Thursday, October 31, 2019

The failure of Ralph Lauren Rugby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The failure of Ralph Lauren Rugby - Essay Example Though Ralph Lauren is one of the most preferred luxury clothing brands, customer segmentation was completely different for its new arm. This had not only created confusion among customers, but also dissolved the overall brand identity of the Rugby brand. The objective of the current report is to analyze the failure of Ralph Lauren Rugby, an extended sports clothing line of the brand. On November 2012, the Rugby line of the brand had come to an end. Subsequently, website of the line was also closed down and the links were automatically directed to the parent site of Ralph Lauren. Known for high-end, bold and sassy styles, Ralph Lauren Corporation is one of the finest clothing retail organizations. The luxury retail chain was started in the year 1967 by Ralph Lauren, when he was funded by a manufacturer of clothing lines. He was asked to launch a line for men’s ties with the brand name, Polo. While studying in high school, Ralph had already started selling ties. Following that, he was approached by Norman Hilton and in the year 1969, he opened his first boutique in Manhattan (Ralph Lauren, 2014). The business was further expanded by selling tailor made women suits. The first solo shop was opened in the year 1971 in Beverly Hills. Ralph Lauren gained global recognition in a very short time period and by 1981, he was able to open his maiden international shop in London (Ralph Lauren, 2014). The brand has now expanded in various apparel and accessories sections, such as, semi-formal and formal clothing, luxury wear, fragrances, accessories and furniture. The brand has also ventured into restaurant business by opening a high-end restaurant in Chicago. The purpose of this report is to analyse various situations under which the sports arm of Ralph Lauren was pulled out from the market. Launched in the year 2004, Rugby Ralph Lauren was a famous clothing brand of America. The brand focused on preppy or rugby inspired apparels for women and

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Three Kings Comparison Essay Example for Free

Three Kings Comparison Essay Art in the ancient times was very important in history and that it was also used to signify some important occasions like during offerings, for example in the Chinese traditions; it was also used for decoration and making of monument for remembrance especially in the roman empire and Egypt. Making of portraits of political and religious leaders became very popular in Roman Empire, the empires that occupied the gulf region and Egypt. The making of portrait sculptures has undergone a notable change and still today the making of sculpture portraits of political leaders is still evident. Creativity and other aspects of art and craft work has been very dynamic since the primitive and ancient civilization period to the modern day and also varying from down-to-earth and sacred to modernist abstract. The history of sculpturing activities date back to about 4000 years ago and it appears to have begun in the are around the gulf valley between river Tigris and Euphrates where strong empires were first established including Persian, Chaldean, Assyrian, Sumerian and Babylon empires. Portrait Sculptures There are many portraits that were excavated in the ancient times and some of the examples include artistic work diorite on marble, hammered gold, diorite and lapis lazuli. The artistic works from the Sumerian art are much idealized in terms of the external features and they date back to 2400 BC. The works of art carried out in the Sumerian era appear to have taken in a lot of creativity and a definite form of architecture and was quite elaborate and also complicated (Bailey 2005 Evans 2007)). Clay was the most readily available material and due to this, it was commonly used for sculpturing since other materials like wood, metals and carving stones had to b e imported from abroad. Other forms of art included drawings and paintings. The subjects of the sculpturing were mainly patricians and particularly the political rulers (emperors). The copies of the sculptures were distributed all over the empire for instance in the Roman Empire, the portrait sculpture entrenched the roman civic intrinsic worth and set the standard for the other nations public portrait sculpture since then (Bailey 2005). The most notable is the portrait of Emperor Constantine. Most of the art work that was obtained during the destruction of the empires in the barbarian invasion and Christian transformation; the materials used to make the sculptures were lime and bronze, the marble was burnt to lime while bronze was melted for other uses. Other important portraits were discovered in the countries that are found in the gulf region and these forms of art were basically Sumerian type and Akkadian types and dated back to 24,000 to 22,000 BC when the Babylon kingdoms flourished in the Middle East (Evans 2007). Tell Asmar Portraits The sculptures described as tell Asmar portraits were discovered in the gulf region that is between river Tigris and river Euphrates (Mesopotamia) at a site known Tell Asmar. The statues were the most realistic of the ancient sculptures and they measured about 42 centimeters average height. The eyes were clearly engraved and appeared to be protruding with clutched hands (Bailey 2005). Initially, most of the portrait sculptures were made using material like soft stone, ivory and even clay. As the Sumerian and Akkadian art developed during the early age civilization, ballast, sandstone, diorites and alabaster became popular materials for use in sculpture making. However some sculptures were identified as being high quality and for these reason the material used