Titania’s Monologue from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 1: "These are the forgeries of jealousy"

Synopsis

In this monologue, Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, accuses her husband Oberon of causing chaos in the natural world through his jealousy and conflict. She explains how their quarrels have disrupted the seasons, bringing about disorder and confusion in both the mortal and magical realms.

What’s just happened before this moment that’s relevant to the scene?

Titania and Oberon encounter each other in the forest, where they are both overseeing different aspects of their fairy duties. Their meeting quickly becomes heated as Oberon demands the Indian changeling boy that Titania has been raising. Titania refuses, and this dispute lies at the heart of their tension. Before the monologue, Oberon accuses Titania of infidelity, which she dismisses as a projection of his own guilt.

Original Text

"These are the forgeries of jealousy:
And never, since the middle summer's spring,
Met we on hill, in dale, forest or mead,
By paved fountain or by rushy brook,
Or in the beached margent of the sea,
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,
But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport.
Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea
Contagious fogs; which falling in the land
Hath every pelting river made so proud
That they have overborne their continents:
The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain,
The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn
Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard;
The fold stands empty in the drownèd field,
And crows are fatted with the murrion flock;
The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud,
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
For lack of tread are undistinguishable:
The human mortals want their winter here;
No night is now with hymn or carol blest:
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
That rheumatic diseases do abound:
And thorough this distemperature we see
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts
Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose,
And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown
An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds
Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer,
The childing autumn, angry winter, change
Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,
By their increase, now knows not which is which:
And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
We are their parents and original."

Translation of Text into Contemporary Language

"This chaos comes from your jealousy!
Ever since the start of summer,
We haven’t met on hill, dale, forest, or meadow,
By fountains or brooks,
Or on the sandy beaches to dance
Without your fights ruining the fun.
So, the winds, unable to entertain us,
Have sucked up disease from the seas
And dropped it on the land,
Causing rivers to flood their banks.
The oxen struggle in their yokes,
Farmers toil for nothing as crops rot early,
And pastures are drowned, leaving no place for sheep.
Crows feast on dead livestock.
Fields for games are muddy,
And gardens once alive with dance are now neglected.
Humans miss their winter celebrations,
And the moon, angry,
Fills the air with sickness.
The seasons are all confused—frost appears in spring,
And winter seems dressed in summer flowers.
It’s as though nature is mocking us.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter have all swapped places,
And the world is so mixed up
That it doesn’t know what’s what anymore.
All of this disorder comes from our quarrels.
We caused it all."

Meaning of Difficult or Unusual Words

  • Forgeries of jealousy: False accusations caused by jealousy.

  • Middle summer’s spring: Early summer.

  • Ringlets: Circular fairy dances.

  • Pelting: Petty or insignificant.

  • Continents: Boundaries.

  • Murrion: Diseased or dead livestock.

  • Nine men's morris: An old game played in grassy fields.

  • Wanton green: Playful greenery.

  • Hoary-headed frosts: Frost that looks white-haired.

  • Childing autumn: Productive or fruitful autumn.

  • Liveries: Typical appearances or clothing.

  • Distemperature: Disorder or imbalance.

Suggested New Thoughts Chunking / Paragraphing

  1. "These are the forgeries of jealousy: And never, since the middle summer's spring, Met we on hill..."

  2. "Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain, As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea Contagious fogs..."

  3. "The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain, The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn Hath rotted..."

  4. "The human mortals want their winter here; No night is now with hymn or carol blest: Therefore the moon..."

  5. "The spring, the summer, The childing autumn, angry winter, change Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world..."

Journey Keypoints

  • Hook: Titania opens by accusing Oberon of jealousy, grabbing attention with her direct confrontation.

  • Turning Point: She describes how their quarrels have disrupted the natural balance.

  • Climax: The vivid imagery of seasonal disorder and societal chaos.

  • Resolution: Titania identifies their conflict as the root cause, placing responsibility on their relationship.

Famous or Notable Actors Who Have Played the Role

  • Judi Dench (RSC Production, 1968)

  • Helen Mirren (BBC TV Adaptation, 1968)

  • Michelle Pfeiffer (Film, 1999)

  • Gwendoline Christie (Bridge Theatre, 2019)

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