Fleeting Choice
As Hermia and Lysander discuss the nature of love in the first act, Lysander rejects the notion that love has anything to do with choice, and is instead grounded in fate. He says that if choice in love exists, it is, "Brief as the lightning in the collied night" (1.1). This simile emphasizes both the devotion that Lysander and Hermia have for one another – as they perceive their love as an inevitability – and comments on the larger plot of the play, in which couples are fated to end up together despite numerous challenges and distractions.
A Barren Moon
In Act One, when Hermia expresses her desire to marry Lysander, Theseus intervenes and expresses his patriarchal view of her predicament. He tells her that, should she not marry Demetrius, she will end up a nun, "Chanting faint hymns to a cold fruitless moon" (1.). In this metaphor, Theseus personifies the moon as a barren woman in an attempt to dissuade Hermia from disobeying her father and resigning herself to a life without posterity.
Pregnant Sails
In remembering how she came upon the stolen child, Titania tells Oberon about how she spent time with the child's mother. She says the two of them watched ships from the shore and saw "the sails grow big-bellied with wanton wind" (2.1). In this recollection, Titania uses a metaphor to compare the sails of the ships to pregnant women's stomachs. This image underscores the play's interest in fertility and posterity, and serves to add credence to Titania's claim that she should retain the stolen child.
Formed in Wax
When Theseus intervenes after Hermia protests against marrying Demetrius, he tells her that her only option is to listen to her father. He compares Hermia to a form made in wax by her father, arguing that her existence is wholly dependent on her father's will. This metaphor helps emphasize Theseus's traditional and patriarchal approach to marriage, which is subsequently challenged by the rest of the play.
Cleaning Up
At the end of the play, Puck explains that he has been "sent with broom before, / To sweep the dust behind the door" (5.1). This metaphor of Puck "cleaning" up the play is significant because it draws the audience's attention to the fact that they are in a playhouse and have just witnessed a performance. Puck later tells the audience that if they have not enjoyed the play, they should convince themselves that they have merely been dreaming, suggesting that performance can transport people from reality, if only briefly.
