Subject: The Influence of Witchcraft
             England in the 16th century was a Christian country; nevertheless, supernatural beings ( i. e. witches, goblins, fairies and others ) were believed to interfere directly with humans, helping and hindering according to there whims. However, Shakespeare set this play in what is supposed to be Athens, the seat of rationality, logic, order and democracy; nevertheless, Greece is simultaneously known for its vivid polytheistic tradition. Oberon, the fairy King, uses magic and witchcraft in this play; that is, he is determined to have his way with the fairy Queen and obtain the squire boy he infatuatedly covets. Hence, if his own royal gaze proves ineffectual, he will capture Titanias' gaze and refocus it with an aimlessness that would have gratified Cupid:
             The next thing than she waking looks upon
             Be it lion, bear, or wolf, or bull,
             Or meddling monkey, or on busy ape,
             She shall pursue it with the soul of love.
             In his pursuit to dominate his affairs with Titania, King Oberon requests assistance from Robin Goodfella, otherwise known as Puck, a kind of mischievous nature spirit who would furtively curdle milk, interfere with the fermentation of ale, mislead night-time travelers and cause other such harmless trouble. In 1765 Thomas Percy described Robin Goodfella when he wrote:
             When house or harth doth sluttish lye,
             I pinch the maidens black and blue.
             The bed-clothes from the bed pull I,
             And lay them naked all to view.
             'Twixt sleep and wake,
             I do them take,
             And on the key-cold floor them throw.
             If out they cry
             ...