OBERON [Squeezes the flower on DEMETRIUS’s eyelids.]
Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid’s archery,
Sink in apple of his eye.
When his love he doth espy,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wak’st, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.
Enter [PUCK].
PUCK Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand,
And the youth mistook by me
Pleading for a lover’s fee.
Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be! (3.2.102-115)
And so one of the plot points at least is about to be resolved, it seems, as Oberon anoints Demetrius’s eyes and speaks a charm, going into that fairy metre, in couplets. He re-enchants the flower too, reminding the audience of its magical history: flower of this purple dye, hit with Cupid’s archery, ah yes, that little western flower that Cupid hit by mistake, sink in apple of his eye. The apple here is entirely conventional as an idiom, often used for the eye-ball, but here also appropriately suggesting the apple of the eye, the beloved, the most precious thing. And apple balances flower: this is nature-magic. The result? when his love he doth espy, let her shine as gloriously as the Venus of the sky. When he sees her, she’s going to look to him like the morning star, a goddess; he won’t be able to take his eyes off her. Then he addresses Demetrius directly: when thou wak’st, if she be by, beg of her for remedy. On your knees, man, ask her for forgiveness, ask her to look kindly on you; tell her that it’s only her…
Puck’s back, often panting. Mission accomplished, or almost: captain of our fairy band, Helena is here at hand—she’s right nearby, boss!—and the youth mistook by me pleading for a lover’s fee. Oh, and the other guy too, the one I messed up and enchanted ENTIRELY BY ACCIDENT NO MALICE INVOLVED HONEST MISTAKE COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE; he’s begging her to show him some favour, to love him back. It’s mad, boss, hilarious. Shall we their fond pageant see? Can we watch, just for a bit, because it’s a GREAT show. Lord, what fools these mortals be! And yes, but of course Oberon and Titania themselves are involved in their own love-madness too…
