A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 5, Scene 1 summary

What happens

1. Theseus doubts the lovers’ account, but Hippolyta argues that their shared experience gives it weight.
2. Despite Philostrate’s warnings, Theseus chooses the workingmen’s play and says sincere effort deserves a generous audience.
3. The performers explain their roles, while the court repeatedly interrupts their speeches with jokes.
4. Pyramus mistakes Thisbe’s stained cloak for evidence of her death; both lovers die in the performance, and the actors dance.
5. At midnight, Theseus sends the couples to bed, and the fairies enter to bless the palace.
6. Puck addresses the audience, compares the entertainment to a dream, and asks for applause.

In this scene

What to notice

Theseus makes the audience partly responsible for a performance’s success. His appeal to imagination contrasts with his earlier dismissal of the lovers’ strange account.

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