Young Athenian lover, idealistic and devoted to Hermia. Embodies the romantic idealism and comic misadventures of love.

Who they are

Lysander is one of the four young lovers whose romantic entanglements drive the central comedy. His arc moves from steadfast devotion to Hermia, through a magical love-potion-induced infatuation with Helena, and back again, exploring love's irrationality. Key relationships include his rivalry with Demetrius and his intimate bond with Hermia, which he defends against her father's wishes.

Playing them

Play Lysander with earnest, ardent energy—his speeches on love's difficulties require genuine poetic feeling. His comedically abrupt shifts in affection demand quick emotional pivots, from tender devotion to bewildered cruelty. Vocal clarity and a light, lyrical quality help differentiate his verse from Demetrius's sharper tone. Traditions often contrast his initial dignity with later physical comedy (e.g., chasing Demetrius, collapsing in exhaustion).

Appearance

Typically costumed as a young Athenian nobleman—doublet, hose, perhaps a cape. After the forest, disheveled and sleepy, emphasizing the bed-trick and confusion.

Where they appear

Act 1, Scene 1 11 speeches
Act 2, Scene 2 7 speeches
Act 3, Scene 2 22 speeches
Act 4, Scene 1 3 speeches
Act 5, Prologue 6 speeches
Act 5, Scene 1 1 speeches

Shakespeare the way it was meant to be had — out loud

These plays were written to be performed, not silently read. Yorick is a rehearsal app that lets you perform them: you take a part in any of Shakespeare’s 38 plays, and Yorick reads every other role aloud, listens while you speak your lines, keeps your place, and prompts you the moment you dry.

It is built for the person who has to be off book by tech week — school and college productions, community theatre, festivals, drama students and classical auditions — and for anyone who wants to hear a scene rather than skim it. Alongside the performance you get a plain-English translation of every speech, scene context, performance notes, and the ability to ask about any line and get an answer that already knows the play, the scene and who is speaking.

The text is the public-domain Cambridge/Globe edition. Translations and notes are AI-generated rehearsal aids for actors and students, not a scholarly apparatus. Yorick runs in a browser with nothing to install, and on iPhone and Android.