The importance of the setting in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's DreamThe two locations of “A Midsummer Night's Dream "Summer" by Shakespeare are essential to the development of the plot, although their presentation rests entirely on the characters we meet there, their adventures and their descriptions of these places. Athens is not an accidental choice of location: although much of the play's details are typically English, the classical setting allows Shakespeare to introduce the famous lawgiver, who had his own romantic problems; this makes the reference to the severe law plausible, and it allows Oberon to seriously refer to Cupid and Diana without the play appearing blasphemous. Theseus is an enlightened sovereign, remarkable for his wise judgment, but there is a limit to his abilities: the problem of Aegeus. gives him seems incapable of solution, so he tries to buy time and work on Egeus and Demetrius. But there seems little hope that the “harsh Athenian law” will result in a solution acceptable to all parties. The wood is mentioned first by Lysander, who was there with Hermia and Helena on May 1, and in the next scene by Bottom. Neither seems to have any idea what they might encounter there. The woods may be mundane during the day, but at night it is a place of danger and confusion. The young lovers experience confusion but do not know the cause. The mechanics go to the Bois du Palais because they want to rehearse without being seen, without knowing that the wood is full of spirits (not to mention the four young lovers). Lysander's literal loss anticipates his metaphorical loss of his path, continuing down the path. bad woman. Demetrius speaks to Helen in a way that no gentleman would want to use... middle of paper ... strange standards of men, the device is faulty, as Thisbe must find Pyramus dead by (imagined) "starlight" . The performance of Starveling also gives Theseus and Hippolyta the opportunity to tell very current jokes about change and decline. The play begins in Athens. We see how the young lovers and the mechanics leave (for different reasons) this known and familiar place and enter the woods. It is the proper domain of fairies, and not a place for men, who enter at their own risk. In the symmetry of the play we see this process reversed in Act 5. Here the fairies enter Athens into the house of Theseus. But they are in no danger, not even of being discovered. While they can promote the general fertility of the natural world in the wood, the importance of Theseus and Hippolytus requires more direct supervision of the conception of their heir..