OBERON could not believe his luck: Titania had woken to the sight of Nick Bottom with his ass’s head, and the beautiful fairy queen, stroking his long grey ears, was becoming increasingly amorous.

While she was thus distracted, Oberon drafted her little page boy into his retinue.

His other plans were not faring so well. Feeling sorry for Helena, he had told Puck to use the flower-juice on Demetrius, but Puck had applied it to Lysander, and the first person he saw was not Hermia but Helena.

Oberon attended to Demetrius himself, but omitted to unbewitch Lysander first, setting the two infatuated men on course for a duel over Helena.

Things were getting messy. So Oberon let fall a sudden fog of forgetfulness, and when they awoke from it Lysander loved Hermia again, and Demetrius had eyes only for Helena.

Looking back in wonder, they agreed that it must all have been a madcap dream.

It was nothing to the one Nick Bottom awoke from.