The title of play sets up the dream connection.
Shakespeare draws a connection between “the lunatic, the lover, and the poet” in Theseus’ speech in Act V, Scene 1.
Yet Theseus dismisses the idea of fantasy as being the product of an overworked imagination in the same speech (Act V, Scene 1).
Demetrius comments, “It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream” (Act IV, Scene 1). Dreams and reality blend in the play.
Midsummer Night (celebration of Summer Solstice on June 23): see Sources (page 121).
Shakespeare conflates Midsummer Night with “The Rite of May” (IV, 1: 130). English country festivals occurred during May Day (May 1) celebrations: it was a time of holiday, merriment, “an atmosphere of madness and magic,” herb lore, and stories about supernatural figures.