A midsummer Nights Dream

PART THREE

The Fairy Kingdom

The next night several groups of people entered the wood outside Athens.

First  there  was  Lysander  and  Hermia.  Then  there  was  Demetrius  who  was

secretly  following  Hermia.  Demetrius  was  followed  by  Helena.  Finally,  there

was the group of actors led by Bottom.

None of these people knew it, but the wood outside Athens was a special

place that night. The King of the Fairies, Oberon, had decided to spend the night

there. His servant, Puck, was busy organising an entertainment for him.

Puck loved fun of all kinds, and he was looking forward to the pleasure he

would  give  the  King.  He  was  walking  happily  through  the  wood  when  he

suddenly saw a fairy.

'Who are you?' he asked. 'You're not one of the King's fairies, are you?'

'No. I'm not,' the fairy replied proudly. 'I serve the Queen, Titania.'

'The Queen!' Puck cried in surprise. 'Do you mean that the Queen is also

here tonight?'

'Certainly  she  is.'  the  fairy  told  him.  The  Queen  and  her  retinue  I  will  be

here shortly.'

This was not good news for Puck. Oberon and Titania had quarrelled very

badly.  The  Queen  had  taken  a  new  servant-boy,  and  refused  to  give  him  to  the

King. The King was offended by her behaviour. They were avoiding each other,

and hardly spoke when they met.

'We must keep them apart.' Puck thought. 'It will be a disaster if they see

each other, because they'll just squabble again. The King and the Queen must not

meet.'

But it was too late, for the next moment Oberon and his servants appeared

from one direction - and Titania and her servants appeared from another! When

they  saw  each  other,  the  King  and  Queen  stopped  and  stared.  There  was  an

awkward silence in the wood. Puck did not know what to do.

Suddenly Titania made a sign to her servants.

'I won't speak to him.' she announced. 'I will never speak to him again.'

---

Oberon heard what the Queen said, and it made him angry.

'I am your King, Titania. Remember that!' he commanded in a stern voice.

'You are my King, it's true,' Titania replied. 'But you have been unfaithful

to me - I know you were in love with Hippolyta!'

'And I know you were in love with Theseus!' Oberon told her.

'That  is  nonsense,  Titania  said.  'It's  an  invention  of  your  jealousy.'  She

sighed very deeply.

'Our quarrel is  a terrible thing,  Oberon,' she complained.  'It has disturbed

the weather throughout the whole world. Everywhere men are suffering because

of our quarrel.'

'Bring the quarrel to an end, then,' Oberon said. 'Give me the servant boy,

and our quarrel is finished.'

'Never!'  replied  the  Queen.  'The  boy  is  mine,  and  he  will  stay  with  me.'

Saying this, the Queen turned her back on Oberon, and walked away.

Oberon was more angry than ever with Titania now and he decided to play

a trick on her. He knew where there was a magical flower that had the power to

make people fall in love. He ordered Puck to look for the flower, and to bring it

to him.

'I'll wait until Titania is asleep tonight,' Oberon thought. 'Then I'll squeeze

a little of the juice from the flower into her eyes. When she awakes, she'll fall in

love  with  the  first  person  she  sees.  That  will  punish  her  for  her  pride  and

arrogance!' - He smiled with amusement at the trick. Now he felt more cheerful.

Just  then  Demetrius  and  Helena  came  into  that  part  of  the  wood.  They

were quarrelling loudly. Oberon quickly made himself invisible so that he could

listen to them.

'I've  already  told  you  to  go  back  to  Athens,'  Demetrius  said  to  Helena.  'I

came here because I'm in love with Hermia - stop following me!'

'I'll  always  follow  you,  Demetrius,'  Helena  replied.  'Can't  you  understand

that I love you - I'll never leave you!'

'If you don't leave me alone. I'll abandon you here in the wood!' Demetrius

threatened her. 'It's a dangerous place - you don't want to be left by yourself, do

you?'

---

'If you leave me, I'll run after you,' Helena told him. 'I don't care how badly

you treat me, Demetrius - I love you!'

The young couple walked away, still arguing bitterly.

Oberon  was  shocked  by  what  he  had  heard  of  the  conversation  between

Demetrius and Helena.

