As noted earlier, Shakespeare has woven together five separate and distinct stories into one cohesive whole:
The originality of play comes not only from the imaginary contributions that Shakespeare gives to each separate tale but even more so from the interweaving of such diverse elements. The playwright brings together a variety of diverse sources. Moreover, the lovers plot is an entirely new and original creation.
The character of Puck, although he is not the protagonist of the comedy, is a structural device that connects almost all of the plots above: (a) he becomes involved with the irrational lovers when he applies the love potion to the men; (b) he is one of the fairies that blesses the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, (c) he is the messenger for Oberon and helps the Fairy King to steal the changeling child, and (d) he plays a prank on Bottom and the other artisans as they attempt to rehearse the play. Puck thus becomes the central figure of the play and the most memorable. He is a fun-loving spirit that brings joy and zest to the comedy.
If Puck is not the protagonist, the reader may wonder who is. Actually, there is not just one. Each of the five stories has its own protagonist (or protagonists).
The tale of the four lovers, of the five stories, perhaps can rightly be viewed as the main plot; and the other four tales can then be categorized as subplots. But even in the tale of the four lovers, the question regarding the protagonist is problematic. At first, Hermia is in conflict with her father and with society (the laws of Athens). Moreover, Lysander is in conflict with Demetrius over Hermia. Then, when Hermia runs away with Lysander, the pair of them become in conflict with society and with Demetrius. Later, after the love potion has been misapplied, not only is Lysander in conflict with Demetrius, but Hermia is in conflict with Helena. And Helena, early on in the story, is in conflict both with Demetrius (as she attempts to regain his love) and with herself (as she attempts to control her passion for Demetrius). Finally, all four lovers are in conflict with the supernatural force of fate (which is assisted by the magical power of the fairies). Love thus creates a tangled mess of conflicts that only the supernatural power of fate or the powerful imagination of a master playwright can put in order.
The climax to the main plot occurs with the restoration of Lysander to his love for Hermia (in Act III, Scene 3). Oddly, though, in this imaginative and complicated play, the climax comes early. In typical comedies, the main climax usually occurs in Act IV (or possibly Act V). But Shakespeare was not one to let rules and conventions stop him from creating a work of imagination. The playwright has so much going on in this work that he needs two additional acts to bring the entire dramatic work to a rich and satisfying conclusion.
The resolution or, more rightly, resolutions of the play come in Act IV, Scene 1:
ends his quarrel with Titania
The denouement, the frosting on the cake, so to speak, comprises all of Act V. The last act is filled with humor and merriment. It is song and dance. It is a marvelous spectacle, perhaps not too unlike a finale in a Broadway musical.
The tone of play is a mixture of heavy and light. The judgment against Hermia when she decides to disobey her father, is severe and extreme. Threats of death loom in the air. In addition, when Oberon and Titania quarrel, disasters plague the land and affect all of the citizens of Athens. Shakespeare, like many other great playwrights, was well aware that fine comedy can arise out of dark beginnings. And the lighter moments are all the more welcome as they bring relief to the heavy and serious scenes. Of course, Shakespeare provides numerous light moments in the play: Theseus and his lustful complaints, the artisans’ foolish attempts to produce a great play, the bickering of the four lovers, the transformation of Bottom and his love for Titania, and, most importantly, the comments and actions of the manic and childish fairy prankster, Puck. Upon leaving the theater, the members of the audience have almost already completely forgotten the darker scenes of the play. The joyous and humorous scenes overwhelm the heavy ones.