The queen of fairies, Titania, enters with her lover, Nick Bottom, who has been changed into an ass. Titania is love struck with a donkey for the satisfaction of her conniving husband, the king of fairies, Oberon. Oberon was jealous of her love for an Indian boy, so he used magic to get his revenge and make her fall madly in love with a foolish beast.

    The four fairies, Peasblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Moth are also present to serve their queen and her lover. Forced to do servile tasks to an ass, they are miserable. Bottom loves the incredible good luck he's stumbled upon ad takes full advantage of it, even by insulting the little fairies who bring him food, scratch his head, et cetera.

    Bottom is loud, crass and rough, but the tricked queen dotes on him and tells him amorous words. After the fairies have left, Titania and Bottom sleep together. All this time, Oberon has been watching from the background. When Puck, Oberon's little fairy peon, enters, Oberon tells him he's had enough fun and orders him to wake Titania and return her love to him, her husband, as if her love with bottom was but a dream.

    When Titania awakes, she is fully in love with Oberon once more. Oberon doesn't give her time to think about her dream; he takes her in his arms and they dance. Puck puts a spell on the sleeping Bottom so that he is back to normal when he awakens as well. The Athenian court enters and the fairies exit.

    Theseus and Hippolyta plan to be married. Egeus notices the four lovers: Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius, all asleep, as they have been the entire scene. Horns are blown, they awake and discover their loves. Hermia and Lysander are together, as are Helena and Demetrius. They follow the Athenian court out.

    Bottom finally awakes from his slumber, wondering where the other mechanicals, Peter Quince, Flute, Snout, and Starveling, are. He feels he has dreamed a fantastic, wonderful dream of love and impossible things. He convinces himself it is not true, and leaves to find Peter Quince to write up a ballet of his dream.