How does Shakespeare use the forest as shelter in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

In A Midsummer's Night Dream, Hermia and Lysander take shelter in the forest as they flee Athens to elope. Meanwhile, Helena tells Demetrius of their plans, and Helena follows Demetrius as he follows his beloved Hermia into the forest. Meanwhile, the craftsmen who are rehearsing the play for Theseus's wedding take shelter in the forest as well.
The forest is also the home of the fairies, who are ruled by Oberon and Titania. Some of Shakespeare's richest and most poetic language describes the tiny fairies, who live in flowers, sleep in acorn shells, and are able to fly around the globe at swift speeds. 
The forest is not simply shelter for the young lovers and the would-be actors, but a place of enchantment, where love potions administered by the fairies add to the already zany antics that falling in love causes. Without the fairies in the enchanted forest, the play would lose much of its whimsy and comedic fun. 

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