Original: I am that merry wanderer of the night.
Modern: I am that playful spirit who roams around at night.

Original: I jest to Oberon and make him smile
Modern: I play pranks for Oberon and make him laugh

Original: When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,
Modern: When I trick a well-fed, plump horse,

Original: Neighing in likeness of a filly foal:
Modern: By neighing like a young female horse:

Original: And sometime lurk I in a gossip’s bowl,
Modern: And sometimes I hide in an old woman’s drinking cup,

Original: In very likeness of a roasted crab,
Modern: Looking exactly like a roasted crab apple,

Original: And when she drinks, against her lips I bob
Modern: And when she drinks, I bump against her lips

Original: And on her wither’d dewlap pour the ale.
Modern: And spill the beer on her wrinkled double chin.

Original: The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale,
Modern: The most sensible old woman, telling the most serious story,

Original: Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me;
Modern: Sometimes mistakes me for a three-legged stool;

Original: Then slip I from her bum, down topples she,
Modern: Then I slip away from under her bottom, and down she falls,

Original: And ‘tailor’ cries, and falls into a cough;
Modern: And she cries out “tailor!” and starts coughing;

Original: And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,
Modern: And then the whole group holds their sides and laughs,

Original: And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear
Modern: And they get even more cheerful and sneeze and swear

Original: A merrier hour was never wasted there.
Modern: That no happier time was ever spent there.

Original: But, room, fairy! here comes Oberon.
Modern: But make room, fairy! Here comes Oberon.

In Act II, Scene 1 of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the action shifts to the enchanted forest outside Athens where the fairy world comes alive. The scene opens with a fairy encountering Robin Goodfellow, also known as Puck, who serves the fairy king Oberon. Through their conversation, the audience learns of a bitter quarrel between Oberon and Titania, the fairy queen, over possession of a young Indian boy whom Titania has taken as her attendant. This dispute has caused chaos in the natural world, disrupting the seasons and bringing disorder to both the fairy realm and the mortal world.

When Oberon and Titania arrive with their respective retinues, their confrontation intensifies as Titania refuses to surrender the changeling boy, explaining that she promised the child’s deceased mother she would care for him. After Titania departs with her train, the vengeful Oberon instructs Puck to fetch a magical flower called “love-in-idleness,” whose juice, when applied to sleeping eyelids, causes the person to fall desperately in love with the first creature they see upon waking. Oberon plans to use this potion on Titania to distract her with infatuation while he takes possession of the Indian boy. The scene concludes with Puck departing to retrieve the flower, setting in motion the magical mischief that will entangle both the fairy and mortal characters throughout the play.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows multiple interconnected plots that unfold over the course of a single midsummer night in Athens and the nearby enchanted forest. The play opens with Duke Theseus of Athens preparing to marry Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Meanwhile, Egeus brings his daughter Hermia before Theseus, demanding she marry Demetrius according to his wishes. Hermia refuses because she loves Lysander, and Theseus gives her until his wedding day to decide between marrying Demetrius, becoming a nun, or facing death. Hermia and Lysander plan to elope by meeting in the forest, and they confide in Hermia’s friend Helena, who is desperately in love with Demetrius despite his rejection of her.

In the forest, the fairy king Oberon and queen Titania are feuding over custody of a changeling boy. Oberon instructs his mischievous servant Puck to fetch a magical flower whose juice, when applied to sleeping eyes, makes the person fall in love with the first creature they see upon waking. Oberon plans to use this on Titania to humiliate her into giving up the boy, and he also orders Puck to help Helena by making Demetrius fall in love with her. However, Puck mistakenly applies the juice to Lysander’s eyes instead, causing him to fall in love with Helena when he awakens. Meanwhile, a group of Athenian craftsmen rehearsing a play in the forest becomes entangled in the magical chaos when Puck transforms their leader Bottom’s head into that of a donkey, and the enchanted Titania falls in love with him.

The romantic confusion deepens when Oberon discovers Puck’s error and applies the love juice to Demetrius’s eyes as well, causing both young men to pursue Helena, who believes they are mocking her. Hermia becomes confused and angry when Lysander rejects her for Helena. Oberon orders Puck to separate the four lovers and fix the situation. After obtaining the changeling boy from the distracted Titania, Oberon releases her from the spell and restores Bottom to his normal form. Puck leads the exhausted lovers through the forest until they fall asleep, then applies an antidote to Lysander’s eyes so he will love Hermia again upon waking. Theseus discovers the four lovers in the forest the next morning, and since Demetrius now truly loves Helena, the duke overrules Egeus and declares a triple wedding. The play concludes with the three couples’ wedding celebration, where the craftsmen perform their comically inept play, followed by the fairies blessing the palace and its inhabitants.