<h2><SPAN name="chap02"></SPAN>A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM</h2>
<p>There was a law in the city of Athens which gave to its citizens the power
of compelling their daughters to marry whomsoever they pleased; for upon a
daughter’s refusing to marry the man her father had chosen to be her
husband, the father was empowered by this law to cause her to be put to
death; but as fathers do not often desire the death of their own
daughters, even though they do happen to prove a little refractory, this
law was seldom or never put in execution, though perhaps the young ladies
of that city were not unfrequently threatened by their parents with the
terrors of it.</p>
<p>There was one instance, however, of an old man, whose name was Egeus, who
actually did come before Theseus (at that time the reigning Duke of
Athens), to complain that his daughter whom he had commanded to marry
Demetrius, a young man of a noble Athenian family, refused to obey him,
because she loved another young Athenian, named Lysander. Egeus demanded
justice of Theseus, and desired that this cruel law might be put in force
against his daughter.</p>
<p>Hermia pleaded in excuse for her disobedience that Demetrius had formerly
professed love for her dear friend Helena, and that Helena loved Demetrius
to distraction; but this honorable reason, which Hermia gave for not
obeying her father’s command, moved not the stern Egeus.</p>
<p>Theseus, though a great and merciful prince, had no power to alter the
laws of his country; therefore he could only give Hermia four days to
consider of it: and at the end of that time, if she still refused to marry
Demetrius, she was to be put to death.</p>
<p>When Hermia was dismissed from the presence of the duke, she went to her
lover Lysander and told him the peril she was in, and that she must either
give him up and marry Demetrius or lose her life in four days.</p>
<p>Lysander was in great affliction at hearing these evil tidings; but,
recollecting that be had an aunt who lived at some distance from Athens,
and that at the place where she lived the cruel law could not be put in
force against Hermia (this law not extending beyond the boundaries of the
city), he proposed to Hermia that she should steal out of her father’s
house that night, and go with him to his aunt’s house, where he
would marry her. “I will meet you,” said Lysander, “in
the wood a few miles without the city; in that delightful wood where we
have so often walked with Helena in the pleasant month of May.”</p>
<p>To this proposal Hermia joyfully agreed; and she told no one of her
intended flight but her friend Helena. Helena (as maidens will do foolish
things for love) very ungenerously resolved to go and tell this to
Demetrius, though she could hope no benefit from betraying her friend’s
secret but the poor pleasure of following her faithless lover to the wood;
for she well knew that Demetrius would go thither in pursuit of Hermia.</p>
<p>The wood in which Lysander and Hermia proposed to meet was the favorite
haunt of those little beings known by the name of “fairies.”</p>
<p>Oberon the king, and Titania the queen of the fairies, with all their tiny
train of followers, in this wood held their midnight revels.</p>
<p>Between this little king and queen of sprites there happened, at this
time, a sad disagreement; they never met by moonlight in the shady walk of
this pleasant wood but they were quarreling, till all their fairy elves
would creep into acorn-cups and hide themselves for fear.</p>
<p>The cause of this unhappy disagreement was Titania’s refusing give
Oberon a little changeling boy, whose mother had been Titania’s
friend; and upon her death the fairy queen stole the child from its nurse
and brought him up in the woods.</p>
<p>The night on which the lovers were to meet in this wood, as Titania was
walking with some of her maids of honor, she met Oberon attended by his
train of fairy courtiers.</p>
<p>“Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania,” said the fairy king.</p>
<p>The queen replied: “What, jealous Oberon, is it you? Fairies, skip
hence; I have forsworn his company.”</p>
<p>“Tarry, rash fairy,” said Oberon. “Am I not thy lord?
