Flower Quotes in A Midsummer Night's Dream | Study.com (2024)

One of the first times we hear about flowers is when Puck explains to a fairy why King Oberon is angry with the Fairy Queen. He gives the lowdown by explaining that the king had acquired a boy (we can assume he was captured in a battle). The boy is also sometimes called a changeling. The King wanted the changeling to stay with him and do manly things like stomp around the forest, but Oberon was denied that change because The Fairy Queen took him. To add insult to injury, Puck explains that The Queen also 'perforce withholds the loved boy, Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy.' In other words, the Fairy Queen is treating this boy a bit like a princess. The mention of a crown of flowers makes it clear that flowers are a symbol of a relaxed life and perhaps even femininity.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, one specific type of flower gets most of the attention. We first find out about this flower when King Oberon begins to hatch his somewhat evil but kind of adorable plot to make the characters fall in love with each other. He explains to Puck that he once saw Cupid aim his arrow and miss. The arrow fell on a flower which turned purple. That flower has the ability to make anyone fall in love with the first person they see. King Oberon orders, 'Fetch me that flower; the herb I shew'd thee once: / The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid /Will make or man or woman madly dote / Upon the next live creature that it sees.' This quote gives us the basis for the rest of the story. Puck and a few other characters run around squeezing flower juice on the other characters' eyes.

Another example of how flowers represent a leisurely lifestyle is when Titania (the Fairy Queen) is woken from her sleep. When this happens, she asks, 'What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?' At first glance this quote might seem minor, but the picture it paints is important. This is not a simple matter of someone being woken up. This is the Fairy Queen - the most dainty and delicate image of almost invisible daintiness. Where does the daintiest creature sleep? On a bed of flowers, of course. This image reinforces the idea that flowers are reserved for moments and creatures who are delicate, calm and feminine.

In William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, flowers play an important role in the plot. While the main attraction is the flower that is used as a love potion, the flower also represents femininity and leisure. We see this symbolism when Puck explains how the king is angry that his manly child is running around with flowers in his hair. Additionally, when the Fairy Queen's sleep is disturbed, she asks who wakes her from her flowery bed. This description gives us a strong mental image of flowers as a symbol of peace, rest and softness.