The Metamorphosis and MSND manifest similar elements that are made evident throughout. Ovid was revered by Shakespeare in his works. During the development of MSND, Shakespeare used Ovid's Metamorphosis. Through his work in MSND, the influence taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses is illustrated through plot and characters. The four lovers of MSND are very similar to Apollo and Daphne with their characters and goals. The plot of MSND resembles that of Ovid through the use of allusion. Love is explored through its capriciousness and mutability through character-driven plot throughout both works. Puck, in MSND, exposes the unpredictability of love. Oberon ordered him to use the love potion on Demetrius. By misfortune, he puts the potion on Lysander. When he awoke, he found himself drowned in love for Helena: “Happy with Hermia? No, I regret / the boring minutes I spent with her. / Not Hermia, of Helena whom I love. / Who would not exchange a raven for a dove?” (II. ii. 118-21). This is seen similarly in The Metamorphosis. Cupid, irritated by Apollo's mockery, shot two arrows, to love and to embitter. Striking Apollo with the arrow of love, he desires Daphne, who is struck by the embittered arrow: “Thus ran the god and the nymph, the one quickened by hope and the other by fear; but he…was assisted by the wings of love” (Ovid 2). Derived from a character, the capriciousness of love can make an act foolish and irrational. Emotions play with the fickle nature of love in both works, whether one is under the influence of a spell or not. The four lovers share many traits of those of Apollo and Daphne. The role reversal is the one undertaken by the characters. Seeing Daphne, Apollo exclaims, “I implore you… do not run to the middle of the paper… training is demonstrated through the mental, the emotional, the structural, and the physical. Since MSND refers to marriage, emotional transformation is considered the greatest. Shakespeare, both through his characters and through the plot, refers to Ovid's Metamorphoses. Use the characteristics and actions of Apollo and Daphne to emulate the four lovers: Hermia, Helena, Demetrius, and Lysander. Sharing their qualities helped Shakespeare's audiences develop a further understanding of the play. The use of characters helps develop its overall motif which shows the capriciousness and fickle nature of love while using plot and characters. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York City: Everbind, 1993. Print.Ovid. "Daphne and Apollo." The Metamorphosis, C. 1 AD Humanistic Art Primary Source Reading 27. Print.