Allusions in Midsummer Night’s Dream

May Day Spring Festival on May 1st Began as a Pagan religious celebration but was secularized with the adoption of Christianity. Associated with revelry and fertility centering around beauty and community. Conceived in order to give farmers a day of rest after sowing their crops for the year.

The Knight’s Tale The first and most well known tales from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales Tackles themes such as Courtly Love, Honor and Ethics. Cousins Arcite and Palamon are imprisoned by Theseus (Also, Hipployta’s there!) a castle tower. From their vantage point they spy and fall in love with Emily, a young woman of the court. After some time they both get freed and devise plots to woo Emily. They get all mad at each other and it gets really strange and complicated from there…

Theseus Son of Poseidon and Aegeus Founder-King of Athens Slayed many weird monsters (specifically the Minotaur). Unified Athens

Hippolyta Queen of the Amazons Daughter of Ares Wonder Woman is loosely based on her Was either killed or kidnapped by Theseus or fought by his side depending on whose version of the myth you’re reading…

Oberon and Titania King and Queen of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance Literature. Featured in many varied myths and works with essentially the same powers we see them with here.

Robin Goodfellow A.K.A. Puck Portrayed as either a fairy or a sprite. Either way he’s always mischievous. Given the name Robin Goodfellow as a nickname to avoid saying Puck in the superstitious fear that he will appear. Puck could be benevolent and do things for you if he liked you but he was vengeful if he didn’t. Sometimes seen as a satyr (little goat man), small creepy fairy or alternately, very creepy baby.