When the Duke, Theseus, tells Hermia she must obey her father and marry Demetrius, she and her lover Lysander flee into the nearby woods where they are pursued by Demetrius and Helena.
Elsewhere in the woods the acting troupe “The Mechanicals” are attempting to rehearse a play to perform at Theseus and Hippolyta’s upcoming nuptials.
Unbeknownst to all, these woods are ruled over by Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies. They are currently engaged in an argument leading to Oberon instructing his chief mischief-maker Puck to set about causing a little magical mayhem in the woods…