Why does Titania cross her Oberon? Give me your little changeling boy to
be my page.”</p>
<p>“Set your heart at rest,” answered the queen; “your
whole fairy kingdom buys not the boy of me.” She then left her lord
in great anger.</p>
<p>“Well, go your way,” said Oberon; “before the morning
dawns I will torment you for this injury.”</p>
<p>Oberon then sent for Puck, his chief favorite and privy counselor.</p>
<p>Puck (or, as he was sometimes called, Robin Goodfellow) was a shrewd and
knavish sprite, that used to play comical pranks in the neighboring
villages; sometimes getting into the dairies and skimming the milk,
sometimes plunging his light and airy form into the butter-churn, and
while he was dancing his fantastic shape in the churn, in vain the dairymaid
would labor to change her cream into butter. Nor had the village swains
any better success; whenever Puck chose to play his freaks in the brewing
copper, the ale was sure to be spoiled. When a few good neighbors were met
to drink some comfortable ale together, Puck would jump into the bowl of
ale in the likeness of a roasted crab, and when some old goody was going
to drink he would bob against her lips, and spill the ale over her
withered chin; and presently after, when the same old dame was gravely
seating herself to tell her neighbors a sad and melancholy story, Puck
would slip her three-legged stool from under her, and down toppled the
poor old woman, and then the old gossips would hold their sides and laugh
at her, and swear they never wasted a merrier hour.</p>
<p>“Come hither, Puck,” said Oberon to this little merry wanderer
of the night; “fetch me the flower which maids call ‘Love in,
Idleness’; the juice of that little purple flower laid on the
eyelids of those who sleep will make them, when they awake, dote on the
first thing they see. Some of the juice of that flower I will drop on the
eyelids of my Titania when she is asleep; and the first thing she looks
upon when she opens her eyes she will fall in love with, even though it be
a lion or a bear, a meddling monkey or a busy ape; and before I will take
this charm from off her sight, which I can do with another charm I know
of, I will make her give me that boy to be my page.”</p>
<p>Puck, who loved mischief to his heart, was highly diverted with this
intended frolic of his master, and ran to seek the flower; and while
Oberon was waiting the return of Puck he observed Demetrius and Helena
enter the wood: he overheard Demetrius reproaching Helena for following
him, and after many unkind words on his part, and gentle expostulations
from Helena, reminding him of his former love and professions of true
faith to her, he left her (as he said) to the mercy of the wild beasts,
and she ran after him as swiftly as she could.</p>
<p>The fairy king, who was always friendly to true lovers, felt great
compassion for Helena; and perhaps, as Lysander said they used to walk by
moonlight in this pleasant wood, Oberon might have seen Helena in those
happy times when she was beloved by Demetrius. However that might be, when
Puck returned with the little purple flower, Oberon said to his favorite:
“Take a part of this flower; there has been a sweet Athenian lady
here, who is in love with a disdainful youth; if you find him sleeping,
drop some of the love-juice in his eyes, but contrive to do it when she is
near him, that the first thing he sees when he awakes may be this despised
lady. You will know the man ]by the Athenian garments which be wears.”</p>
<p>Puck promised to manage this matter very dexterously: and then Oberon
went, unperceived by Titania, to her bower, where she was preparing to go
to rest. Her fairy bower was a bank, where grew wild thyme, cowslips, and
sweet violets, under a canopy of woodbine, musk-roses, and eglantine.
There Titania always slept some part of the night; her coverlet the
enameled skin of a snake, which, though a small mantle, was wide enough to
wrap a fairy in.</p>
<p>He found Titania giving orders to her fairies, how they were to employ
themselves while she slept. “Some of you,” said her Majesty,
“must kill cankers in the musk-rose buds, and some wage war with the
bats for their leathern wings, to make my small elves coats; and some of
you keep watch that the clamorous owl, that nightly boots, come not near
me: but first sing me to sleep.” Then they began to sing this song:</p>
<p>“You spotted snakes, with double tongue,<br/>
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;<br/>
Newts and blind-worms do no wrong;<br/>
Come not near our fairy queen:<br/>
<br/>
“Philomel, with melody,<br/>
Sing in our sweet lullaby;<br/>
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby;<br/>
Never harm, nor spell, nor charm,<br/>
Come our lovely lady nigh;<br/>
So, good night, with lullaby.”<br/></p>
<p>When the fairies had sung their queen asleep with this pretty lullaby,
they left her to perform the important services she had enjoined them.
