Act 2, Scene 1 Summary

The scene begins in the enchanted forest outside the city. Theseus, the king of the fairies, is angry at his wife Titania, the queen of the fairies, as she has refused to give up an Indian boy, who is her assistant, to Oberon. Puck, Oberon’s jester, is aware of Oberon’s anger and dissatisfaction. Upon meeting one of Titania’s fairy attendants, Puck learns that Titania is coming to the woods. He warns the fairy of Oberon’s anger and tells her to keep Titania away from Oberon.

Oberon and Titania, along with their band of attendant fairies, soon enter the stage. Puck and the other attendant fairy worry that this encounter might not go well for Titania. They both start arguing with each other and accuse each other of infidelity. Titania alleges that Oberon is in love with Hippolyta, and Oberon, in turn, claims that Titania is in love with Theseus. When Theseus asks Titania to give him the Indian boy, whom he plans to make a knight, Titania refuses. She states that she has promised the boy’s mother that she will raise him as her own. Titania leaves insolently.

To teach Titania a lesson and to force her into giving up the Indian boy, Oberon hatches a plan. He orders Puck to fetch him a magical flower, the dew of which, when placed on a sleeping person’s eyes, will make that person fall in love with the first person he or she sees after waking up. Oberon plans to use it on Titania and make her fall in love with a beast and force her to give up the Indian boy in order to break the enchantment. Puck leaves to fetch the flower.

Just then, Demetrius enters in search of Hermia, who, he knows, has eloped with Lysander. Love-struck, Helena follows him. Demetrius rudely tells her to not follow him and threatens to injure her. Notably, the fairy king is invisible to them. Puck soon returns with the flower. Oberon takes pity on Helena’s plight and orders Puck to use some of the potion on Demetrius to make him fall in love with Helena. Puck agrees to do so.

Act 2, Scene 1 Analysis

This scene introduces the audience to the play’s fantastical elements. It is set in the woods, which is outside the city of Athens. The woods are not only a symbol of the fantastical. They also test the characters’ mettle and maturity. Indeed, Demetrius alludes to this while arguing with Helena: “You do impeach your modesty too much, / To leave the city and commit yourself / Into the hands of one that loves you not; / To trust the opportunity of night / And the ill counsel of a desert place, / With the rich worth of your virginity.” As the audience has already witnessed, all the couples in the play endure different types of conflict. In this scene, the audience witnesses the conflict in Oberon and Hippolyta’s relationship.

The fantasy world, which suggests an altered reality, serves two purposes. Firstly, it is a contrast to the world of reality, ruled by Theseus, the intrinsic characteristic of which is social hierarchy and regulation. The rules of the world of fantasy are completely opposite. When Oberon took pity on Helena, he did so irrespective of her social background; he could discern her suffering. Thus, it is clear that in this world, unlike the real world, matters of the heart are also given importance. Secondly, the fantasy world is a metaphor for dreams and dream-like reality. This is exemplified in the constant reference to sleep in Act 2. The queen of the fairies being sung lullabies by her fairies, Lysander and Hermia deciding to lie down to sleep, Oberon ordering Puck to fetch a love potion derived from a magical flower that could be used on a person sleeping, all hint at love being a dream-like state. It seems to suggest that love and dream both tend to alter reality. “Madness of love” is thus a key theme in the play.

Act 2, Scene 2 Summary

In her bower, Titania orders her fairy attendants to put together and perform a quick dance. Then the attendants are tasked with singing to help the queen sleep. Meanwhile, Oberon tiptoes inside her bower while she is asleep and pours some of the love potion extracted from the magical flowers on her eyelids. He cast a spell on her to ensure she only wakes up when “some vile thing is near.” He then leaves the bower.

Meanwhile, Lysander and Hermia, having lost their way in the woods, decide to take a nap. They are at Titania’s bower, but Titania is invisible. Lysander insists on them sleeping next to each other, but Hermia wishes to maintain some distance between them while sleeping. Puck enters, sees the two mortals sleeping, and thinking Lysander to be Demetrius, he pours the love potion on his eyelids. After he exits, Demetrius enters and is followed by Helena. In his attempt to get rid of Helena, he does not notice Lysander and Hermia and proceeds deeper in the woods. When Helena notices Lysander, she assumes he might be injured and wakes him up to check on his well-being. Immediately, under the spell of the love potion, Lysander falls in love with Helena and confesses his love for her. Helena thinks that Lysander is making fun of her and runs away. Lysander follows her. Meanwhile, Hermia wakes up terrified from a bad dream and calls for Lysander. She is frightened by his absence and exits looking for him.

Act 2, Scene 2 Analysis

The scene introduces the audience to the interpersonal drama of the four Athenians: Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena. Although the experiences of the characters are not amusing but rather serious, the play still takes a humorous turn. Shakespeare deploys dramatic irony when Puck administers the love potion to the wrong person—Lysander instead of Demetrius. This technique coupled with the characters movements—the rushed entry and exits—induces humor. The four Athenian mortals remain oblivious to the presence of invisible magical forces and characters. However, the magical characters get integrated into the mortals’ lives when Oberon takes pity on Helena and asks Puck to administer the love potion to Demetrius.

Hermia’s nightmare in this scene is significant in that it enables the audience to make a distinction between reality and imagination. Hermia dreams of serpents, which signify the nature of the woods. Not only is it a place from where mortals must stay away but it also serves as a metaphor for imagination.