A midsummer Nights Dream

Lovers' Quarrels

Puck was thrilled with the results of his trick on Bottom, and he ran off to

find Oberon. He wanted to tell him everything that had happened.

'So  you  gave  Bottom  a  donkey's  head,'  Oberon  laughed.  'Then  what

happened?'

'Bottom's  friends  ran  away  when  they  saw  him,  'Puck  explained,  'and

Bottom  was  left  alone  in  the  wood.  He  started  singing,  and  the  noise  he  made

woke Titania. As soon as she woke up, she saw him and she.

'... she fell in love with him!' cried Oberon with pleasure. 'An idiot with a

donkey's head! That is a good joke, Puck. That'll teach Titania to be so horrible

to me! Well done, well done indeed!'

Puck smiled happily at Oberon. He was pleased with himself.

'And the boy from Athens?' asked Oberon. 'Did you find him, as I told you,

and put the magic juice into his eyes?'

'Yes,' said Puck, 'I found him and the girl. He'll fall in love with her as soon

as he wakes up.'

Just  at  that  moment  Demetrius  and  Hermia  came  into  sight.  Oberon  and

Puck both saw them.

'That's strange,' commented Oberon. 'It's the same boy, all right - but I've

never seen that girl before!'

Puck was confused, as well.

'It is strange.' he said. 'That's the same girl, but I don't know who the boy is

- I've never seen him before!'

The  King  and  his  servant  looked  at  each  other.  They  did  not  understand

what  had  happened.  Then  they  approached  the  young  couple.  They  wanted  to

hear what Demetrius and Hermia were saying to each other.

'Why are you so cruel to me Hermia?' complained Demetrius. 'You know I

love you.'

'Love me?' Hermia replied angrily. 'I don't care if you do love me. I want to

know  where  Lysander  is.  When  I  woke  up,  he  was  gone  -  I  was  alone  in  the

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wood. Tell me the truth, Demetrius! Have you killed the man I love?'

'No, I haven't killed him,' Demetrius said. 'I don't know where he is and I

don't care where he is - but I certainly haven't killed him, Hermia.'

'Then  where  can  he  be?'  Hermia  cried  desperately.  'I  can't  understand

what's happened to him. Help me find him, Demetrius. Please help me find him.'

'And if I do help you.' Demetrius asked, 'what will you do for me, Hermia?

Remember that I love you.'

Hermia was very angry with Demetrius now.

'Leave  me  alone!'  she  cried.  'Can't  you  understand  that  I  hate  you,

Demetrius? Just leave me alone!'

Hermia ran away through the wood.

'There's no point in following her now,' Demetrius thought. 'It wouldn't do

any good to speak to her just now. I'll rest here a while, and then I'll look for her

when she's calmer. Perhaps she'll listen to me then.'

He lay down on the ground, and in a few minutes he fell asleep.

Oberon and Puck were surprised by what they had heard. Neither of them

spoke. Then Oberon pointed angrily at his servant.

'Now  look  what  you've  done!'  he  said.  'You  put  the  magic  juice  into  the

wrong  man's  eyes,  Puck!  I  wanted  you  to  make  Helena  happy,  but  you  haven't

done that at all. Go and find her. Use your magic to bring her here, and I'll make

sure  that  Demetrius  falls  in  love  with  her.  Go  quickly,  Puck,  there  isn't  much

time before morning!'

Puck flew through the wood in search of Helena. He was soon back at the

King's side. Oberon could see that Puck was trying hard not to laugh.

'What is it now?' demanded the King. 'What's so funny?'

'She's  coming.  Helena's  coming,'  Puck  announced.  'But  there's  someone

with her, Oberon.'

Now  Puck  began  to  laugh.  'I  did  make  a  mistake  with  the  magic  juice  -

now this other boy's terribly in love with her! Let's listen to what they say, shall

we?'

Once again Oberon and his servant watched quietly. Soon they could hear

every word of the conversation between Helena and Lysander.

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'Why  do  you  think  I'm  making  fun  of  you. Helena?' Lysander asked

miserably. 'I tell you I love you.'

'What  about  all  your  promises  to  Hermia?'  Helena  asked  him  angrily.

'What happened to them, Lysander?'

'It's  true,'  Lysander  said.  'I  thought  I  loved  Hermia  once.  Now  she  means

nothing to me. It's you I love. Helena, only you.'

'I  don't  believe  you.  Lysander,'  Helena  told  him.  'You're  playing  some

unkind game, and I think it's wrong of you.'