Oberon then softly drew near his Titania and dropped some of the
love-juice on her eyelids, saying:</p>
<p>“What thou seest when thou dost wake,<br/>
Do it for thy true-love take.”<br/></p>
<p>But to return to Hermia, who made her escape out of her father’s
house that night, to avoid the death she was doomed to for refusing to
marry Demetrius. When she entered the wood, she found her dear Lysander
waiting for her, to conduct her to his aunt’s house; but before they
had passed half through the wood Hermia was so much fatigued that
Lysander, who was very careful of this dear lady, who had proved her
affection for him even by hazarding her life for his sake, persuaded her
to rest till morning on a bank of soft moss, and, lying down himself on
the ground at some little distance, they soon fell fast asleep. Here they
were found by Puck, who, seeing a handsome young man asleep, and
perceiving that his clothes were made in the Athenian fashion, and that a
pretty lady was sleeping near him, concluded that this must be the
Athenian maid and her disdainful lover whom Oberon had sent him to seek;
and he naturally enough conjectured that, as they were alone together, she
must be the first thing he would see when he awoke; so, without more ado,
he proceeded to pour some of the juice of the little purple flower into
his eyes. But it so fell out that Helena came that way, and, instead of
Hermia, was the first object Lysander beheld when he opened his eyes; and
strange to relate, so powerful was the love-charm, all his love for Hermia
vanished away and Lysander fell in love with Helena.</p>
<p>Had he first seen Hermia when he awoke, the blunder Puck committed would
have been of no consequence, for he could not love that faithful lady too
well; but for poor Lysander to be forced by a fairy love-charm to forget
his own true Hernia, and to run after another lady, and leave Hermia
asleep quite alone in a wood at midnight, was a sad chance indeed.</p>
<p>Thus this misfortune happened. Helena, as has been before related,
endeavored to keep pace with Demetrius when he ran away so rudely from
her; but she could not continue this unequal race long, men being always
better runners in a long race than ladies. Helena soon lost sight of
Demetrius; and as she was wandering about, dejected and forlorn, she
arrived at the place where Lysander was sleeping. “Ah!” said
she, “this is Lysander lying on the ground. Is he dead or asleep?”
Then, gently touching him, she said, “Good sir, if you are alive,
awake.” Upon this Lysander opened his eyes, and, the love-charm
beginning to work, immediately addressed her in terms of extravagant love
and admiration, telling her she as much excelled Hermia in beauty as a
dove does a raven, and that be would run through fire for her sweet sake;
and many more such lover-like speeches. Helena, knowing Lysander was her
friend Hermia’s lover, and that he was solemnly engaged to marry
her, was in the utmost rage when she heard herself addressed in this
manner; for she thought (as well she might) that Lysander was making a
jest of her. “Oh!” said she, “why was I born to be
mocked and scorned by every one? Is it not enough, is it not enough, young
man, that I can never get a sweet look or a kind word from Demetrius; but
you, sir, must pretend in this disdainful manner to court me? I thought,
Lysander, you were a lord of more true gentleness.” Saying these
words in great anger, she ran away; and Lysander followed her, quite
forgetful of his own Hermia, who was still asleep.</p>
<p>When Hermia awoke she was in a sad fright at finding herself alone. She
wandered about the wood, not knowing what was become of Lysander, or which
way to go to seek for him. In the mean time Demetrius, not being able to
find Hermia and his rival Lysander, and fatigued with his fruitless
search, was observed by Oberon fast asleep. Oberon had learned by some
questions he had asked of Puck that he had applied the lovecharm to the
wrong person’s eyes; and now, having found the person first
intended, he touched the eyelids of the sleeping Demetrius with the
love-juice, and he instantly awoke; and the first thing he saw being
Helena, he, as Lysander had done before, began to address love-speeches to
her; and just at that moment Lysander, followed by Hermia (for through
Puck’s unlucky mistake it was now become Hermia’s turn to run
after her lover), made his appearance; and then Lysander and Demetrius,
both speaking together, made love to Helena, they being each one under the
influence of the same potent charm.</p>
<p>The astonished Helena thought that Demetrius, Lysander, and her once dear
friend Hermia were all in a plot together to make a jest of her.</p>
<p>Hermia was as much surprised as Helena; she knew not why Lysander and
Demetrius, who both before loved her, were now become the lovers of
Helena, and to Hermia the matter seemed to be no jest.</p>
<p>The ladies, who before bad always been the dearest of friends, now fell to
high words together.</p>
