husband to be

• An Amazonian queen who Theseus conquered during battle and has claimed as his future wife

• an Amazonian queen who Theseus conquered during battle and has claimed as his future wife

• Egeus' headstrong daughter who is in love with Lysander

Theseus

Hippolyta

Egeus

Hermia

• Theseus

• Hippolyta

• Egeus

• Hermia

Match

Match the following

• A young Athenian man in love with Hermia

• A young Athenian man who has a complicated history as Helena's former lover (but with his eyes now set on Hermia)

• A childhood friend of Hermia and still obsessed with her old flame, Demetrius

• An exuberant weaver who has a lead role in Quince's play and gets unknowingly caught up in Oberon's hijinks

Lysander

Demetrius

Helena

Nick Bottom

• Lysander

• Demetrius

• Helena

• Nick Bottom

Match

Match the following

• A carpenter who becomes the director and playwright for a script he's prepared for the royals

• King of the Fairies and the mastermind behind the love swapping

• Queen of the Fairies who spends an otherworldly night in love with a donkey as payback for opposing Oberon's wishes

• (Alias Robin Goodfellow) a righthand man to Oberon and prankster directly involved in the romantic shenanigans

Peter Quince

Oberon

Titania

Puck

• Peter Quince

• Oberon

• Titania

• Puck

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Duke Theseus walks into the royal house in Athens with his fiancee, the Amazon Queen Hippolyta, and his party master, Philostrate. Theseus tells Hippolyta that he can't wait for their wedding in four days. She tells him, "Four days will quickly turn into nights, and four nights will quickly pass by in dreams" (1.1.7-8).

​Plot

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Theme Alert

The wedding establishes the theme of love, while Hippolyta's response connects love to dreams. The idea that it's the nights, rather than the people, that will dream suggests dreams are more than just figments of imagination.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theseus sends off Philostrate to organize entertainment for the wedding. After Philostrate leaves, Theseus tells Hippolyta that he won her love with his sword but will wed her with revelry.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Theseus and Hippolyta's love is founded in a battle of the sexes, literally. Theseus won her love by defeating her.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

An angry Athenian nobleman Egeus, enters, with his daughter Hermia and her two suitors Lysander and Demetrius. Egeus explains to Theseus that he wants his daughter to marry Demetrius, but that she loves Lysander, who has "bewitched" her with songs of love and gifts. Egeus asks the Duke to uphold the ancient law of Athens, which gives the father the right to pick his daughter's husband.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Theseus and Hippolyta's love is founded in a battle of the sexes, literally. Theseus won her love by defeating her.

Multiple Choice

What is the main topic of the first scene of A Midsummer Night's Dream?

• The wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta

• The love triangle between Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius

• The conflict between Theseus and Egeus

• The power of dreams

Multiple Choice

What does Hippolyta mean when she says, "Four days will quickly turn into nights, and four nights will quickly pass by in dreams" (1.1.7-8)?

• She is saying that time passes quickly when you are in love.

• She is saying that dreams are more important than reality.

• She is saying that she is looking forward to her wedding.

• She is saying that she is afraid of the future.

Multiple Choice

What does Theseus mean when he says, "I won your love with my sword but will wed you with revelry" (1.1.18-19)?

• He is saying that he won her love by force but will win her heart with love.

• He is saying that he won her love through battle but will win her hand in marriage through celebration.

• He is saying that he won her love with his sword but will win her over with his words.

• He is saying that he won her love through trickery but will win her trust with honesty.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theseus speaks to Hermia, advising her to obey her father and adding that Demetrius is worthy. When Hermia responds that Lysander is also admirable, Theseus says that Egeus's support of Demetrius makes him more deserving.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Theseus is fair, but as Duke he is also the embodiment of law and order. And order in Athens is male dominance.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Hermia wishes her father could look at Lysander through her eyes, but Theseus responds, "Rather your eyes must with his [your father's] judgment look" (1.1.59).

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Hermia implies her eyes are already affected by love. Theseus wants her to see according to reason.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Hermia asks what will happen if she refuses to marry Demetrius. Theseus gives the following choices: become a nun, be put to death, or marry Demetrius. When Hermia says she will become a nun, Theseus advises her to think about it and give him her decision on his wedding day.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Theseus seems much less willing than Egeus to execute Hermia, but he nevertheless supports the law and men's dominance over women, even in the face of love.

Multiple Choice

According to Theseus, why is Demetrius more deserving than Lysander?

• Because Demetrius is wealthier than Lysander.

• Because Egeus supports Demetrius.

• Because Hermia prefers Lysander.

• Because Theseus personally likes Demetrius more.

Multiple Choice

What are the choices given by Theseus if Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius?

• Marry Lysander, become a nun, or be put to death.

• Become a nun, be put to death, or marry Demetrius.

• Marry Demetrius, leave Athens, or be put to death.

