Themes

Love

The play represents the troubles linked with love. Puck creates problems to the lovers and puts a love potion on Titania's eyes, forcing her to fall in love with Bottom as an ass. In the forest, both couples are the victims of Puck's pitfalls. He gives the story a comic relief confounding the four lovers in the forest. At the end of the play, Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius happily marry.So the play alludes to different aspects of love:

-Love triumphs at the end: Despite all the obstacles they face, the central characters finally unite with the ones they love.

-Love presents pitfalls(tranelli): All of the lovers encounter mishaps before they achieve their heart's desire. As Lysander tells Hermia in Act I, Scene I, "The course of true love never did run smooth" (Line 134).

-Love is a pure, sacred, spiritual feeling:

But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy

''Lie further off; in human modesty,

Such separation as may well be said

Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid,

So far be distant; and, good night, sweet friend:

Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end!''(p 58)

Mythological elements:

A Midsummer Night's Dream has a mix of mythological themes (it's setting in Athens, ancient Greece) 

.This is an example of a passage, spoken by Hermia, alluding to personages like Cupid (second line), Venus (fourth line), Dido (sixth line, referred to as Carthage queen), and Aeneas (seventh line, referred to as Troyan).

''My good Lysander!

I swear to thee, by Cupid’s strongest bow [see Cupid, above], 

By his best arrow with the golden head,

By the simplicity of Venus’ [see Venus, above] doves,

By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves,

And by that fire which burn’d the Carthage queen [see Dido, above],

When the false Troyan [false Trojan, Aeneas] under sail was seen,

By all the vows that ever men have broke,

In number more than ever women spoke,

In that same place thou hast appointed me,

To-morrow truly will I meet with thee. (1. 1. 174-184 / p)''

Magic

As the title says, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a sort of "dream". In fact, most action 

takes place at night in the moonlight, the characters continuously fall asleep and dream, they do not control their thoughts and words, but act under the influence of illusion and enchantment.

However, as the other part of the title suggests, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play pervaded with "superstition"; on Midsummer Night (24th June) herbs were thought to have special virtues and fairies were believed to be more powerful. In these days  supernatural events which take place in the woodappears. During this night, magic was supposed to be practised. The form of the "supernatural" employed in the play is represented by the fairies. Shakespeare used them in an original way, mixing them freely with mortals and making them responsible for the wonderful complication and interferences which take place throughout the play.

Submission of female

The women were totally dominated by the male members of their family. The women were expected to instantly obey not only to their father, but also their brothers and any other male members of the family. Any unruly girls were beaten into submission and disobedience was seen as a crime against religion and family.

Noble women had very little choice in who her husband might be. Marriages were frequently arranged to bring prestige or wealth to the families. Egeus orders his daughter Hermia to marry a man she does not love. The following verses are an example:

''EGEUS

Full of vexation come I, with complaint

Against my child, my daughter Hermia.

Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord,

This man hath my consent to marry her.

Stand forth, Lysander: and my gracious duke,

This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child;

Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes,

And interchanged love-tokens with my child:

Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung,

With feigning voice verses of feigning love,

And stolen the impression of her fantasy

With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,

Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats, messengers

Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth:

With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart,

Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,

To stubborn harshness: and, my gracious duke,

Be it so she; will not here before your grace

Consent to marry with Demetrius,

I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,

As she is mine, I may dispose of her:

Which shall be either to this gentleman

Or to her death, according to our law

Immediately provided in that case.

''THESEUS

What say you, Hermia? be advised fair maid:

To you your father should be as a god;

One that composed your beauties, yea, and one

To whom you are but as a form in wax

By him imprinted and within his power

To leave the figure or disfigure it.

Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.''

''HERMIA

I do entreat your grace to pardon me.

I know not by what power I am made bold,

Nor how it may concern my modesty,

In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;

But I beseech your grace that I may know

The worst that may befall me in this case,

If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

''THESEUS

Either to die the death or to abjure

For ever the society of men.

Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires;

Know of your youth, examine well your blood,

Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,

You can endure the livery of a nun,

For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd,

To live a barren sister all your life,

Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.

Thrice-blessed they that master so their blood,

To undergo such maiden pilgrimage;

But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,

Than that which withering on the virgin thorn

Grows, lives and dies in single blessedness.''