A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare · 1564–1616 · England

Why it matters

Four lovers flee Athens into a wood ruled by squabbling fairies, a mischievous sprite, and a flower whose juice makes desire arbitrary. Shakespeare's most purely enchanted comedy treats love itself as a kind of collective dream, one the sleepers can barely explain when they wake.

At a glance

Short, playful, and plotted like a fairy tale; the lightest entry point into the plays.