ANSWERS TO KEY QUESTIONS (ACT 2 SCENE 1)

Act 2 Scene 1 (Suggested Answers)

A) Differences

Act One Act Two, Scene One
Mortal world Fairy world
Theseus’ palace Moonlit woods
Reason/Law Magic/Supernatural



B) i) To distinguish the fairy world from the mortal world. The verse form is said to reflect the more ethereal / spritely nature of the fairies being more brisk and rhythmic / incantatory with shorter lines, stronger stresses and rhyming couplets. Notice how the use of repetition and alliteration enhances this effect. (see lines 2-5 in particular)

ii) in a high-pitch sing-song manner



C) swift/speedy
small / petite / tiny / diminutive
ethereal / delicate/ dainty / graceful
dutiful and industrious servants
magical and supernatural powers
special relationship with natural world



D) Titania dotes on a changeling boy from the distant Indian sands. Oberon is jealous of her diverted attention and so wants the child as part of his royal retinue (as a page). Titania’s stubborn refusal to give up the boy has made Oberon angry.



E) She is infatuated / obsessed with the child and gives him her exclusive attention (which is
possibly the cause of Oberon’s jealousy)



F) Makes the sound of a young female horse (filly) to trick the male horse.
Changes into a crab apple in an old woman’s drinking bowl and bobs against the side to spill the drink.
As a stool, he slips out from under the person seated on him thus causing the person to fall onto his/her backside.



G) Mischievous— his pranks
Mirthful—his gleeful accounts of his exploits, plus his function as Oberon’s ‘jester’



H) There is a ‘frosty’, strained / tense atmosphere. They are hostile / aggressive / accusatory.



I) i) Titania accuses Oberon of being flirtatious with mortals (amorous Philida) and being overly fond of HIppolyta. Oberon accuses Titania of being similarly over-fond of Theseus, aiding and abetting him to forsake several lovers.

ii) The jealousy
The mutual accusation / recrimination
The sarcasm / insults / petty jibes
The way in which the argument escalates as each party looks for added ammunition to support their initial grievance.
Their mutual intransigence— both refuse to budge an inch.



J) Mockingly (perhaps with an elaborate sweep of her train / an elaborate curtsy)



K) No. She is speaking scathingly/ scornfully/ sarcastically. Titania is disparaging Hippolyta’s muscular / masculine / aggressive aspects as the military leader of a tribe of warriors (‘buskined’, ‘warrior’) and possibly, her large, strong, athletic figure (the noun ‘amazon’ is still used today to describe such a physique). Both aspects are in obvious contrast to Titania’s own delicate shape and ethereal nature.







L) Although they are here to bless the royal wedding / union of Theseus and Hippolyta, their own royal relationship is shown to be ‘on the rocks’—they are divided in hostile disagreement.



M) We glimpse the rasher /feckless/ fickle/ passionate/ romantic side of Theseus’ youth. This is in contrast to the stable/ mature/ rational/ wise duke that we see in the play. Age, experience and responsibility have obviously worked wonders!



N) i) Humans are wretched / miserable and confused/ bewildered.

ii) Contagious fogs / rheumatic diseases
Flooding rivers
Spoiled crops
Diseased / dying sheep and cattle
No village games or merriment
Unpredictable / changeable/ weather / seasons affecting natural cycles of rebirth / growth.
All these phenomena are unnatural and discordant reflecting the conflict / lack of harmony in Oberon and Titania’s relationship.



O) Titania compares herself and Oberon to parents and the ‘evils’ afflicting the mortal world to their children/offspring. This is a highly effective metaphor since it directly and ‘organically’ links the fairy king and queen to mortal problems. It emphasizes both the unnatural state of their relationship and the symbiotic relationship between the supernatural and mortal worlds. It also highlights their royal ‘obligation’ to and the relationship with humans—instead of acting like caring parents, they are behaving in a selfish and irresponsible manner.



P) The first line could be said as a fierce, rather petulant rebuke/ rejoinder. The next three lines suggest a change in tone/approach. Perhaps Oberon is more cajoling/ mild/ reasonable with maybe a hint of whining/ injured/childish self-pity?