were expensive and long lasting; the material for such high quality portraits included gold, silver, copper and several precious stones (Evans 2007). Clay was a material that was used to make pots and terra cotta sculptures while stone was not commonly used since it was scarce and had to be imported from other empires. The portraits discovered at Tell Asmar as mentioned had staring eyes and the men’s statues had a distinct beard. The recent statues than were found in 2700 BC revealed that the materials used were votive stones and were excavated in royal cemetery at Ur. Other sculptures were made from gypsum (calcium sulphate), in the ancient times, gypsum was heated to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit and turned to white powder commonly referred to as plaster of Paris, the powder is mixed with water to make a semi solid substance that can be modeled into a sculpture(Bailey 2005). Some of the statues are preserved in museums. King Tutankhamun Portrait The portrait of king Tutankhamun is widely appreciated form of art that was used for religious purpose during the mummification of the Pharaoh. Tutankhamun was a powerful pharaoh in Egypt in the 18th dynasty which lasted between 1333 BC and 1324 BC. He is identified as the eighteenth dynasty king in the history of Egypt. The discovery of the king’s tomb in 1922 by Howard carter brought about increased interest in the history of Egypt and the works of art. After the death of Egyptian pharaohs, they were preserved by the process of mummification so as to prevent decay (Cox 2004). The making of portrait in Egypt was unique especially the pharaoh mummies. The making of a mummy was a king of magical procedure that lead to instantaneous mummification and loss of life force from the king’s body. Other objects in the tomb of the pharaoh included baskets of doum fruit (it’s a product of palm tree) customarily offered during funerals (Cox 2004). The king’s official seal was made of clay which is assumed to have contained treasures that the pharaoh had to travel with to the heavens in his eternal being. King Tutankhamun commonly referred to as King Tut was very young at the time of his death. This is evidenced by the mammy that was unearthed covered in linen and preserved by mummification. The body was kept in a sarcophagus (a stone box in which a coffin can be kept). King Tut’s sarcophagus was made using yellow quartzite and was made of three coffins made of pure gold. The king’s face was reconstructed from the mummy and the body still lies in the valley of kings where his tomb is and the temperature is regulated to prevent further decay (Bailey 2005). The statues from Sumerian art in Tell Asmar appeared to be realistic, the pharaoh’s mummy is stylish and ideal as it did not make use of other material rather the real body preservation. In the year 2005, a team of scientists developed the facial likeness of the king using computer tonography scan of the Pharaohs skull. King Sargon Most of the early works of art were originally discovered during the early civilization as the works of art are related to the evolution of writing and other historical occurrences like the agrarian revolution. Sargon King ruled Akkadian dynasty in the region famously known as Mesopotamia during the period between 2340 and 2305 BC. This dynasty is believed to have been established by Sargon and it existed for about 160 years following its foundation. Sargon was one of the powerful leaders during his reign and he established a strong Semitic dynasty in the gulf region (Bailey 2005). His portrait was made as a monument to remember him throughout the empire. His rule faced a lot of rebellion and at his death; many believed that it was a punitive measure from the gods. The portrait was made to sit on a hard slab and the hand were clasped in the position of making a prayer and was naked above the waist with a skirt inquisitively made to appear as overlapping to indicate thick coat. This is because the men generally wore skirts weaved from wool and those of higher ranks had a toga like piece of clothe that was used to cover the shoulders (Evans 2007). As expected, the portrait had a long and heavy beard and long hair and these were basically painted black. The eyes were curved out clearly and that they eyebrows could be seen distinctively as emphasized with inlay that was colored. The carvings in the near east and middle east were very attractive and are considered to be very stylish as the features are very distinct and clearly engraved compared to the Egyptian sculptures which were basically slabs. The stylish carving in the Akkadian empire has been attributed to the fact that stones for sculpturing were very rare and therefore the few that could be obtained had to be given maximum attention and highest standard of creativity (Bailey 2005). It is clear that those portraits from Sumerian and Akkadian empire are very stylistic in design and the distinction can be drawn from the Egyptian types which are mostly blocks standing freely and mostly having basic geometric shapes. There being deficiency in stones, the sculptors in Sumerian dynasty and Akkadian empires relied on other alternative material like metals, wax copper and gypsum. These materials required a lot of attention and as such the stimulated sense of creativity idealism and style. Having to model clay, cast metals and heat gypsum to melt them in order to make the sculptures enabled the Tell Asmar people and those from other parts of Mesopotamia learnt to conserved the material hence making to make very good sculptures that utilized the little material that could be obtained(Bailey 2005). Conclusion The creation of sculptures developed different styles of making sculptures during the ancient times and the development of the dynasties in the near and middle east. The significant examples include the Tall Al asmar sculptures which are simply primitive forms of geometry. The progress of this lead to smoothening of curves and indicating naturalism and finally the dynasty showed attempts of portraiture References Bailey D. (2005). Prehistoric Figurines. Representation and Corporeality in the Neolithic. Routledge Publishers. Cox B. (2004). Constructing Kingship in Ancient Near Eastern Visual Culture. Art History. Dartmouth College. Evans J. M. (2007). The Square Temple at Tell Asmar and the Construction of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia. Ca 29000 to 2350 American Journal of Archeology.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Airline Industry SWOT Analysis