• Marry Lysander, leave Athens, or become a nun.

Multiple Choice

What does the order in Athens, represented by Theseus, signify?

• Men's dominance over women.

• Equality between men and women.

• Women's dominance over men.

• The freedom to choose one's spouse.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Demetrius asks Hermia to relent and marry him. But Lysander snaps that since Demetrius has Egeus's love, he should marry Egeus. Egeus, furious, vows to give what's his to Demetrius.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Lysander comes down decidedly on the side of love over reason or law.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Lysander points out that he's as well-born and wealthy as Demetrius. He adds that Demetrius is an inconstant lover: before he met Hermia, Demetrius wooed and won Helena's heart.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Up until this moment love was presented as only a good thing. But Demetrius's inconstancy shows it can also be hurtful.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theseus admits he's disturbed by these facts but says he cannot change the laws of Athens. Instead, he advises Hermia to obey her father and tells Egeus and Demetrius to come with him, so he can discuss the plans for his wedding and give them some private advice.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Again, Theseus stands up for law and order. Though he shows his compassion by advising Egeus and Demetrius to change their minds.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Now alone, Lysander and Hermia discuss the troubles lovers of history have faced, from war and sickness to their ages being wrong for one another to others choosing their love for them. Lysander describes such love as "short as any dream" (1.1.144), while Hermia decides that since all lovers face trials, they must face theirs.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

While Lysander and Hermia list the troubles that lovers face with grave sadness, the list makes it clear to the audience that they're just two more in a long line, which makes them seem silly.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Lysander has a plan to elope: they'll hide at his aunt's house, seven miles away from Athens. If they leave the Athenian city limits, then the city's laws will no longer apply to them. They plan to meet in the woods outside Athens the next night.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Note how similar Lysander and Hermia's plan is to Romeo and Juliet's in Romeo and Juliet. Though love is new and fresh to them, it's all been done and experienced before.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Just then, Hermia's childhood friend and Demetrius's former love, Helena, enters. She wishes she had Hermia's beauty so that Demetrius would love her. To make Helena feel better, Hermia tells her that she and Lysander are about to elope. The two lovers give Helena the plan details and wish her good luck with Demetrius.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Love has put Hermia and Lysander in conflict with the law and made Helena miserable and shaken her self-confidence. Note also how seriously these young lovers take themselves. Love destroys perspective.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Left alone on the stage, Helena speaks about the tricks love can play on one's eyes, transforming even "things base and vile" to "form and dignity." She notes that she is as beautiful as Hermia but that Demetrius can't see it. And she adds that love is like an inconstant child: Demetrius once swore oaths of love to her and now loves Hermia. Finally, Helena decides to tell Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander's plan. She knows Demetrius will follow them into the woods and that she's betraying her friend's trust, but she hopes it will win her back Demetrius's love.

​Plot

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1

Theme Alert

Helena's speech shows that she fully understands the tricks that love can play on other people, and on oneself. She knows it can make someone blind to reason, and that it's not necessarily constant and true. She also knows that to tell Demetrius would be a terrible betrayal of her friend. And yet love is so powerful and overwhelming that she still decides to tell Demetrius.

Multiple Choice

How does Lysander view the conflict between love, reason, and law?

• He believes reason should guide love.

• He believes law should guide love.

• He believes love should be prioritized over reason or law.

• He believes all three are equally important.

Multiple Choice

What is Lysander and Hermia's plan to be together?

• They plan to convince Egeus and Demetrius to accept their love.

• They plan to elope to Lysander's aunt's house, outside the city limits of Athens.

• They plan to challenge the laws of Athens.

• They plan to hide in Athens and continue their relationship secretly.

Multiple Choice

What does Helena decide to do after learning about Hermia and Lysander's plan to elope?

• She decides to help Hermia and Lysander.

• She decides to tell Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander's plan, hoping to win back his love.

• She decides to confront Hermia about her plan.

• She decides to stop pursuing Demetrius.

Reorder

Reorder the following

• Egeus, Hermia's father, complains to Theseus, the Duke of Athens, about his daughter's refusal to marry Demetrius, whom he has chosen as her suitor. Instead, Hermia wishes to marry Lysander.

• Theseus tells Hermia that she must obey her father's wishes or face the consequences, which include either being sent to a nunnery or being put to death.

• After being left alone, Lysander and Hermia plan to elope. They decide to meet in the forest outside Athens and then proceed to Lysander's aunt's house, which is located beyond the reach of Athenian law.

• Hermia's childhood friend, Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, enters the scene. Hermia reveals her plan to elope with Lysander to Helena, hoping to make her feel better about Demetrius's rejection.

• After Hermia and Lysander leave, Helena decides to betray Hermia's trust and tell Demetrius about their plan to elope, hoping that this will make Demetrius love her again. This sets the stage for the events in the forest that form the core of the play's plot.

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