In Athens, true love has a tough time — and no wonder: its ruler, Theseus, has taken his bride Hippolyta as a war trophy and is forcing her into marriage. Hermia, too, is being forced to marry, to Demetrius. But Hermia refuses; she loves Lysander and flees with him into the forest under cover of night. Demetrius is hot on their heels, but someone is following him as well: Helena, who has long pined for him in vain. Yet what good can come from a night spent in a forest ruled by the fairy king Oberon, who is locked in a bitter quarrel with his wife Titania? Between them, there is no love — only jealousy. Shakespeare turned this tangled web of love and confusion into a magical comedy, where humor and dreamlike longing come together in a beguiling blend.