Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy that is full of mischief. Instead of having a main plot, it seems to be about random thoughts and emotions (much the same as dreams are). In fact, I have to wonder how much of the whole play is really supposed to be a dream – as Puck even suggests toward the end of the play.

There is no real protagonist to latch onto in this play, probably because there are three main groups of characters, but many people will find Puck to be the most interesting character. The whole play is based around Puck’s antics, and he seems to be the play’s main fool. In addition, it is he who sends everyone on hard (but funny) adventures. Puck is a fool in the true sense of the word during the time of this play – someone that entertains for his master. It was Puck’s job in this play to entertain the fairy king Oberon. I picture Puck as wearing a funny hat and pointed toe shoes.

Another fool in this play would be Nick Bottom, but he is a fool in the present-day sense of the word. Bottom is not the type of fool who entertains his master. He is a fool because he allows his own idiocy and ego to stop him from accomplishing his goals, and he is totally unaware of how ridiculous he looks. Nick Bottom always thinks he is the best at everything. Even when Puck gave Bottom the head of a donkey, it didn’t change his inflated opinion of himself.

This play begins when the duke of Athens (Theseus) is preparing for his marriage to the queen of the Amazons (Hippolyta). He is planning a four-day celebration for the occasion. As time goes on, there are so many twists and turns in the play that it is sometimes hard to keep things sorted out.

In one part of the play, Puck is sent to find a magical flower that is thought to contain a love potion. The juice of this flower can be spread over a sleeping person’s eyelids to make that person fall in love with the first thing he or she sees when waking up. What happens with the love potion is very funny, because Puck manages to have it affect the wrong two people and then nothing turns out as it should. Nevertheless, as Lysander comments, “The course of true love never did run smooth”.

There seems to be several themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There is one going on that is about the troubles of love and passion – with all the wrong people. Another theme has to do with dreams. This dream theme started when Hippolyta said, “Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time.” In addition, other characters talk about dreams when they are trying to explain things that have happened to them. I especially remember Nick Bottom using a few sentences about dreaming in this respect. Then there is also a theme about magic. This magic theme involves not only Puck with his love potion but also the magic of the fairies in the woods.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an enjoyable play. Although the plot (or lack of a plot) makes the play a little hard to follow in some places, most of the time it moves steadily through the different acts, which makes it easy to read. Nothing in the story is left hanging, and most of the conflicts are all fixed very quickly and magically. I especially like the way this play ended, with Puck encouraging the audience to think of the whole thing as a dream if they are offended by any part of it.