Midsummer Night's Dream

Author: (English) Shakespeare
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: On the square in front of a Renaissance-era grand house in the Tuscan countryside, the preparations for Duke Theseus's wedding are proceeding in an orderly manner. Two minor characters sneak into the crowd, collecting small valuables to smuggle out. The bride-to-be, Hypsipyle, shows no emotion about the impending wedding, while the Duke is forced to listen to the arguments against an arranged marriage: the stubborn old Egeus has betrothed his daughter Hermia to Demetrius, but she loves Lysander and is determined to marry him at all costs. The Duke orders Hermia to obey her father's arrangement, and Hermia decides to use a newly invented device—the bicycle—to flee with her lover. However, her good friend, Helena, who loves Demetrius, warns her about this plan. That night, the lovers run into the woods. Demetrius rides the bicycle with them, while Helena chases after them from behind. In the woods, there is a group of amateur actors, workers from nearby villages, who are looking for a hidden place to rehearse their play. However, even their lead actor, the weaver Bottom, is very clumsy and performs in a very comical manner. They hope to perform this play at the Duke's wedding to earn some rewards. But neither the lovers nor the actors know that they are approaching the secret home of the fairies in the dark jungle. The fairy sorcerer Puck casts a powerful love potion, causing confusion among the lovers; while for the actors, their rehearsal is about to end, but under the influence of the potion, Bottom becomes a prop in the love game of the fairy king Oberon and Queen Titania. Many stars bring a fresh breath of life to this newly produced Shakespearean masterpiece.