A Midsummer Night's Dream Act I: Scene i Summary & Analysis

Summary

Setting and Context

• Location: Palace of Theseus, Duke of Athens
• Occasion: Discussion of the upcoming wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, his fiancée
• Mood: Celebratory and anticipative

Key Characters

• Theseus: Duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta
• Hippolyta: Queen of the Amazons, engaged to Theseus
• Philostrate: Master of the Revels, instructed to organize entertainment
• Egeus: Athenian citizen, father of Hermia
• Hermia: Daughter of Egeus, in love with Lysander
• Lysander: In love with Hermia
• Demetrius: Suitor chosen by Egeus for Hermia
• Helena: Hermia's friend, in love with Demetrius

Plot Overview

• Wedding Preparations:

  • Theseus and Hippolyta discuss their forthcoming wedding to take place in four days.
  • Theseus instructs Philostrate to create diversions to occupy time until the wedding.

• Egeus's Complaint:

  • Egeus enters with Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius, complaining that Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, her betrothed.
  • Egeus demands the law to enforce Hermia's marriage to Demetrius.

• Theseus's Ultimatum:

  • Theseus tells Hermia she must marry Demetrius, face death, or enter a nunnery.
  • Lysander accuses Demetrius of fickle love history with Helena.

• Plan to Elopement:

  • Hermia and Lysander decide to escape to Lysander's aunt's house to marry outside Athenian law.

• Helena's Dilemma:

  • Helena, still in love with Demetrius, plans to inform him of Hermia and Lysander's elopement, hoping to win back his love.

Analysis

Themes

• Love's Challenges:

  • Quote: "The course of true love never did run smooth."
  • Love is portrayed as fraught with obstacles and societal expectations.

• Imbalance and Resolution:

  • Initial imbalance with two men loving Hermia; Helena's love unreciprocated.
  • Suggestive of potential harmonious resolution through intervention.

Genre and Style

• Farce and Comedy:

  • Characters portrayed with exaggerated seriousness, creating humor through their predicaments.
  • The farcical nature of love and exaggerated emotions adds comedic elements.

• Shakespeare's Approach:

  • Use of magic and intervention by fairies to resolve love imbalances.
  • Depicts love as a subject to whims, errors, and interventions.

Important Quotations

• Love's Subjectivity:
  • "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, / And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

Conclusion

• Act I, Scene i sets the stage for the complex entanglements of love and social expectations.
• Introduces themes of love's trials and comedic elements that play a crucial role throughout the play.