Airline Industry SWOT Analysis Conducting a SWOT analysis, that is, reviewing the strengths of an organization, its weaknesses, opportunities it can capitalize on for maximum profits, and the threats to achieving its full potential provides very invaluable information to the organization about the market and understanding the industry, as well. The aviation industry is not an exception, it too has its own share of strengths and opportunities which once utilized by an organization can help it grow substantially and weaknesses and threats which the organization must strive to minimize to the lowest possible levels. Strengths One of the strengths of an organization in the aviation industry is the growing income levels. The growth in individual incomes increases the amount of disposable income and hence many people are able to utilize the carriers to fly to their destinations Growth in tourism is also a major strength as it has led to a significant increase in the number of domestic and international passengers with statistics indicating a 50% growth in the number of domestic flyers and a 25% increase in the number of international flyers. Despite the downturns, air travel has continued to grow over time and is one of those industries that are far away from reaching their peak. This can be partly attributed to the ever growing population and the increase in the propensity of people to fly. With efficient management, an organization in the aviation industry is guaranteed to grow into a big and profitable enterprise. Air travel has a marked safety record and has been generally accepted as a safe and fast way to travel. Even the low cost growing airlines have safety and speed attributed to them and therefore, a small growing airline shares this strength with big and recognized brand names in the industry which is quite an advantage. Airline staff consists of highly trained personnel, which is a major strength, to any organization in the industry. Weaknesses One of the major weaknesses in the aviation industry is infrastructural development. The development of infrastructure has been very slow thus unable to keep up the pace of growth of the aviation sector. It is therefore, a major bottleneck in the industry. A growing airline should therefore, give priority to investing in infrastructure by constructing state of the art airports with adequate runways and ample parking lots for passengers. It should also invest on routes leading to the airports to help reduce passenger delays due to traffic. Airlines have been known to have a very high spoilage rate in comparison with other industries. Once a passenger misses his/her flight, the income/revenue from that seat is lost. In order to avoid or minimize this occurrence, the airline should establish a method of contacting all the passengers prior to departure to remind them of their flight. There should also be a larger time window between the boarding time and the departure of the airbus to cater for those passengers who arrive late for their flights. Aircrafts are very expensive and running an airline requires a very huge capital outlay. For this to work to the advantage of the airline, proper marketing strategies are required, and careful planning to ensure that returns on investment are greater than the initial investment. An airline may find it very difficult to compete with other carriers due to their low fares. To survive this, the organization can lower its fares but ensure that they are in balance with the returns to avoid losses. Extensive advertising campaigns on quality can also give it an edge over the low cost carriers. Airlines have to maintain a huge work force which is spread over an outsized ecological area and which requires constant communication and monitoring. For this to work to its advantage, extensive evaluation of the personnel is required to ensure competence and also the ability of the workers to work under minimum supervision. Opportunities There are many opportunities that an airline can capitalize on to reap maximum profits. Expected investment is one of the opportunities that can benefit an airline. The aviation sector is ever growing, and there is an increasing number of stakeholders in the industry willing to invest in air travel. An airline can take this opportunity to increase its capital base so as to be able to enjoy large economies of scale. Development of new products and services can have a substantial blow on the profits of an organization. In aviation, an airline can introduce mailing services for delivery of mails and parcels across the globe. It can also introduce special fare packages for those travelling to certain destinations for pleasure or business. Technological advancement and investment in information technology is an opportunity that can greatly help an organization to minimize its operation cost. An airline can rely on information technology to offer more customers friendly services and also provide customers with other services like internet while travelling which would make them pay more for the services hence increasing the profit margins