A Midsummer Night's Dream Q&A

Egeus comes to Theseus, the duke of Athens, with a complaint of his daughter, Hermia. Egeus has selected a match for her in Demetrius, but she has instead fallen in love with Lysander, who is similar in stature and wealth to Demetrius but doesn't have the approval of Egeus. According to Athenian law, Egeus is entitled to choose the match of marriage for his daughter, Hermia, who would face punishment if she refuses to comply with Egeus's wishes. It is also important to note here that Egeus doesn't ever come round to accepting the relationship between Hermia and Lysander, and it is only due to the rule of Thesus, that the two are married near the end of the play.

This is not immediately clear when first the company of workmen is introduced in Act I Scene ii. However, in Act IV Scene ii, we learn that the workmen are expecting to receive a pension of some sort, for they are all certain that had Bottom played the role of Pyramus then the duke would have certainly given them a pension of sixpence at the very least. This monetary motivation to perform serves to highlight the differences in the socioeconomic classes of men. In the last act, the workmen perform the play in front of a noble audience, this interaction is further enhanced due to the contrast that is shown in the language of the mechanicals performing the play, and the noblemen and women watching and commenting upon the play. In that last act, the workmen enact the play poorly due to their clumsy use of verse, while the noblemen remark on the occurrences of the stage in prose.

The conflict between Titania and her husband, Oberon, the king of fairies is one of the main storylines that runs through the play. There are two primary reasons for the conflict that has arisen between the two, the first and foremost is the issue of an Indian boy. Oberon wishes to have the boy as one of his henchmen, while Titania feels that she owes him a duty for his mother had been one of her devotees. Another reason for the conflict between the two is their jealousy as both, Titania and Oberon, have some love for Theseus and Hippolyta. Oberon decides to teach Titania a lesson for not handing over the Indian boy to him. He intends to do so by using on her a flower that would cause her to fall in love with the very first living thing she perceives upon waking, whether that be a bull or bear.