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When Puck returns with the magic flower, Oberon orders him to put some of the juice on Demetrius' eyes, so that he falls in love with Helena. But Puck mistakes Lysander and Hermia for Demetrius and Helena, and puts some of the magic juice on Lysander's eyes as he lies sleeping in the forest, a little distance from Hermia.
Helena wanders by, miserable and sad, and sees Lysander asleep. Afraid that he may be dead, she wakes him. He, being under the spell of the magic juice and she being the first creature he sees upon waking, he falls madly in love with her, forgetting Hermia completely. He declares his love to Helena, who, thinking that he is making fun of her, runs away. Lysander runs after her, leaving Hermia asleep in the wood.
Hermia finds Lysander gone when she awakes, and is sure that he has come to some harm. She begins searching the wood for him, but finds Demetrius instead, and accuses him of killing Lysander. Demetrius denies it, but Hermia is angry, and runs away. Demetrius decides that there is no point in following her while she is so angry, and settles down for a nap.
Oberon, seeing Puck's mistake, places some of the magic juice on the sleeping Demetrius' eyes, and when he wakes, the first person he sees is Helena. Demetrius too falls madly in love with Helena. So now both Lysander and Demetrius are in love with Helena, and have forgotten Hermia.
Meanwhile, Oberon has placed some of the magic juice on Titania's eyes as well, and ordered Puck to make sure she falls in love with some ugly creature upon waking. Puck, having come across the company of tradesmen practising their play in the woods, gives Bottom the weaver an ass's head. This scares off the other players, and Puck manages it so that when she wakes, Bottom is the first creature that Titania sees. She falls in love with him at once, and makes a big fuss of him, ordering her fairy attendants to look after him, and feed him the choicest foods.
A Midsummer Night's Dream cont'd...
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