of the organization. The organization should evaluate end user response to its services to gain information on what areas of its services to improve. This would go a long way in helping the organization acquire new customers as well as retain its old ones who are satisfied with the services being offered. The organization should also take the opportunity to expand and cover a larger geographical area. It should grow into the untapped markets and offer its products and services in these regions. Having a large customer base would increase its profits. Acquiring better supply deals, for example, a less expensive fuel supplier would greatly minimize the operation cost of an organization in the aviation industry. The airline can also retain its suppliers but negotiate for better deals with the aim of increasing its profit margin. Cutting down on delays is very important in the aviation industry. Minimized delays would mean less refunds and minimal compensation due to inconveniences made. It would also help the organization to gain the customers trust thus establishing itself as a carrier of choice for many travelers. Linking up with other carriers in the industry is an opportunity that should not be ruled out. Linking up with another carrier would increase the passenger volume greatly. This can be done through ensuring a coordinated schedule where the airlines offer their services to various destinations through a sharing agreement. Only one carrier flying to a given destination from a particular location would enable the partnering carriers to avoid the long time taken before an aircraft is filled. Threats There are many threats facing organizations in the aviation industry. Travelling for leisure and business is greatly impacted by the global economy. A downturn in the global economy means that less people are likely to travel for pleasure and to do business. This leads to low income to the airline during this period. To minimize the effect of this, the organization should devise a mechanism of lowering its operation cost to the minimum possible levels to avert possible losses due to its operating costs exceeding income. Some government legislation can also be a major threat to investors in the aviation industry. Intervention by the government can come with it rules which are very costly to adhere to and also competition from unexpected quarters, for example, from international airlines due to liberalization of the market. Air travel is very vulnerable to environmental changes. Heavy storms are detrimental to flight schedules, and this may mean refunding those customers who opt to cancel their flights all together other than to wait. It can also lead to loss of an asset, for example, the crashing of an aircraft. To minimize the effect of this, the airline should ensure that it is well insured against losses resulting from these weather changes. There should also be an insurance cover for its passengers. Air travel has a seasonal demand especially where the largest percentage of travelers involves those travelling for leisure. In this case, the highest demand is likely to be during international holidays like the Christmas season and a significant decrease in demand midway through the year. To ensure that there is no considerable drop in customers during the off peak seasons, the organization can come up with a method of encouraging people to travel during this period by, for example, lowering the travelling rates, offering discounts and special travelling packages. In recent times, air travel has been a target to terrorists, and this has had a very negative impact on the airlines themselves. Frequent fliers have been scared away, and the airline industry has lost a considerable number of customers. To gain back the lost confidence, an organization should carry out an extensive campaign meant to assure customers of their safety when travelling using their airline. Over the next few years, huge investments are expected to be made in the aviation industry. New airlines are likely to crop up and this will lead to a strain on the available pilots, and airport staff. This will be a limiting factor to the continued growth of the airline. To prevent this, the airline should start training its own pilots and airport staff. This would in future give it an advantage over the other airlines which would be experiencing a shortage of the same. The airline can therefore, transform this threat into an opportunity by selling some of its staff to the other businesses for a profit. With the increasing number of airlines and aircrafts, there is likely to be a marked shortage of airports and airport facilities. The airline should therefore, invest heavily in its own airports and ensure that they have ample parking bays for its aircrafts. The organization also faces the threat of being vulnerable to attacks by its major competitors. It should therefore, have all the mechanisms of counteracting this in standby so that it does not fall to accusations from other airlines. The greatest hurdle facing many airlines today is high fuel prices. A huge upward surge in fuel prices can destabilize an investment in the aviation industry. To counter this, the airline should ensure that it has its own fuel reserve so that it is not immediately affected by the changes in fuel prices as it will have time to adjust while relying on its fuel reserves. With its own reserve, it can benefit from this threat by providing that much needed resource to its competitors at a large profit margin.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Telling It Like It Is Essay -- Essays Papers

