History Theatre / AMidsummerNightsDream

* In 1962 and 1964, the story was adapted twice for ballet, set to Mendelssohn's music: the first version choreographed by George Balanchine, and the second one, titled ''The Dream'', by Frederick Ashton.

* SignificantDoubleCasting: Several productions have the same actors play Oberon / Theseus and Titania / Hippolyta, since there's something of a parallel between their two marriages (and the significance will no doubt be clear to the audience); this way you don't have two actors off-stage for most of the play; and the four characters never appear on stage at the same time, so you can get away with it.

* ArcherArchetype: Hippolyta's status as this in mythology is referenced when she likens the waning moon to "a silver bow/New-bent in heaven".

Meanwhile, Oberon, King of the Fairies, is in a petty quarrel with his wife, whom he plans to prank with [[LovePotion magical eyedrops that will make anyone fall in love with the next person they see]]. After eavesdropping on Helena and Demetrius and seeing how he mistreats her, Oberon is moved to pity and sends his servant Puck to give the potion to "a youth in Athenian garb," traveling in the woods with a woman, so that she will be the first thing he sees. Oberon then finds Titania asleep and applies the juice to her eyes.

Upon discovering that the wrong Athenian was hexed, Oberon tries to mend matters by giving the potion to the intended victim, Demetrius. This backfires too, and now ''both'' men have rejected Hermia for Helena, who thinks that the other three are mocking her. By the midpoint of the play, Titania is in love with the guy with a donkey's head and [[DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal refusing to let him out of her sight]] (though he doesn't seem too unhappy about it), Demetrius and Lysander are close to blows over Helena, Puck is openly laughing at how Oberon's good intentions have gone astray, and it's going to take some serious DeusExMachina to straighten things out.

* TakeAThirdOption: Or rather a fourth. Instead of marrying Demetrius, being executed or taking the veil, Hermia elopes with Lysander.

* ForcedTransformation: Bottom's head turned into that of an ass. [[ObliviousTransformation He never seems to actually notice that anything is different]] (although he does express a craving for hay and oats).

* HappilyEverBefore: In Greek mythology the Amazons rescue Hippolyta the day of their wedding, leading to Theseus instead pursue Helen of Troy. The play ends right before any of this goes down.

* HonorThyParent: Hermia wants to marry Lysander but her father Egeus has engaged her to Demetrius. Egeus petitions Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to enforce a law according to which Hermia must submit to her father or incur the death penalty! Theseus offers Hermia a third option - to become a nun of the goddess Diana, but she rejects this option and Theseus feels compelled to enforce the law, giving Hermia some time to think about it. Hermia and Lysander, however, resolve to flee Athens, and this drives the rest of the plot.

* MST3KMantra: InUniverse, no less, as part of Puck's final soliloquy: "If the story offended you, remind yourself it was nothing but a dream."

Upon discovering that the wrong Athenian was hexed, Oberon tries to mend matters by giving the potion to the intended victim, Demetrius. This backfires too, and now ''both'' men have rejected Hermia for Helena, who thinks that the other three are mocking her. By the midpoint of the play, Titania is in love with the guy with a donkey's head (though he doesn't seem too distressed), Demetrius and Lysander are close to blows over Helena, Puck is openly laughing at how Oberon's good intentions have gone astray, and it's going to take some serious DeusExMachina to straighten things out.

* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: Hermia and Lysander end up together, the lovers pardoned. Demetrius and Helena go together too, while Oberon and Titania reconcile.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Helena follow Demetrius into the woods all the way from UsefulNotes/{{Athens}} because she's that clingy.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: In some productions, one, some, most, or all of the fairies are played like this, Puck in particular.

* PersonOfMassDestruction: Oberon and Titania most definitely are this, moreso than possibly any other Shakespeare character. An argument between the two causes a massive hurricane. Not a fight, an ''argument''.

** Though this could be a case of FridgeBrilliance--Ancient Greek mythology doesn't ''have'' fairies. They're a Celtic/Briton invention! No wonder he's so dismissive of them--he's never heard of them.
*** Though he presumably would be familiar with the idea of nature spirits and minor gods.