Like we said, when Titania refuses, Oberon breaks out all the stops until he gets his way. What's the deal? Well, Oberon never comes out and tells us what motivates his desire for the little boy, but we can look closely at the text for some possible answers.
According to Puck, Oberon is jealous because Titania spends all her time lavishing the kid with her attention and ignores Oberon:. And jealous Oberon would have the child Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild. But she perforce withholds the loved boy, Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy 2. There's also a suggestion here that Oberon is on a major power trip.
Puck tells us that he wants the boy to be his servant, which may be a way for him to demonstrate his power over Titania. At one point, Oberon calls Titania a "rash wanton" and asks "Am not I thy lord? Translation: "I'm a man and your husband so you should do whatever I say. Whatever motivates Oberon's jealousy, one thing is certain—he's ruthless when it comes to getting his way.
We also know that Oberon and Titania have been clashing a lot and that their big "brawls" have been very destructive. Titania tells us that the fights have been so violent that they've disrupted the seasons and the weather, which has caused devastating winds, rain, and flooding 2. As a result, crops have been ruined and there's been a shortage of food for humans. Why does this matter? Well, King Oberon and Queen Titania's negative impact on the natural world gestures at the realities of power in the 16th century.
They reunite before the end of the play. When Titania first sees Bottom she falls in love with him instantly because of the potion, even though he has the head of a donkey.
Bottom is confused as to why someone so beautiful would love him but is also besotted with the fairy queen and her attention. Titania showers Bottom with gifts and gives him everything he wants, much to the amusement of her fairy servants.
Oberon tasks Puck with his own errands and seems to trust him. Oberon is annoyed at Puck when he mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and directs him to go and fix it. Once Puck has fixed his mistake their relationship seems to be restored and Oberon treats Puck with the same respect he did before. Demetrius follows Hermia after learning she has run away with Lysander. When Lysander disappears Hermia blames Demetrius for killing him and does not trust him.
When Demetrius wakes and falls in love with Helena, Hermia is more concerned about Lysander than Demetrius and blames Helena for what is happening. At the start of the play Helena is in love with Demetrius, who she was once engaged to, but he does not love her anymore. She tells him that Hermia is running away into the forest and he goes to follow her instead.
She follows after him and Demetrius tells her to go home. She claims she will just love him more. Demetrius is affected by the love potion that Puck has given him and he suddenly falls in love with Helena. They stay together in the forest but Hermia asks that they sleep apart and Lysander respects this. Lysander is affected by the love potion that Puck gives to him by mistake.
It causes him to fall in love with Helena instead, because she is the first thing he sees. This hurts Hermia, who is confused and upset. Egeus has complete power over Hermia, and is able to decide who she will marry. At the start of the play he chooses to use an ancient law to threaten her with death if she does not obey him in marrying Demetrius.
Lysander knows Helena as the best friend of Hermia, who he wants to marry. Helena is the only person who knows when Hermia and Lysander run away together. He respects her and seems to want things to work out between her and Demetrius. Helena is confused because she knows how much he loved Hermia, her best friend. Helena becomes more confused as Lysander makes great declarations of love, thinking the whole thing must be a joke.
At the start of the play, Egeus has come to Theseus to get his approval and support as he is trying to make Hermia marry Demetrius. As the Duke of Athens, Theseus has a lot of power in this situation. At the end of the play, Theseus uses his power over Egeus and overrules his decision, allowing Hermia and Lysander to marry. On this page students can arrange the characters on the screen, showing the connections between the characters and their relationships. They can then print this using the button on the page and label them with their own quotes.
Main Site Menu. Investigate Character Relationships See how their relationship changes during the play by moving the bar to the marked points. Print View the information. Photo by Donald Cooper Browse and license our images. Photo by Angus McBean Browse and license our images. Photo by Reg Wilson Browse and license our images. Photo by Ellie Kurttz Browse and license our images. Photo by Topher McGrillis Browse and license our images.
Browse and license our images. Things they say: 'Then I must be thy lady…' Titania, Photo by John Haynes Browse and license our images. Things they say: ' I am invisible; And will overhear their conference.
Photo by Stewart Hemley Browse and license our images. After the craftsmen conclude their rendition of Pyramus and Thisbe and Theseus calls for all of the lovers to go to bed, the fairies offer a blessing for the three sleeping couples.
Most obviously, this anxiety about deformity echoes the amorous pairing between Titania and Nick Bottom that occurred earlier in the play. Horrified by the result of this coupling, Minos employed the architect Daedalus to build a labyrinth in which to imprison the Minotaur. Part of what made the Minotaur so monstrous is that he survived on human flesh, and required a continuous supply of human sacrifices.
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