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A Midsummer Night's Dream

by William Shakespeare

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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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