TITANIA         Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

BOTTOM        Not so neither; but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.

TITANIA         Out of this wood do not desire to go.

Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.

I am a spirit of no common rate:

The summer still doth tend upon my state,

And I do love thee; therefore go with me.

I’ll give thee fairies to attend on thee,

And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,

And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep;

And I will purge thy mortal grossness so,

That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.          (3.1.143-155)

Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful, says Titania, which can sound like a dreadful chat-up line but is more effective, even affecting, if it is spoken with thrilling, wondering conviction. Bottom is neither, especially not now, and he knows it, or at least feigns modesty: not so, neither; but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. If I could find my way home, that’d be good enough for me. Out of this wood do not desire to go! Don’t leave me! We’ve only just met, we’ve only just begun! Don’t tell me that you WANT to go?? Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no—and it can be a threat, or a plea, a bit of both—or spoken with full confidence in Titania’s own magical powers. Not so fast, my golden ass. (But also: she fears that she’s lost her husband Oberon, that this time he won’t come back to her.) Because I am a spirit of no common rate, not merely a fairy, but a fairy queen, powerful and majestic. It’s not just an assertion of power, though, there’s a note of reassurance to herself too: the summer still doth tend upon my state, I can still influence the seasons, control the natural world—and it’s a reminder that it’s midsummer, yes, but there’s room for a touch of pathos, a middle-aged woman (are fairies middle-aged? this one is, perhaps) telling herself that yes, she’s still got it, she’s still ripe, full of potential, warm and sweet. And I do love thee. I do; it’s amazing. I do love thee. Yes. Therefore go with me. It’s the only possible thing.

Titania’s not just promising Bottom a good time—although she is—she’s promising him beauty, care, a world transformed. He (a working man) will be waited on: I’ll give thee fairies to attend on thee, and they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep—unimaginable—and sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep—oddly homely, soft, restful. You can have a snooze! And I will purge thy mortal grossness so, that thou shalt like an airy spirit go. You’ll be beautiful—and you’ll feel beautiful. What Titania is offering him is love…