Theseus, the duke of Athens, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. He is impatient for the wedding and wants the city to celebrate. But before the wedding, a father named Egeus brings his daughter Hermia before the duke. Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius. Hermia loves Lysander instead.

Egeus says that Lysander has won Hermia's heart with songs and gifts. He asks Theseus to enforce the law of Athens. If Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, she must either die or live as a nun. Theseus tells her that she must obey her father. Hermia asks what will happen if she refuses. Theseus gives her until the wedding day to choose.

Hermia will not give up Lysander. After the duke leaves, Lysander tells her about his aunt, who lives outside Athens. They can marry there, away from the law. They plan to meet in a wood the next night and escape.

Hermia's friend Helena is unhappy. She loves Demetrius, but he now loves Hermia. Helena once loved Demetrius too, and she remembers his promises. When Hermia tells her about the escape, Helena decides to tell Demetrius. She hopes he will follow Hermia into the wood and return.

Nearby, a group of working men are preparing a play for the wedding. Peter Quince leads them. Nick Bottom, a weaver, wants to play every part. Quince assigns him Pyramus, a lover in a tragic story. Flute will play Thisbe, the woman Pyramus loves. The others will play parents, a lion, and other parts. They plan to rehearse in the wood.

In the same wood, the fairy king Oberon and queen Titania are quarreling. Oberon wants a boy whom Titania is raising. Titania refuses to give him up. The boy's mother was one of her attendants and died while giving birth to him. Titania cares for him in her memory.

Their quarrel has troubled the weather. Titania says that floods, spoiled crops, and confused seasons have followed their disputes. Oberon blames her for refusing him. She leaves with her fairies.

Oberon sends Puck, a mischievous fairy, to fetch a flower. Its juice, put on a sleeping person's eyes, makes that person fall in love with the first living creature seen on waking. Oberon plans to use it on Titania. He will make her love something frightening or ridiculous, then take the boy.

Puck also carries some of the juice. Oberon tells him to find a young Athenian man who has rejected a woman's love. The woman is Helena. Puck should make the man love her.

Demetrius is in the wood, followed by Helena. He tells her harshly that he does not love her. She says she will follow him anyway. He threatens to leave her alone among wild animals. She says his heart is crueler than theirs.

Oberon watches and promises that Demetrius will soon seek Helena's love. Puck brings the flower. Oberon tells him to anoint the Athenian man's eyes.

Titania sleeps among flowers while her fairies sing her to rest. Oberon puts the juice on her eyelids. Nearby, Lysander and Hermia have arrived. They are tired and lie down apart. Hermia wants to keep a respectful distance. Lysander says his heart is joined to hers.

Puck finds Lysander sleeping beside Hermia. He thinks Lysander is the man he was told to treat. He puts the juice on Lysander's eyes.

Demetrius and Helena come that way. Helena is exhausted from following him. She finds Lysander asleep and wakes him. He sees her and falls in love. He says he now loves Helena, not Hermia. Helena thinks he is mocking her. She leaves. Lysander goes after her, leaving Hermia asleep.

Hermia wakes from a frightening dream. She calls for Lysander, but he is gone. She goes to find him.

The working men have come to rehearse. Puck watches them. When Bottom leaves his place, Puck changes his head into an ass's head. The others flee in fear. Puck leads them through the wood, frightening them further. Bottom stays, thinking they are playing a trick on him. He sings to show that he is not afraid.

Titania wakes and hears him. The flower's magic makes her love him. She promises fairies to serve him and food to eat. Bottom asks for hay and oats. She sends her fairies to bring him fruit and honey. They call themselves Cobweb, Peaseblossom, and Mustardseed. Titania leads him to her bower.

Oberon learns what has happened. He is pleased that Titania loves an ass. But Puck has treated the wrong Athenian. Demetrius and Hermia arrive. Hermia accuses Demetrius of harming Lysander. He denies it. She leaves, still worried about Lysander.

Oberon sends Puck to find Helena. He will put the flower's juice on Demetrius's eyes. When Helena arrives with Lysander, Demetrius wakes and sees her. He praises her beauty. Helena thinks both men are mocking her. She says they have joined together to make her the target of their jokes.

Hermia arrives. Helena accuses her of betraying their friendship. Hermia does not understand. Lysander says he loves Helena and no longer wants Hermia. Hermia is shocked. She asks what has happened to his love. He says he hates her and loves Helena.

Hermia blames Helena for stealing Lysander's heart. Helena is hurt. She reminds Hermia of their childhood friendship. She says she has kept Hermia's secrets, except for telling Demetrius about the escape. The two women quarrel. Lysander and Demetrius challenge each other to fight over Helena.

Oberon blames Puck for the mistake. Puck says he followed the instruction to treat an Athenian man. He enjoys the confusion. Oberon orders him to lead the men apart so they cannot fight. Puck imitates their voices and calls them on. Each follows a voice, but never finds the other. They become exhausted and fall asleep.

Puck puts a healing juice on Lysander's eyes. When Lysander wakes, he will love Hermia again. Oberon goes to Titania. He has taken the boy. He removes the magic from her eyes. She wakes and is ashamed to have loved an ass. Puck removes Bottom's ass's head.

The lovers sleep in the wood. Theseus, Hippolyta, and their companions come hunting. Egeus recognizes Hermia and Lysander. Demetrius and Helena are there too. Egeus demands the law against the young people who tried to escape.

Demetrius explains that Helena told him about the escape. He followed them, and she followed him. He says his love for Hermia has melted away. He now loves Helena and wants to be true to her. Theseus decides to overrule Egeus. The couples will marry with him and Hippolyta.

The young people still feel as if they are dreaming. They remember the duke and his company, but the night's events seem strange and uncertain. They follow the duke to Athens.

Bottom wakes alone. He remembers a wonderful dream that he cannot explain. He wants Quince to write it down as a ballad. His friends return and find him. They had thought he was lost. Bottom tells them the play has been chosen for the wedding. He gives them instructions about costumes and breath before the performance.

Theseus and Hippolyta discuss the lovers' story. Theseus says that lovers and poets imagine more than reason can explain. Hippolyta says the shared story seems more than mere fancy, though it is still strange.

The working men perform their play. They explain that they are not really a wall, a lion, or moonlight. Their explanations are clumsy, and the audience comments on the mistakes. Pyramus and Thisbe meet through a wall. A lion frightens Thisbe and stains her cloak. Pyramus finds the cloak and believes she is dead. He kills himself. Thisbe finds him and kills herself too.

Theseus enjoys their effort. He says that simple duty offered with love can speak well, even when the words are imperfect. The audience laughs, but he does not want to mock them.

After the play, the fairies bless the house and the marriages. Puck asks the audience to think of the story as a dream. If they have been offended, he hopes they will forgive and let him make amends.