Theseus's Control
The play begins with Hermia pleading to marry Lysander instead of Demetrius, the latter of whom her father has chosen as her suitor. Theseus, the king of Athens, tells Hermia that she must obey her father or face death as a consequence for disobedience. However, Hermia simply runs away with Lysander into the woods, a transgressive action that ends up unraveling Theseus's control so thoroughly that he does not appear again until the end of the play.
Bottom's Dream
Bottom is convinced that his dream is so far beyond mortal comprehension that it must be written down and turned into an epic narrative. His speech is an example of dramatic irony, for the audience knows that Bottom was not dreaming at all but is instead too narcissistic and dense to understand what happened.
The Fairies' Influence
Throughout the play, the fairies dictate a number of plot points because of the way they disperse Oberon's love potion. Through a series of mistakes, the wrong characters receive the potion and fall in love with each other. Only the audience is aware of what has happened to them, but characters continue to pursue one another even when the relationship defies all reality and logic.
Titania and Bottom
One comedic example of the fairies' influence is the coupling of Titania and Bottom after Titania receives Oberon's love potion. Titania, a fairy queen, falls in love with Bottom, a lowly weaver who has his head transformed into that of a donkey. This coupling is so irrational and ludicrous that it provides entertainment for the audience while highlighting one of the play's major themes about the unpredictability of love.