<p>“Unkind. Hermia,” said Helena, “it is you have set
Lysander on to vex me with mock praises; and your other lover, Demetrius,
who used almost to spurn me with his foot, have you not bid him call me
goddess, nymph, rare, precious, and celestial? He would not speak thus to
me, whom he hates, if you did not set him on to make a jest of me. Unkind
Hermia, to join with men in scorning your poor friend. Have you forgot our
schoolday friendship? How often, Hermia, have we two, sitting on one
cushion, both singing one song, with our needles working the same flower,
both on the same sampler wrought; growing up together in fashion of a
double cherry, scarcely seeming parted! Hermia, it is not friendly in you,
it is not maidenly to join with men in scorning your poor friend.”</p>
<p>“I am amazed at your passionate words,” said Hermia: “I
scorn you not; it seems you scorn me.”</p>
<p>“Aye, do,” returned Helena, “persevere, counterfeit
serious looks, and make mouths at me when I turn my back; then wink at
each other, and hold the sweet jest up. If you had any pity, grace, or
manners, you would not use me thus.”</p>
<p>While Helena and Hermia were speaking these angry words to each other,
Demetrius and Lysander left them, to fight together in the wood for the
love of Helena.</p>
<p>When they found the gentlemen had left them, they departed, and once more
wandered weary in the wood in search of their lovers.</p>
<p>As soon as they were gone the fairy king, who with little Puck had been
listening to their quarrels, said to him, “This is your negligence,
Puck; or did you do this wilfully?”</p>
<p>“Believe me, king of shadows,” answered Puck, “it was a
mistake. Did not you tell me I should know the man by his Athenian
garments? However, I am not sorry this has happened, for I think their
jangling makes excellent sport.”</p>
<p>“You heard,” said Oberon, “that Demetrius and Lysander
are gone to seek a convenient place to fight in. I command you to overhang
the night with a thick fog, and lead these quarrelsome lovers so astray in’
the dark that they shall not be able to find each other. Counterfeit each
of their voices to the other, and with bitter taunts provoke them to
follow you, while they think it is their rival’s tongue they hear.
See you do this, till they are so weary they can go no farther; and when
you find they are asleep, drop the juice of this other flower into
Lysander’s eyes, and when he awakes he will forget his new love for
Helena, and return to his old passion for Hermia; and then the two fair
ladies may each one be happy with the man she loves and they will think
all that has passed a vexatious dream. About this quickly, Puck, and I
will go and see what sweet love my Titania has found.”</p>
<p>Titania was still sleeping, and Oberon, seeing a clown near her who had
lost his way in the wood and was likewise asleep, “This fellow,”
said he, “shall be my Titania’s true love”; and clapping
an ass’s head over the clown’s, it seemed to fit him as well
as if it had grown upon his own shoulders. Though Oberon fixed the ass’s
head on very gently, it awakened him, and, rising up, unconscious of what
Oberon had done to him, he went toward the bower where the fairy queen
slept.</p>
<p>“Ah I what angel is that I see?” said Titania, opening her
eyes, and the juice of the little purple flower beginning to take effect.
“Are you as wise as you are beautiful?”</p>
<p>“Why, mistress,” said the foolish clown, “if I have wit
enough to find the way out of this wood, I have enough to serve my turn.”</p>
<p>“Out of the wood do not desire to go,” said the enamoured
queen. “I am a spirit of no common rate. I love you. Go with me, and
I will give you fairies to attend upon you.”</p>
<p>She then called four of her fairies. Their names were Peas-blossom,
Cobweb, Moth, and Mustard-seed.</p>
<p>“Attend,” said the queen, “upon this sweet gentleman.
Hop in his walks and gambol in his sight; feed him with grapes and
apricots, and steal for him the honey-bags from the bees. Come, sit with
me,” said she to the clown., “and let me play with your
amiable hairy cheeks, my beautiful ass! and kiss your fair large ears, my
gentle joy.”</p>
<p>“Where is Peas-blossom?” said the ass-headed clown, not much
regarding the fairy queen’s courtship, but very proud of his new
attendants.</p>
<p>“Here, sir,” said little Peas-blossom.</p>
<p>“Scratch my head,” said the clown. “Where is Cobweb?”</p>
<p>“Here, sir,” said Cobweb.</p>
<p>“Good Mr. Cobweb,” said the foolish clown, “kill me the
red humblebee on the top of that thistle yonder; and, good Mr. Cobweb,
bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret yourself too much in the action, Mr.
Cobweb, and take care the honey-bag break not; I should be sorry to have
you overflown with a honey-bag. Where is Mustard-seed?”</p>
<p>“Here, sir, “ said Mustard-seed. “What is your will?”</p>
<p>“Nothing,” said the clown, “good Mr. Mustard-seed, but
to help Mr. Peas-blossom to scratch; I must go to a barber’s, Mr.
