قلمرو پادشاهی پری

PART THREE

The Fairy Kingdom

The next night several groups of people entered the wood outside Athens. First there was Lysander and Hermia.

Then there was Demetrius who was secretly following Hermia. Demetrius was followed by Helena.

Finally, there was the group of actors led by Bottom.

None of these people knew it, but the wood outside Athens was a special place that night.

The King of the Fairies, Oberon, had decided to spend the night there. His servant, Puck, was busy organising an entertainment for him.

Puck loved fun of all kinds, and he was looking forward to the pleasure he would give the King. He was walking happily through the wood when he suddenly saw a fairy.

‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘You’re not one of the King’s fairies, are you?’

‘No. I’m not,’ the fairy replied proudly. ‘I serve the Queen, Titania.’

‘The Queen!’ Puck cried in surprise. ‘Do you mean that the Queen is also here tonight?’

‘Certainly she is.’ the fairy told him. The Queen and her retinue I will be here shortly.’

This was not good news for Puck. Oberon and Titania had quarrelled very badly. The Queen had taken a new servant-boy, and refused to give him to the King. The King was offended by her behaviour.

They were avoiding each other, and hardly spoke when they met.

‘We must keep them apart.’ Puck thought. ‘It will be a disaster if they see each other, because they’ll just squabble again. The King and the Queen must not meet.’

But it was too late, for the next moment Oberon and his servants appeared from one direction - and Titania and her servants appeared from another!

When they saw each other, the King and Queen stopped and stared. There was an awkward silence in the wood. Puck did not know what to do.

Suddenly Titania made a sign to her servants.

‘I won’t speak to him.’ she announced. ‘I will never speak to him again.’

Oberon heard what the Queen said, and it made him angry.

‘I am your King, Titania. Remember that!’ he commanded in a stern voice.

‘You are my King, it’s true,’ Titania replied. ‘But you have been unfaithful to me - I know you were in love with Hippolyta!’

‘And I know you were in love with Theseus!’ Oberon told her.

‘That is nonsense, Titania said. ‘It’s an invention of your jealousy.’ She sighed very deeply.

‘Our quarrel is a terrible thing, Oberon,’ she complained. ‘It has disturbed the weather throughout the whole world. Everywhere men are suffering because of our quarrel.’

‘Bring the quarrel to an end, then,’ Oberon said. ‘Give me the servant boy, and our quarrel is finished.’

‘Never!’ replied the Queen. ‘The boy is mine, and he will stay with me.’ Saying this, the Queen turned her back on Oberon, and walked away.

Oberon was more angry than ever with Titania now and he decided to play a trick on her. He knew where there was a magical flower that had the power to make people fall in love. He ordered Puck to look for the flower, and to bring it to him.

‘I’ll wait until Titania is asleep tonight,’ Oberon thought. ‘Then I’ll squeeze a little of the juice from the flower into her eyes.

When she awakes, she’ll fall in love with the first person she sees. That will punish her for her pride and arrogance!’ - He smiled with amusement at the trick. Now he felt more cheerful.

Just then Demetrius and Helena came into that part of the wood. They were quarrelling loudly. Oberon quickly made himself invisible so that he could listen to them.

‘I’ve already told you to go back to Athens,’ Demetrius said to Helena. ‘I came here because I’m in love with Hermia - stop following me!’

‘I’ll always follow you, Demetrius,’ Helena replied. ‘Can’t you understand that I love you - I’ll never leave you!’

‘If you don’t leave me alone. I’ll abandon you here in the wood!’ Demetrius threatened her. ‘It’s a dangerous place - you don’t want to be left by yourself, do you?’

‘If you leave me, I’ll run after you,’ Helena told him. ‘I don’t care how badly you treat me, Demetrius - I love you!’

The young couple walked away, still arguing bitterly.

Oberon was shocked by what he had heard of the conversation between Demetrius and Helena.

‘What a pity!’ thought Oberon. ‘That young fellow deserves a lesson - to treat a beautiful girl in that way. It’s not right at all.’

Then an idea came to him, and he smiled again. ‘I know what I’ll do,’ he thought. ‘I’ll make the boy fall in love with her.

He’ll learn what it is to suffer for love!’

When Puck returned, he was carrying the magical flower with him. He gave the flower to Oberon.

‘Come with me,’ Oberon ordered. ‘I know the place where Titania sleeps. Let’s go and find her.’

Oberon and Puck walked very quietly through the forest until they found Titania. The Queen of the Fairies was fast asleep.

Oberon crept forward, and gazed down on her. Titania was very beautiful. Oberon poured a little of the juice from the flower into the Queen’s eyes.

‘There!’ he whispered triumphantly to Puck. “When she wakes, she’ll fall in love with the first thing she sees. I hope it’s something really ugly and horrible - that’ll teach her to be more respectful to me in the future!’

Oberon and Puck left the Queen sleeping peacefully. Then Oberon told Puck about the young couple in the wood, and how cruelly the boy had behaved towards the girl.

‘Take a little of this magic juice, Puck,’ the King ordered. ‘Go through the wood until you find them. As soon as they’re asleep, pour a little of the juice into the young man’s eyes. When he wakes, he’ll be in love with the girl!’

Puck liked the King’s plan, and went off happily to search for the boy and girl. He thought the King’s idea was a wonderful one.

Lysander and Hermia thought that they were quite alone in the wood. They were very happy and excited to be together, and the time passed quickly for them. Then Lysander realised that he had lost the way in the darkness.

‘We should sleep here until morning,’ he said to Hermia. ‘We’ll soon find our way again when it’s light.’

Hermia agreed with him. She lay down on the ground, and made herself comfortable. She was tired. Lysander lay down next to her on the soft ground.

‘What are you doing!’ cried Hermia. ‘Don’t lie so close to me, we’re not married yet. It’s not right.’

Lysander was disappointed, but he got up and moved a little way away. Then he, too lay down on the soft earth. The lovers had had a long and exciting day, and they were soon asleep.

Puck was still looking for the boy and girl that Oberon had described to him. He came through the silent wood, carrying the flower carefully in his hand. Then he saw Lysander and Hermia asleep.

That must be them!’ he thought. ‘Look how far away the boy has put himself. She’s frightened to lie next to him poor thing.’

Puck carefully poured some of the magic juice into Lysander’s eyes.

‘Now he’ll fall in love with her.’ Puck said to himself. ‘As soon as he wakes up and sees her, he’ll fall in love with her. Oberon will be pleased. I’ve done everything that he asked.’

Lysander and Hermia went on sleeping. The wood was very dark and quiet.

A little while later Demetrius and Helena came into the part of the wood where the lovers were sleeping. They were still quarrelling, and Demetrius was becoming increasingly angry.

‘Go away!’ he shouted at Helena. ‘Leave me alone, I tell you!’

‘I know that I’m not as beautiful as Hermia,’ said Helena sadly. ‘Everyone loves her. If I were like her, you’d never treat me like this.’ She began to sob. Then she saw something on the ground in front of her. She cried out in surprise.

‘Why, it’s Lysander! Wake up. Lysander wake up!’

Lysander woke up out of his sleep, and looked at Helena. The flower worked its magic, and he fell in love immediately.

‘Helena, my love!’ he cried out.

Helena did not believe that Lysander was sincere in what he was saying. She knew that Lysander and Hermia were very much in love.

She imagined that he was making fun of her because of her love for Demetrius.

‘It’s very cruel of you to make fun of me,’ Helena complained. ‘Why do you mock me with this silly game?’

She turned away from Lysander, and walked off into the wood.

‘Wait! Helena, wait for me!’ cried Lysander.

He got up quickly, and chased after Helena.