Q) Titania leaves to avoid an outright, more vehement quarrel. She probably makes an extremely brisk, if not brusque, exit. We can imagine her tossing her head and sweeping from the stage in a regal, haughty manner.



R) It reinforces our general impression of the supernatural /magical and specifically emphasizes Oberon’s supernatural status and power. The measured / stately/ poetic quality of the description also contrasts to the previous petty squabbling and effectively puts the scene back on a more even keel.



S) Cupid shot an arrow at a beautiful virgin in the West (usually taken to be Queen Elizabeth I) but his ‘fiery shaft’ was quenched by the chaste beams of the moon (which was personified by Diana, goddess of chastity) an the royal virgin passed unscathed. The arrow fell on the pansy

and colored this previously milk-white flower purple. Because of this, the juice of the flower is magic. When applied to a sleeping person’s eyelids, it causes him or her to dote upon the first thing they see upon awakening.

T) i) Because TItania is already ‘doting’ on the changeling, which is the cause of their quarrel.
ii) Perhaps Oberon thinks that making her dote on a ‘vile creature’ will teach her a lesson about the irrational and unreasonable nature of her present obsession.
In this sense, he is not being cruel but making the punishment fit the crime. This, however, could be construed as a rather generous interpretation. Even though there is a certain amount of poetic justice in Oberon’s plan, we feel that his plot is also marred by a jealous desire for revenge (Act 2, Scene 1, line 147)

U) Most probably either (b) or (c). Less likely to be (a) given her timidity / embarrassment and discomfort.

V) Most probably (a) given his present tone (see line 194), his subsequent blunt speaking (lines 199-201 and 211-212), harsh rebuke (lines 214-219), callous indifference and threatening behavior (lines 227-228 and 235-237)

W) We have to bear in mind Helena’s state of mind. Not only is she infatuated with Demetrius but also, he has reciprocated her affection and publicly courted her (evidenced by Lysander’s knowledge that he had ‘made love to Nedar’s daughter’). She has been driven to distraction by his sudden rejection and is desperate to regain his love.
We also have to bear in mind the nature of the play—Helena’s fawning is intended to appear to the Elizabethan audience as comically absurd and embarrassing.
On a general level, it constitutes an amusing comment on the irrational and obsessive nature of young love. If one adopts a more political, feminist viewpoint then her self-abasement could be considered demeaning and disgraceful. This more damning judgment is rather dubious and inappropriate given the period in which the play was written and the dramatic context of Romantic Comedy.

X) Again, we must bear in mind the genre and specific dramatic context. From his point of view, he is sick of being persistently pestered by Helena. Just as Helena dotes on him, so does he dote on Hermia. In this respect, his dismissive attitude is no better or worse than Lysander’s contemptuous rejection of Hermia in Act 3. Hence, although Demetrius is being unreasonable, he is no more or less so than Lysander—both men seem to be equally as vehement in their rejection of previous loves as they are passionate in their adoration of present ones.

Y) Hermia (Act1, Scene1, lines 206-207)
‘O then what graces in my love do dwell, / that he hath turned a heaven unto a hell!’
Both women are bemoaning their plight. They are both ‘in hell’ without their loves, and ‘in heaven’ when with them.

Z) Prolific natural images (relating to sight and smell) evoke a sensuous/ voluptuous atmosphere. We are given a sense of luxuriant wild plants emitting rich/ fragrant odors and creating a narcotic effect.
‘Overcanopied’ gives a sense of secure enclosure which, combined with the soothing / slow/ rhythmic connotations of ‘nodding’ and ‘lulled’, convey a sense of comfortable, sweet drowsiness.
The reference to the snake’s skin encircling a fairy reinforces this sense of envelopment and serves to add a magical/exotic touch.

a) i) He is concerned / caring / sympathetic / compassionate.
ii) Students should be able to guess that Puck will ‘anoint’ the wrong Athenian’s eyes because they know of Lysander and Hermia’s agreement to meet in the woods.