Mustard-seed, for methinks I am marvelous hairy about the face.”</p>
<p>“My sweet love,” said the queen, “what will you have to
eat? I have a venturous fairy shall seek the squirrel’s hoard, and
fetch you some new nuts.”</p>
<p>“I had rather have a handful of dried peas,”’ said the
clown, who with his ass’s head had got an ass’s appetite.
“But, I pray, let none of your people disturb me, for I have a mind
to sleep.”</p>
<p>“Sleep, then,” said the queen, “and I will wind you in
my arms. Oh, how I love you! how I dote upon you!”</p>
<p>When the fairy king saw the clown sleeping in the arms of his queen, he
advanced within her sight, and reproached her with having lavished her
favors upon an ass.</p>
<p>This she could not deny, as the clown was then sleeping within her arms,
with his ass’s head crowned by her with flowers.</p>
<p>When Oberon had teased her for some time, he again demanded the changeling
boy; which she, ashamed of being discovered by her lord with her new
favorite, did not dare to refuse him.</p>
<p>Oberon, having thus obtained the little boy he had so long wished for to
be his page, took pity on the disgraceful situation into which, by his
merry contrivance, he had brought his Titania, and threw some of the juice
of the other flower into her eyes; and the fairy queen immediately
recovered her senses, and wondered at her late dotage, saying how she now
loathed the sight of the strange monster.</p>
<p>Oberon likewise took the ass’s head from off the clown, and left him
to finish his nap with his own fool’s head upon his shoulders.</p>
<p>Oberon and his Titania being now perfectly reconciled, he related to her
the history of the lovers and their midnight quarrels, and she agreed to
go with him and see the end of their adventures.</p>
<p>The fairy king and queen found the lovers and their fair ladies, at no
great distance from one another, sleeping on a grass-plot; for Puck, to
make amends for his former mistake, had contrived with the utmost
diligence to bring them all to the same spot, unknown to one another; and
he bad carefully removed the charm from off the eyes of Lysander with the
antidote the fairy king gave to him.</p>
<p>Hermia first awoke, and, finding her lost Lysander asleep so near her, was
looking at him and wondering at his strange inconstancy. Lysander
presently opening his eyes, and seeing his dear Hermia, recovered his
reason which the fairy charm had before clouded, and with his reason his
love for Hermia; and they began to talk over the adventures of the night,
doubting if these things had really happened, or if they bad both been
dreaming the same bewildering dream.</p>
<p>Helena and Demetrius were by this time awake; and a sweet sleep having
quieted Helena’s disturbed and angry spirits, she listened with
delight to the professions of love which Demetrius still made to her, and
which, to her surprise as well as pleasure, she began to perceive were
sincere.</p>
<p>These fair night-wandering ladies, now no longer rivals, became once more
true friends; all the unkind words which had passed were forgiven, and
they calmly consulted together what was best to be done in their present
situation. It was soon agreed that, as Demetrius bad given up his
pretensions to Hermia, he should endeavor to prevail upon her father to
revoke the cruel sentence of death which had been passed against her.
Demetrius was preparing to return to Athens for this friendly purpose,
when they were surprised with the sight of Egeus, Hermia’s father,
who came to the wood in pursuit of his runaway daughter.</p>
<p>When Egeus understood that Demetrius would not now marry his daughter, he
no longer opposed her marriage with Lysander, but gave his consent that
they should be wedded on the fourth day from that time, being the same day
on which Hermia had been condemned to lose her life; and on that same day
Helena joyfully agreed to marry her beloved and now faithful Demetrius.</p>
<p>The fairy king and queen, who were invisible spectators of this
reconciliation, and now saw the happy ending of the lovers’ history,
brought about through the good offices of Oberon, received so much
pleasure that these kind spirits resolved to celebrate the approaching
nuptials with sports and revels throughout their fairy kingdom.</p>
<p>And now, if any are offended with this story of fairies and their pranks,
as judging it incredible and strange, they have only to think that they
have been asleep and dreaming, and that all these adventures were visions
which they saw in their sleep. And I hope none of my readers will be so
unreasonable as to be offended with a pretty, harmless Midsummer Night’s
Dream.</p>
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