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A Midsummer Night's Dream

by William Shakespeare

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Student Question

What is the meaning of this quote from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: "I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, / Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier . . ."?

Quick answer:

This quote is spoken by Puck, who is addressing Lysander and Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Puck plans to lead them through difficult terrain, tiring them out as part of a mischievous game. His actions are guided by Oberon's instructions to apply magic to them, and Puck delights in the chaos he creates by imitating their voices to confuse and separate them in the forest.

Expert Answers

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Puck is talking to Lysander and Demetrius (although they cannot hear him) as he plans to get them each tired and lost in the forest so they can have magic worked upon them when they eventually drop with tiredness. He imitates the voice of Lysander when talking to Demetrius and vice versa. This is a particular delight to Puck and he enjoys it like a great game. He speaks of it in this instant as though he were describing the fun of what he will do and what fun it will be (for him!). The reason for his doing this is because Oberon has given him instructions to douse Lysander and Demetrius with magic, and he needs to separate them and get them tired in order to accomplish this.

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