Their names are Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena. At the start of the
play Hermia is betrothed to Demetrius but in love with Lysander, who returns
her love. Helena is in love with Demetrius, who claimed to love her, until he
met Hermia. ('Until he looked on Hermia's eyne / He rained down oaths that he
was only mine')
Through a series of misadventures (including a magic spell planned by the king
of the fairies (Oberon), but bungled by his assistant (Puck) all the lovers end
up in the woods together on a Midsummer night, and both Demetrius and Lysander
fall in love with Helena. After several confrontations, and much hilarity on
the part of the audience, the spell is removed from all but Demetrius, and at
the end of the play Demetrius marries Helena and Lysander marries Hermia on the
same day as the Duke of Athens (Theseus) and his Amazon queen, and the fairies
bless all three unions.
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