A Fairy Tale in Two Acts Taken from Shakespeare (1763)

In Short

This eighteen-century stage adaptation simplifies Shakespeare's classic comedy into a tight two-act musical romance focused on the fairy realm. The central action follows the quarrel between King Oberon and Queen Titania over a young page boy. When Oberon uses a magical potion to bewitch his sleeping wife, she awakens to adore Nick Bottom, an Athenian weaver rehearsing an amateur play in the woods. Filled with inserted songs, playful trickery, and enchanted woods, the work endured as a streamlined, music-heavy theatrical spectacle designed for popular London stage entertainments.

The Story

The play opens in Athens, where Peter Quince gathers a small group of local tradesmen—including Nick Bottom the weaver, Francis Flute the bellows-mender, and Snug the joiner—to organize an interlude for the Duke’s upcoming wedding night. They assign roles for a dramatic rendition of Pyramus and Thisby. Bottom continuously interrupts to demand more parts, boasting that he can play a tyrant, a lover, or a lion with equal skill. Fearing their rehearsals might attract crowds in the city, the troupe agrees to secret themselves away in the nearby forest near the Duke's oak tree by moonlight.

Meanwhile, deep within the same woods, a fairy attendant meets the mischievous Robin Goodfellow, or Puck. Puck warns that King Oberon and Queen Titania are severely at odds. Oberon is furious because Titania retains a stolen Indian changeling boy as her attendant, refusing to give him up to join Oberon's wild hunting train. When the royal pair confront each other, Titania explains that the child’s mother was her devoted follower who died in childbirth, making her bound by honor to rear him. Rejecting Oberon’s demands, she leaves him in a jealous rage. Determined to punish her, Oberon sends Puck to fetch a magical flower whose juice, applied to sleeping eyes, causes the victim to fall hopelessly in love with the very first living creature seen upon waking.

As Titania lies sleeping in her bower under the protective songs of her fairy attendants, Oberon sneaks in and drops the magical potion upon her eyelids. Nearby, the Athenian craftsmen assemble for their rehearsal. Puck stumbles upon the clumsy production, causing thunder and lightning to terrify the tradesmen into fleeing through the forest. When Bottom returns singing loudly to prove he is not afraid, he wakes Titania. The enchanted fairy queen immediately declares her love for him, promising him fairy servants, luxurious fruits, and freedom from his mortal limitations. Bottom accepts her extravagant hospitality with unbothered charm, calling for her fairy attendants and resting in her bower.

While Titania sleeps in Bottom's arms, Oberon approaches her again. Finding her so thoroughly distracted by her affection for a mortal, Oberon successfully presses her to surrender the changeling boy. Having secured his prize, he pities her condition and applies an antidote to her eyes. Titania awakens bewildered, expressing immediate loathing for the mortal she just adored. Reconciled with Oberon, she takes her husband's hand as Puck removes the sleeping craftsman. The king and queen join in music and dance, celebrating their newfound harmony before flying away ahead of the morning lark.

How It Unfolds

The rehearsal is planned Peter Quince gathers his fellow Athenian craftsmen to hand out roles for their upcoming play. Nick Bottom repeatedly offers to play every part himself, from the tragic lover to the roaring lion, before the group agrees to meet secretly in the woods by moonlight.

Fairies collide in the forest Puck and a fairy servant discuss the ongoing feud between King Oberon and Queen Titania over an Indian page boy. When the monarchs meet, Titania defends her pledge to the boy's late mother, prompting Oberon to plan a magical revenge using an enchanting flower juice.

The queen is enchanted Titania instructs her fairy court to sing her to sleep in her flower bower. While she slumbers, Oberon squeezes the magical flower juice onto her eyes so she will fall in love with the first creature she beholds upon waking.

A mortal wins fairy love Puck disrupts the craftsmen's rehearsal with sudden thunder, sending the men fleeing in terror. Bottom stays behind singing, which awakens Titania, who instantly falls passionately in love with him and summons her fairies to cater to his every whim.

Reconciliation in the bower Seeing Titania completely distracted by her affection for a mortal, Oberon easily persuades her to hand over the changeling child. Once he has the boy, Oberon releases her from the spell, restores her affection for him, and they join in a celebratory fairy dance.

The People

• Oberon: The King of the Fairies. He wants the Indian changeling boy for his hunting train, but Titania blocks his request. He uses magic to trick his wife into a bizarre romance, securing the child before restoring peace.
• Titania: The Queen of the Fairies. Driven by loyalty to a deceased mortal follower, she guards the changeling boy fiercely. Her resolve breaks only after Oberon enchants her to fall in love with a mortal weaver.
• Nick Bottom: An enthusiastic Athenian weaver cast as Pyramus in a local play. He wants to showcase his theatrical talents in every role available. He stumbles into Titania's bower and accepts her royal affection without any hesitation.
• Peter Quince: A carpenter who acts as the patient manager of the amateur theatre troupe. He wants his cast to learn their parts properly for the Duke's wedding, organizing the secret midnight rehearsal in the forest.
• Puck (Robin Goodfellow): Oberon’s knavish, energetic servant. He delights in playing practical jokes on mortals, scaring the rehearsal cast away and carrying out Oberon’s magical commands.

In Its Own Voice

"I will aggravate my voice so, that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale."

Bottom attempts to convince Peter Quince that his theatrical roaring will not frighten the ladies present at court.

"The spring, the summer, / The chiding autumn, angry winter, change / Their wonted liveries; and the amazed world / By their increase now knows not which is which; / And this same progeny of evil comes / From our debate, from our dissention"

Titania explains to Oberon how their royal marital quarrel has disrupted the natural order and seasons of the earth.

"Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that; and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days."

Bottom reflects on Titania's sudden declaration of love the moment she awakens from her enchanted sleep.

What It's Really About

The play explores how emotion and foolishness govern human relationships. Through the magical intervention of Oberon and Puck, love is stripped of logic, showing how easily affection can be redirected by external forces or sudden whims. The story highlights the contrast between high fantasy and humble reality, placing regal fairy monarchs alongside working-class craftsmen who misunderstand basic theatrical conventions. By forcing Titania to adore a simple weaver, the plot satirizes the absurdity of romantic devotion, demonstrating that desire often has little to do with reason. Furthermore, the narrative touches on authority and pride within relationships, showing how domestic squabbles can spill over to affect the surrounding environment until harmony is restored.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate theatrical history, classic comedy, and eighteenth-century adaptations will find this text fascinating. This version cuts Shakespeare’s original four-tier plot—removing the noble lovers and Duke Theseus's court entirely—to create a short, light opera centered purely on the fairy squabble and Bottom's translation. The reading experience is swift and rhythmic, filled with added lyrical songs, duets, and rhyming verse designed for musical staging.

The primary difficulty for modern readers lies in its specific eighteenth-century layout. The text blends early modern dialogue with period stage directions, antique spellings, and specialized musical cues ("sol, fa, and long quaver"). Because it relies heavily on inserted airs rather than spoken prose, some scenes move abruptly to prioritize musical numbers. However, its charming brevity makes it a compelling specimen of how traditional plays were radically reshaped for historic London audiences, offering a unique glimpse into the evolving performance styles of the era.