The four fairies are named after natural objects: they are Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom. Act II, scene 2 gives us some sense of their role as servants to Titania in her enchanted universe. Titania, addressing them, informs us that they kill the cankers in roses, fight bats to get their wings for coats for her elves, and keep the noisy owl away. This suggests that they are small, fluttering winged creatures, about the size of the bats they fight.
In their own song, they emphasize their protective function of guarding Titania. They warn snakes, hedgehogs, and newts, as well as spiders and beetles, to stay away from Titania. In their song's refrain, they tell spells and charms to stay away from their queen.
They fail in that last mission, for Titania is put under a spell that has her fall in love with the first creature she sees. In her case, it is Bottom. At that point, the fairies follow Titania's orders in waiting on Bottom. The fairies lend an air of enchantment to the forest, but also reveal that is it a place full of hidden dangers.
There are four primary fairies, each of whom is given voice in the play. These fairies are Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed. All four fairies are charged by Titania to look after Bottom after Oberon enchants her to fall in love with him.
When Bottom declares that he wants to leave the fairy wood, Titania does her best to seduce him back, making promises about purging his filthy humanness and bestowing upon him a kind of exalted spirituality. She instructs Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed to offer Bottom the finest foods, tools, and services they have available, including fruits, honey, glowworms, and butterfly wings. The fairies also tie Bottom’s tongue when Titania grows tired of his chattiness, and they deliver Bottom to Titania later on for a sexual encounter.
No comments:
Post a Comment