Love is a central theme in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the primary effect it seems to have on most of the characters is confusion. For instance, consider the main plot of the play: while wandering through the woods, Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, and Lysander are bewitched by fairies and find themselves entangled in a complicated reversal of relationships, as Lysander and Demetrius both compete over the formerly scorned Helena, while Hermia angrily attempts to intercede. All in all, love within the play seems to produce confusingly entangled relationships that leave all involved parties baffled and distraught. This is only one of many effects love has on the characters, of course; in the case of Bottom and Titania, love has a primarily comedic effect, as it's hilarious to see the formerly dignified fairy queen falling for an absurd character like Bottom. However, in terms of the main relationships between the four Athenians, love's primary effect seems to be confusion.
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