Original: Now the hungry lion roars,
Modern: Now the hungry lion roars,

Original: And the wolf behowls the moon;
Modern: And the wolf howls at the moon;

Original: Whilst the heavy ploughman snores,
Modern: While the tired farmer sleeps,

Original: All with weary task fordone.
Modern: Exhausted from his hard day’s work.

Original: Now the wasted brands do glow,
Modern: Now the dying embers glow,

Original: Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Modern: While the screech-owl cries out loudly,

Original: Puts the wretch that lies in woe
Modern: Reminding the suffering person

Original: In remembrance of a shroud.
Modern: Of death and burial clothes.

Original: Now it is the time of night
Modern: Now it’s the time of night

Original: That the graves all gaping wide,
Modern: When all the graves open wide,

Original: Every one lets forth his sprite,
Modern: Each one releases its ghost,

Original: In the church-way paths to glide:
Modern: To drift along the cemetery paths:

Original: And we fairies, that do run
Modern: And we fairies, who travel

Original: By the triple Hecate’s team,
Modern: With the goddess Hecate’s horses,

Original: From the presence of the sun,
Modern: Away from the sunlight,

Original: Following darkness like a dream,
Modern: Chasing darkness like a dream,

Original: Now are frolic: not a mouse
Modern: Now are playful: not even a mouse

Original: Shall disturb this hallow’d house:
Modern: Will disturb this sacred house:

Original: I am sent with broom before,
Modern: I’ve been sent ahead with my broom,

Original: To sweep the dust behind the door.
Modern: To sweep away the dust from behind the door.

It is worth noting that in most standard editions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, including the Riverside Shakespeare and the Folger Shakespeare Library edition, Act V contains only one scene — Scene i. The URL provided references Act 5, Scene 1, which aligns with this structure. What some editions may label as “Scene ii” is more commonly presented as a continuation of Scene i, or as an Epilogue appended to the end of Act V. The content described below reflects what takes place in that concluding portion of the play.

Following the performance of “Pyramus and Thisbe” by Bottom and his company of mechanicals, the wedding celebrations draw to a close and Theseus dismisses the revelers to their beds. The three pairs of lovers — Theseus and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena — retire for the night. As the mortal characters depart, the fairy world reasserts its presence in the human space of the palace.

Oberon and Titania then lead their fairy train through the house, blessing the beds and the unions of the three couples. Oberon calls upon the fairies to sing and dance through every room, and he speaks a charm to ward off any ill fortune, deformity, or misfortune from the children that will be born of these marriages. After the fairy blessing is complete, Puck steps forward alone to deliver the Epilogue, addressing the audience directly and asking their forgiveness if the play has given any offense, suggesting they think of it as nothing more than a dream.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows multiple interconnected plots that unfold over the course of a single midsummer night in Athens and the nearby enchanted forest. The play opens with Duke Theseus of Athens preparing to marry Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Meanwhile, Egeus brings his daughter Hermia before Theseus, demanding she marry Demetrius according to his wishes. Hermia refuses because she loves Lysander, and Theseus gives her until his wedding day to decide between marrying Demetrius, becoming a nun, or facing death. Hermia and Lysander plan to elope by meeting in the forest, and they confide in Hermia’s friend Helena, who is desperately in love with Demetrius despite his rejection of her.

In the forest, the fairy king Oberon and queen Titania are feuding over custody of a changeling boy. Oberon instructs his mischievous servant Puck to fetch a magical flower whose juice, when applied to sleeping eyes, makes the person fall in love with the first creature they see upon waking. Oberon plans to use this on Titania to humiliate her into giving up the boy, and he also orders Puck to help Helena by making Demetrius fall in love with her. However, Puck mistakenly applies the juice to Lysander’s eyes instead, causing him to fall in love with Helena when he awakens. Meanwhile, a group of Athenian craftsmen rehearsing a play in the forest becomes entangled in the magical chaos when Puck transforms their leader Bottom’s head into that of a donkey, and the enchanted Titania falls in love with him.

The romantic confusion deepens when Oberon discovers Puck’s error and applies the love juice to Demetrius’s eyes as well, causing both young men to pursue Helena, who believes they are mocking her. Hermia becomes confused and angry when Lysander rejects her for Helena. Oberon orders Puck to separate the four lovers and fix the situation. After obtaining the changeling boy from the distracted Titania, Oberon releases her from the spell and restores Bottom to his normal form. Puck leads the exhausted lovers through the forest until they fall asleep, then applies an antidote to Lysander’s eyes so he will love Hermia again upon waking. Theseus discovers the four lovers in the forest the next morning, and since Demetrius now truly loves Helena, the duke overrules Egeus and declares a triple wedding. The play concludes with the three couples’ wedding celebration, where the craftsmen perform their comically inept play, followed by the fairies blessing the palace and its inhabitants.