Theseus, Duke of Athens, will marry his captive bride, the Amazon Queen Hippolyta, in four days. The noble Egeus demands that Theseus force his daughter, Hermia, to marry the man he has chosen, Demetrius, rather than the man she loves, Lysander. However, Hermia and Lysander escape to the Forest in the middle of the night with plans to elope. But before they do, they confide their plans to Hermia's best friend, Helena, to whom Demetrius was previously engaged and with whom she is hopelessly in love. Helena decides to tell Demetrius of their plans and resolves to follow him into the Forest, in the hope she will win back his love.
However, all is not well in the natural world: The Fairy King Oberon and his Queen Titania are in a custody battle over an Indian changeling boy whom she adores and whom he wants as his pageboy. Oberon commands Robin Goodfellow, his hobgoblin (or "puck"), to locate a magical flower that can induce love in whomever is anointed with its juices. His plan is to daub Titania's eyes with this flower, and cause her to fall in love with the first thing she sees, whether man or beast.
A group of good-natured Athenian laborers, the Rustics, plan to present a play, Pyramus and Thisbe, for Theseus' and Hippolyta's marriage festivities. Lead by Peter Quince and Nick Bottom the Weaver, the group meets in the Forest at night to rehearse. The mischievous Robin comes upon them and, in a delightfully wicked prank, he transforms Bottom into a donkey -whereupon Titania wakes, sees him, and falls madly in love.
The two pairs of lovers roam about the Forest, lost and confused. Robin mistakenly anoints the wrong lover's eyes with the love juice and both men transfer their passion to Helena, rather than Hermia. Mayhem, mischief, madness and mirth overtake the lovers, the Rustics, and Titania and Bottom, before all is finally put right by Oberon. Each lover is paired with their true love, Bottom is released from his spell and Titania and Oberon are finally reunited.
Later that evening, the Rustics present Pyramus and Thisbe for the Duke and company. With all three couples finally married to the one they truly love, after Oberon & Titania bless their marriages, and after the successful performance of the performance, All is Finally Right with the World.
