Titania and Oberon

In the legends of Charlemagne, Oberon was said to be the son of Caesar and the Lady of the Hidden Island. He was the father of Robin Goodfellow, who later fostered the race of mischievous sprites called Pechs or Pucks.

The legend of Huon of Bordeaux told that Oberon was the King of the large, enchanted forest called Mommur. This legend described him as a dwarfish figure of about 3 feet tall who had the ability to see into the future. He also was able to create terrifying lightning storms.

Titania was the wife of Oberon, king of the fairies. She eventually took over the place as queen of the fairies in English folklore from Mab. According to the belief in Shakespeare’s age, fairies were the same as the classic nymphs, the attendants of Diana. The queen of the fairies was therefore Diana herself, called Titania by Ovid (Metamorphoses, iii. 173).

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the earliest novels of the great dramatist, William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has quite a complex plot which revolves around the couples namely Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius and Titania and Oberon.

Summary of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Comedy

Theseus, duke of Athens, has conquered Hippolyta, the Amazon queen, and is about to wed her. Meanwhile, two lovers, Hermia and Lysander, hide in the woods when Hermia’s father demands that she marry Demetrius. Hoping to win his favour, Helena tells Demetrius of their whereabouts, and the two go to the woods in search of the fugitives. The forest is also full of fairies who have come for the duke’s wedding. After their king, Oberon, argues with his queen, Titania, he tells his servant Puck to drop magic juice into her eyes as she sleeps. The magic juice will make her love the first person she sees when she awakes. He also tells Puck to drop the juice into Demetrius’ eyes, but Puck confuses Lysander with Demetrius and as a result Lysander falls in love with Helena. So does Demetrius, when Oberon tries to correct Puck’s mistake.

In the same woods a group of artisans are rehearsing a play for the duke’s wedding. Ever playful, Puck gives one of them, Nick Bottom, an ass’s head; when Titania awakens, she falls in love with Bottom. After some general confusion and comic misunderstanding, Oberon’s magic restores Titania and the four lovers to their original states. The duke invites the two couples to join him and Hippolyta in a triple wedding. The wedding celebration features Bottom’s troupe in a comically inept performance of their play, The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe.

With a lot of mirthful misadventures, Oberon achieves what he had set out to get-Titania’s page boy. Titania and Oberon are finally united and no rancor was created because of the application of the magic potion.