Telling It Like It Is â€Å"My country, right or wrong,† is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, â€Å"My mother, drunk or sober.†Ã¢â‚¬â€G. K. Chesterton, The Defendant These are indeed desperate times. On September 11, 2001, America witnessed the worst act of terrorism in U.S. history. Grief-stricken, angry, and shocked, people from all over America came together in the face of tragedy and solidly affirmed their pride in the U.S.A. The outpouring of patriotism that resulted from this tragedy was astonishing. Our country came together: specific agendas were swept aside in favor of partisanship and overwhelming support for our leaders, for our institutions, for our democracy. Picking up on this trend, the media, typically a primary conveyer of culture in America, soon adopted a positive attitude towards the government. Patriotic bias, in part because of the public demand, began dictating broadcasts. In fact, the pendulum swung far over to the radical side: the media by and large accepted governmental censorship requests, ceased to question our leaders, and even began censoring their interviews, handling our nation’s institutions with velvet gloves. We championed our country, with its ideals of freedom and democracy, and in the process lost a part of our freedom and democracy. Governmental Controls Taking advantage of the patriotic fever sweeping the nation, the federal government began making â€Å"requests† of the media, asking them to censor their coverage of particular events, or to withhold information regarding the government from the public. These requests were not particularly surprising. What was startling was the by and large acceptance of these reque... ...San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Jan. 2002: D4. 7. â€Å"Day,† D4. 8. Quoted in Fred Barnes, â€Å"The Press in Time of War,† Weekly Standard 3 Dec. 2001: 31. 9. Hurst A8. 10. Michael Hoyt, â€Å"Journalists as Patriots,† Columbia Journalism Review 40.4 (2001): 4. 11. â€Å"Veteran CBS News Anchor Dan Rather Speaks Out on BBC Newsnight Tonight,† BBC News Press Release, 16 May 2002 http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/05_may/16/dan_rather. shtml. 12. Barnes 31. 13. Barnes 31. 14. Alterman, Eric, â€Å"Patriot Games,† Nation 29 Oct. 2001: 10. 15. Campbell 540. 16. Campbell 258. 17. Alterman 10. 18. Alterman 10. 19. Hurst A8. 20. Campbell 544. 21. Campbell 544. 22. Campbell 560. 23. Alterman 10. 24. Qtd. in Silverglate, A21. 25. Hurst A8. 26. Hurst A8; Barnes 31. 27. Hurst A8. 28. Barnes 3.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

National School Lunch Program Essay

The Food and Nutrition Service administers the program at the Federal level. At the State level, the National School Lunch Program is usually administered by State education agencies, which operate the program through agreements with school food authorities. 2. How does the National School Lunch Program work? The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 101,000 public and non†profit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low†cost or free lunches to more than 31 million children each school day in 2009. In 1998, Congress expanded the National School Lunch Program to include reimbursement for snacks served to children in afterschool educational and enrichment programs to include children through 18 years of age. 1. What is the National School Lunch Program? NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM 3. What are the nutritional requirements for school lunches? Generally, public or nonprofit private schools of high school grade or under and public or nonprofit private residential child care institutions may participate in the school lunch program. School districts and independent schools that choose to take part in the lunch program get cash subsidies and donated commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve lunches that meet Federal requirements, and they must offer free or reduced price lunches to eligible children. School food authorities can also be reimbursed for snacks served to children through age 18 in afterschool educational or enrichment programs. School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual’s calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provide one†third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories. School lunches must meet Federal nutrition requirements, but decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities. 4. How do children qualify for free and reduced price meals? Any child at a participating school may purchase a meal through the National School Lunch Program. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced†price meals, for which students can be charged no more than 40 cents. (For the period July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011, 130 percent of the poverty level is $28,665 for a family of four; 185 percent is $40,793.) Children from families with incomes over 185 percent of poverty pay a full price, though their meals are still subsidized to some extent. Local school food authorities set their own prices for full†price (paid) meals, but must operate their meal services as non†profit programs. 5. How much reimbursement do schools get? Afterschool snacks are provided to children on the same income eligibility basis as school meals. However, programs that operate in areas where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced†price meals may serve all their snacks for free. Most of the support USDA provides to schools in the National School Lunch Program comes in the form of a cash reimbursement for each meal served. The current (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011) basic cash reimbursement rates if school food authorities served less than 60% free and reduced price lunches during the second preceding school year are: Free lunches: $2.72 Free snacks: $0.74 Reduced-price lunches: Paid lunches: $0.26 Paid snacks: $0.06 $2.32 Reduced-price snacks: $0.37 6. What other support do schools get from USDA? In addition to cash reimbursements, schools are entitled by law to receive USDA foods, called â€Å"entitlement† foods, at a value of 20.25 cents for each meal served in Fiscal Year 2010†2011. Schools can also get â€Å"bonus† USDA foods as they are available from surplus agricultural stocks. Through Team Nutrition USDA provides schools with technical training and assistance to help school food service staffs prepare healthful meals, and with nutrition education to help children understand the link between diet and health. 