Helena  and  Lysander  were  walking  near  the  place  where  Demetrius  was

sleeping,  and  the  noise  of  their  talking  woke  him  up.  Oberon  had  worked  his

magic  on  Demetrius,  so  that  when  he  saw  Helena,  the  young  man  fell  in  love

with her immediately.

'Helena!' he cried. 'My love, Helena!'

This was too  much for Helena.  She thought that  Demetrius and Lysander

were being cruel to her. She was very offended with them.

'Stop  it,  both  of  you  -  just  stop  this  game!'  Helena  shouted  at  Demetrius

and Lysander. 'I don't know why you've decided to be so cruel to me - but stop it,

please!'

Hermia  appeared  at  this  moment.  She  had  been  looking  for  Lysander

everywhere, and she was very happy to see him alive and well.

'Lysander!  I've  been  looking  everywhere  for  you.  Why  did  you  leave  me

like that?' she asked.

'Why shouldn't I leave you?' Lysander replied coldly. 'Love made me leave

you.'

Hermia was astonished.

'Love made you leave me,' she repeated slowly. 'What do you mean? Aren't

I the girl you love, Lysander?'

'You!' Lysander mocked her. 'I love Helena, not you.'

Hermia could not believe what she was hearing.

'It can't be true!' she whispered. 'It can't be true. Last night you loved me,

and now you say everything is changed, and you love Helena?"

Helena  interrupted  the  conversation  between  Lysander  and  Hermia.  Now

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she was convinced that all of her three friends had joined together to mock her

and she was angry and offended.

'I would never have thought it of you, Hermia,' she said. 'What made you

turn  against  me  and  make  fun  of  me  like  this?  We've  always  been  such  good

friends. Why are you treating me so badly?'

'I don't understand you.' Hermia told her. 'What do you mean, Helena?'

'You  know  very  well  that  Demetrius  and  Lysander  are  both  in  love  with

you.' Helena said. 'Why have you made them both pretend to be in love with me?

What kind of cruel game are you playing?'

'I still don't know what you're talking about,' Hermia replied.

'That's right, make fun of me, all of you!' Helena shouted. 'I know now that

you all hate me. I won't stay here to be the victim of your cruel jokes.'

Then Lysander and Demetrius began to argue with each other.

'You ran away from Athens with Hermia.' Demetrius said. 'Stay with her. I

love Helena!'

'You wanted to marry Hermia,' Lysander said. 'There she is, take her and be

happy. I love Helena now!'

They  looked  at  each  other  fiercely,  and  Lysander  reached  for  his  sword.

Demetrius then reached for his sword as well. The two young men wanted to kill

each other.

'Stop  it!  Stop  it,  both  of  you!'  Hermia  shouted.  She  ran  to  Lysander,  and

held onto his arm.

Lysander was now furious with Hermia as well as Demetrius.

'Don't touch me! Get away from me! I hate you!'

Hate me? How can you say that you hale me! Lysander?'

'Get away, I tell you,' Lysander repeated, and he pushed Hermia angrily.

'Then it's true?' she asked him. 'It's really true that you don't love me any

more, Lysander? And you're in love with Helena?'

'Yes, it's true,' Lysander said. 'Now leave me alone.'

Hermia turned to Helena. She was very pale and angry.

'You!"  she  cried.  'I  thought  you  were  my  friend  -  but  you've  stolen

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Lysander from me. I hate you!'

Oberon knew that the four young people would soon begin fighting, and he

decided to interfere.

'We must use some more magic, Puck,' he said. 'If we don't do something,

they'll really hurt each other.'

He thought for a moment, then he gave his orders. He told Puck to make

the wood very dark, and to put a thick mist everywhere. Then he told his servant

to go to Lysander and Demetrius in turn.

'They won't be able to see anything in the mist,' he said. 'When you go to

Lysander,  pretend  to  be  Demetrius.  Tell  Lysander  that  you  want  to  fight  him.

He'll follow you. Then go to Demetrius, and pretend to be Lysander. Tell him the

same thing, and make him follow you in a different direction. You can keep them

apart that way.'

Oberon  told  Puck  to  make  the  young  men  chase  after  him  until  they

became tired and fell asleep.

'Once they're asleep,' he said, 'I'll use the magic juice to put things right. I'll

make  Lysander  fall  in  love  with  Hermia  again.  When  they  all  wake  up,  they'll

remember  what  happened  here  as  if  it  had  all  been  a  dream.  While  they're  all

sleeping, I'll go to Titania, and make peace with her.'

Puck  carried  out  Oberon's  orders  very  carefully.  He  prevented  Demetrius

and Lysander from fighting, and soon all the young people were safely asleep in

the wood.

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РАRT SIX