TITANIA And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension:
We are their parents and original.
OBERON Do you amend it then; it lies in you.
Why should Titania cross her Oberon?
I do but beg a little changeling boy
To be my henchman.
TITANIA Set your heart at rest.
The fairy land buys not the child of me. (2.1.115-122)
Titania concludes her astonishing speech by bringing it home, very close to home indeed: this is all our fault, she says, we’re to blame for all this disruption, disorder, all this RAIN. We’re terrible parents, terrible guardians of the natural world, and this same progeny of evils—like a delinquent gang, terrorising the neighbourhood—comes from our debate, from our dissension. It’s because we’re fighting with each other that things have fallen apart. We’ve birthed chaos; we are their parents and original. Titania’s trying to bring home to Oberon the magnitude of what they’re doing, causing, that nature itself has become collateral damage in their falling out—and she’s devastated. This feels like the last chance to put it right.
But Oberon’s unmoved, it seems, and he’s not engaging: oh, well, if you feel that strongly about it, it’s entirely in your power to end this once and for all. It’s not down to me, I don’t know WHAT you’re complaining about. Do you amend it then; it lies in you. Why should Titania cross her Oberon? And you don’t want to upset me, really, do you? You don’t want to go against my wishes? You don’t want to make me angry (you really don’t want to make me angry). I do but beg a little changeling boy to be my henchman. It’s a VERY simply demand—request—just give me the child. That’s all I want; I want him in MY gang, I want him serving ME. Set your heart at rest, responds Titania, calm down—is this a capitulation? No, quite the opposite. You can be quite confident that I’m going to keep saying no, whatever you offer me in return. The fairy land buys not the child from me. He’s not for sale, not for all the world.
