A pretty tangle Puck had caused by his mistake!
Demetrius and Lysander became so enraged with jealousy that they challenged each other to fight, but here Puck interfered again to good effect. He contrived so to baffle and mislead them that, instead of meeting, they did nothing but chase each other about in the darkness. At last, quite wearied out, Lysander sank down to rest, while the faithful Hermia took up her place near him. Then Puck applied the love-juice again to Lysander’s eyes, and this time when he woke his glance fell first on Hermia, so at last all went well. His affection was restored to her, and as Demetrius was already in love again with Helena, both sets of lovers could be happy.
In the meanwhile, King Oberon began to pity his beautiful Queen, for he could not bear to see her doating on such a hideous monster. Titania, in the height of her new folly, had willingly yielded up the little changeling, and now that Oberon had got possession of the boy he dissolved the spell without delay.
“Be as thou wast wont to be; See as thou wast wont to see!”
he chanted. “Now, my Titania, wake, my sweet Queen!”
“My Oberon! What visions I have had!” said the Queen. “I thought I was in love with an ass.”
“There lies your love,” said the King, pointing to where Bottom still lay snoring.
“How came these things to pass? Oh, how I loathe his visage now!” exclaimed Titania, shrinking back in disgust.
Oberon next bade Puck remove the ass’s head from Bottom, so that when he awoke he should think that all that had happened was nothing but a dream, and then, to the sound of sweet music, the King and the Queen of the Fairies took flight, once more good friends.