7. What types of foods do schools get from USDA? States select entitlement foods for their schools from a list of various foods purchased by USDA and offered through the school lunch program. Bonus foods are offered only as they become available through agricultural surplus. The variety of both entitlement and bonus USDA foods schools can get from USDA depends on quantities available and market prices. A very successful project between USDA and the Department of Defense (DoD) has helped provide schools with fresh produce purchased through DoD. USDA has also worked with schools to help promote connections with local small farmers who may be able to provide fresh produce. The National School Lunch Act in 1946 created the modern school lunch program, though USDA had provided funds and food to schools for many years prior to that. About 7.1 million children were participating in the National School Lunch Program by the end of its first year, 1946 †47. By 1970, 22 million children were participating, and by 1980 the figure was nearly 27 million. In 1990, over 24 million children ate school lunch every day. In Fiscal Year 2009, more than 31.3 million children each day got their lunch through the National School Lunch Program. Since the modern program began, more than 219 billion lunches have been served. 9. How much does the program cost? The National School Lunch Program cost $9.8 billion in FY 2009. By comparison, the lunch program’s total cost in 1947 was $70 million; in 1950, $119.7 million; in 1960, $225.8 million; in 1970, $565.5 million; in 1980, $3.2 billion; in 1990, $3.7 billion; and in 2000, 6.1 billion. For more information: For information on the operation of the National School Lunch Program and all the Child Nutrition Programs, contact the State agency in your state that is responsible for the administration of the programs. A listing of all our State agencies may be found on our web site at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd, select â€Å"Contact Us†, then select â€Å"Child Nutrition Programs.† 8. How many children have been served over the years?

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Freytag Pyramid of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare Essay

Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, Titania and Oberon, Pyramus and Thisbe 1) Exposition: Lysander and Demetrius both want Hermia’s hand in marriage – Lysander because of love, Demetrius because of the position and power it would afford. Demetrius wants to marry Hermia to gain her father’s favor, along with his power and position. Helena is in love with Demetrius, who will not give her a second look. Titania and Oberon are angry with each other, jealous over each other’s fascination with Theseus and Hippolyta respectively. Pyramus and Thisbe cannot be together and can only whisper through a wall. 2) Inciting Incident: Hermia’s father orders her to marry Demetrius or commit herself to a nunnery forever. Helena finds out Hermia and Lysander are running away. She tells Demetrius so he will forget about Hermia and give her a chance. Bottom and gang steal away into the wood to practice for the play. Oberon casts a spell on Titania that she would fall in love with the first thing she lays eyes on. Pyramus and Thisbe lovers agree to meet in the dark of night at Ninny’s tomb. 3) Rising Action: Hermia and Lysander plan to run away into the wood. Demetrius follows Hermia and Lysander into the wood to retrieve Hermia. Helena follows Demetrius into the wood desperate to make him love her. Bottom and gang steal away into the wood to practice for the play. The lion approaches and scares Thisbe, who runs off. 4) Climax: Oberon orders Puck, to put a love spell on Demetrius so that when he awakens he will fall in love with Helena. Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and puts the spell on the wrong mortal, who subsequently falls in love with Helena. Puck attempts to rectify his mistake by putting the spell on the correct mortal, Demetrius, who instantly falls in love with Helena. Titania first sees Bottom and falls in love. Pyramus arrives to find Thisbe’s mantle torn and bloody. 5) Falling Action: The two men fight over Helena while Hermia watches in horror. Hermia and Helena begin to fight. Oberon begins to feel bad for the poor mortals he has cast his spells upon. Pyramus believes Thisbe is dead. 6) Resolution: Puck applies the remedy to Lysander’s eyes while he sleeps, returning his love to Hermia. The lovers awake, Lysander and Hermia in love and Demetrius and Helena in love (though not knowing exactly why). Oberon removes the spell from Titania, who draws back in horror at the sight of bottom next to her. Believing Thisbe to be dead, Pyramus stabs himself and dies. 7) Denouement: The four lovers come together with the consent of everyone and watch a play of a Romeo and Juliet-style love story. The lovers ponder the meaning of love through the tragedy of the play, the mystery of what happened in the wood looming over them. Shakespeare concludes with an epilogue by Puck, the wood fairy, apologizing for any offense for their play with the mortals. Titania and Oberon celebrate Theseus and Hippolyta’s marriage, finally happy with each other. Thisbe finds Pyramus dead and kills herself. The lovers are finally together in death.