A Midsummer Night's Dream Act III Scene ii
Act III Scene ii
Oberon thinks aloud about the fate of Titania and the effects of the flower juice that he had dropped on her eyes. He is soon joined by Puck who details to the king, the fate of Titania and her love for Bottom, the weaver, whose head Puck had replaced with the head of an ass. Oberon is delighted by the turn of events and believes it to have proceeded better than even what he had imagined. He then inquires about the fate of Demetrius whom he had instructed Puck to bewitch with the magical flower. Puck assures his king that he had found the man and ensured that he would wake next to the girl who had been after him, just then Demetrius and Hermia enter the scene. Oberon talks quietly with Puck, for he recognizes Demetrius, but Puck informs him that the girl who comes had indeed been present but that the man he had used his potion on was different.
Hermia is angry at Demetrius for she believes that he has harmed Lysander, but Demetrius assures her that he is yet to harm him. She asks him to find Lysander and bring her to him, but Demetrius says that he would rather kill Lysander than deliver him to her. Hermia is very upset with Demetrius and strikes out to search for Lysander on her own, while Demetrius decides to lie down and sleep.
Oberon is upset because Puck has made a mistake and ruined the relationship between Lysander and Hermia. He commands Puck to find and direct Helena to the clearing with his illusions so that he can use the flower on Demetrius's eyes and ensure that he falls in love with Helena. Oberon uses the flower on Demetrius as Puck soon directs Helena to the same place. Lysander follows close behind Helena into the clearing. Puck is delighted that both Demetrius and Lysander will attempt to woo Helena.
Helena continues to believe that Lysander is mocking her by confessing his love for her, she tells him that his promises to Hermia are just as hollow as the ones he's making to her. Lysander defends his actions by saying that he was mistaken in loving Hermia but now that he saw how fair Helena truly was, he had thus decided to declare his love for her. Demetrius is woken by their noise, and sees Helena, he too immediately falls in love with her and tells her so. Helena is taken aback by this change in his behavior and accuses both Lysander and Demetrius of making fun of her by pretending to be in love with her. Hermia enters the scene as she finds her way to the group by the sound of Lysander's voice. Lysander continues to attempt to woo Helena in front of Hermia, who is shocked by this change in him.
Helena begins to believe that all three of them are playing with her emotions and asks Hermia what drove her to such an extent. She recounts all the time she had spent with Hermia since their youth and wishes to return to Athens. Lysander and Demetrius threaten each other with a duel, but Hermia holds onto Lysander to prevent him from attacking Demetrius. Hermia then begins to believe that Helena has wooed Lysander over with her height, and she wishes to hurt Helena, but both Lysander and Demetrius assure Helena that they wouldn't let Hermia harm Helena. Then both Lysander and Demetrius exit the scene as they wish to find a place to duel. Helena and Hermia also part ways in anger until only Oberon and Puck are left.
Oberon blames Puck for the error, but Puck explains that he had done exactly as he had been bid for he had used the flower on the man clad in Athenian garb. Oberon orders Puck to create a fog in the forest and to separate the fighters so that Lysander can be restored to his original self. He hands Puck the flower whose juices will cure the bewitchment brought on by the flower with the powers of cupid's arrow. Oberon heads towards Titania from whom he wishes to procure the Indian boy. Puck changes his voice to call Lysander, and Demetrius, he separates them from one another and they fall asleep after their tiring exertions. Soon Helena and Hermia also lie down to sleep, then Puck uses the new herb on Lysander to lift the bewitchment.
Analysis
In this scene, we see the development of a major idea of the play, which raises the question about the potency of love over friendship. We witness how Hermia changes her attitude towards her childhood friend when she begins to believe that Lysander loves her friend more than her. This idea was introduced in Act I when Hermia had disclosed to Helena her plan to meet and elope from Athens after meeting Lysander at the very spot where she and Helena had played together. She ended that conversation by bidding her playfellow farewell, as she left the scene with her lover, Lysander. It can be argued that in so doing Hermia had essentially replaced Helena's friendship with Lysander's love.
The action is at its height in this particular scene, and this is due to the aggravation brought on by the use of magic on the Athenian lovers. Magic continues to play a dominant role in driving forward the plot in an interesting manner. If the lovers hadn't been influenced in any manner by the love potion their love lives would still be very confusing, but due to the intervention of magic, their situation is complicated manyfold as none of the women are able to understand the changes that have been wrought on the men they love. Magic may indeed have caused the complication witnessed in this scene, but it also aids in bringing the action down to a close. Puck uses his magic to direct the men away from one another and so prevents them from harming one another. He also restores Lysander to his original state but leaves Demetrius alone thereby resolving the out-of-balance love that had existed in the group.
