Act 2 Summary

Scene 1
Oberon, the king of the fairies, is arguing with his wife, Titania, over an Indian boy. Oberon wants to have the boy to work for him, but Titania does not want to give the boy to Oberon. Oberon devises a plan to get the boy from Titania. Oberon tells his hobgoblin servant, Puck, to go find a flower that makes people fall in love with the first thing that they see when they wake up. Oberon plans to use the flower to make Titania fall in love with some animal while he takes the boy for himself. Then after Oberon has the boy, he will cure Titania of the flower's effect. While Puck goes off to find the flower, Oberon takes witness to Helena following Demetrius into the woods. Oberon sees Helena pleading for Demetrius' love and Demetrius scorning Helena and sending her away. Oberon feels sorry for Helena and when Puck returns with the flower, Oberon tells puck to put some of the flowers nectar on an Athenian boy to make him fall in love with the girl that follows him.

Scene 2
This scene begins with Titania going to sleep in a grove and Oberon comes while shes sleeping and streaks the flower across her eyes. Meanwhile, Puck goes off and puts some of the flower on the eyes of the first Athenian man he finds. Lysander and Hermia have been traveling through the woods, but have gotten tired so they are now asleep when Puck happens upon them and mistakes them for the couple that Oberon mentioned and streaks the flower across Lysander's eyes. Lysander wakes up to see Helena and falls in love with her. Helena thinks that Lysander is pretending to love her to mock her so she stalks off with Lysander following her. Hermia wakes up after they leave to find herself abandoned and alone without Lysander.