'I woo'd thee with my sword,/And won thy love, doing thee injuries;/But I will wed thee in another key...'
In the opening scene of the play, Hippolyta and Theseus meet to discuss their upcoming nuptials. Egeus comes before the Duke with a suit: that has daughter Hermia should follow his wishes and marry Demetrius. Hermia, however, loves Lysander.
'We will meet; and there we may rehearse most obscenely and courageously...'
Having assigned the parts for their performance, the Mechanicals go their separate ways. The scene then changes to the forest setting of Act 2, Scene 1.
Titania and Oberon meet in the forest. They discuss the current state of the natural world, currently afflicted with trouble due to their tumultuous own relationship.
The Mechanicals meet to rehearse in the woods. The rehearsals do not go to plan. They abruptly end when Puck transforms Bottom into a donkey and the others flee in fear.
'I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me...'
Left alone, Bottom sings to himself and awakes Titania. Having had Puck's potion sprinkled on her eyes, Titania falls in love with the first thing she sees: Bottom.
The lovers reunite in the woods, Puck's potion taking effect. Lysander and Demetrius, once in love with Hermia, now dote on Helena. The two boys quarrel over love, while the two girls quarrel over hate.