'What  a  pity!'  thought  Oberon.  'That  young  fellow  deserves  a  lesson  -  to

treat a beautiful girl in that way. It's not right at all.' Then an idea came to him,

and he smiled again. 'I know what I'll do,' he thought. 'I'll make the boy fall in

love with her. He'll learn what it is to suffer for love!'

When  Puck  returned,  he  was  carrying  the  magical  flower  with  him.  He

gave the flower to Oberon.

'Come  with  me,'  Oberon  ordered.  'I  know  the  place  where  Titania  sleeps.

Let's go and find her.'

Oberon and Puck  walked very quietly  through the forest  until they  found

Titania.  The  Queen  of  the  Fairies  was  fast  asleep.  Oberon  crept  forward,  and

gazed down on her. Titania was very beautiful. Oberon poured a little of the juice

from the flower into the Queen's eyes.

'There!' he whispered triumphantly to Puck. "When she wakes, she'll fall in

love with the first thing she sees. I hope it's something really ugly and horrible -

that'll teach her to be more respectful to me in the future!'

Oberon  and  Puck  left  the  Queen  sleeping  peacefully.  Then  Oberon  told

Puck about the young couple in the wood, and how cruelly the boy had behaved

towards the girl.

'Take a little of this magic juice, Puck,' the King ordered. 'Go through the

wood until you find them. As soon as they're asleep, pour a little of the juice into

the young man's eyes. When he wakes, he'll be in love with the girl!'

Puck liked the King's plan, and went off happily to search for the boy and

girl. He thought the King's idea was a wonderful one.

Lysander and Hermia thought that they were quite alone in the wood. They

were  very  happy  and  excited  to  be  together,  and  the  time  passed  quickly  for

them. Then Lysander realised that he had lost the way in the darkness.

'We  should  sleep  here  until  morning,'  he  said  to  Hermia.  'We'll  soon  find

our way again when it's light.'

---

Hermia  agreed  with  him.  She  lay  down  on  the  ground,  and  made  herself

comfortable. She was tired. Lysander lay down next to her on the soft ground.

'What  are  you  doing!'  cried  Hermia.  'Don't  lie  so  close  to  me,  we're  not

married yet. It's not right.'

Lysander  was  disappointed,  but  he  got  up  and  moved  a  little  way  away.

Then he, too lay down on the soft earth. The lovers had had a long and exciting

day, and they were soon asleep.

Puck  was  still  looking  for  the  boy  and  girl  that  Oberon  had  described  to

him. He came through the silent wood, carrying the flower carefully in his hand.

Then he saw Lysander and Hermia asleep.

That  must  be  them!'  he  thought.  'Look  how  far  away  the  boy  has  put

himself. She's frightened to lie next to him poor thing.'

Puck carefully poured some of the magic juice into Lysander's eyes.

'Now he'll fall in love with her.' Puck said to himself. 'As soon as he wakes

up  and  sees  her,  he'll  fall  in  love  with  her.  Oberon  will  be  pleased.  I've  done

everything that he asked.'

Lysander  and  Hermia  went  on  sleeping.  The  wood  was  very  dark  and

quiet.

A  little  while  later  Demetrius  and  Helena  came  into  the  part  of  the  wood

where the lovers were sleeping. They were still quarrelling, and Demetrius was

becoming increasingly angry.

'Go away!' he shouted at Helena. 'Leave me alone, I tell you!'

'I know that I'm not as beautiful as Hermia,' said Helena sadly. 'Everyone

loves  her.  If  I  were  like  her,  you'd  never  treat  me  like  this.'  She  began  to  sob.

Then she saw something on the ground in front of her. She cried out in surprise.

'Why, it's Lysander! Wake up. Lysander wake up!'

Lysander  woke  up  out  of  his  sleep,  and  looked  at  Helena.  The  flower

worked its magic, and he fell in love immediately.

'Helena, my love!' he cried out.

Helena  did  not  believe  that  Lysander  was  sincere  in  what  he  was  saying.

She knew that Lysander and Hermia were very much in love. She imagined that

he was making fun of her because of her love for Demetrius.

---

'It's very cruel of you to make fun of me,' Helena complained. 'Why do you

mock me with this silly game?'

She turned away from Lysander, and walked off into the wood.

'Wait! Helena, wait for me!' cried Lysander.

He got up quickly, and chased after Helena.

---