Study for the Quarrel of Oberon and Titania, 1849 painting by Sir Joseph Noel Paton.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1595 or 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Duke Theseus of Athens to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors who are controlled and manipulated by the local forest-fairies. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. The concept of a fairy in popular culture was largely redefined by this play. Oberon and Titania are the fairy king and queen, and their errand-runner Robin "Puck" Goodfellow provides much comedy with his witty observations. Although some version of these fairy characters existed in European folklore before Shakespeare, they are remembered today purely for their Shakespearean versions.
Laura Frankos' "A Late Symmer Night's Battle" is a direct sequel to A Midsummer Night's Dream, told from the perspective of some minor fairy characters from the play.
In Harry Turtledove's State of Jefferson Stories installment "Always Something New," the same play is the subject of a minor inconsistency.
Frankos' "One Touch of Hippolyta" contains a crucial reference to Hippolyta, but it appears to be to the original Greek legend rather than Shakespeare's version.
See also[]
- Shakespearean References in Turtledove's Work, for additional references in either author's work.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream wiki.
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