Queen Mab
by Walter Jerrold
Queen Mab and the Dreams
When the moon is high, Queen Mab flies down. She is a tiny fairy. She has blue eyes and shiny wings. Her wings have silver spots. She comes from the moon at night.
A good child goes to bed. Queen Mab waves her silver wand. She makes a circle around the child's head. The child has happy dreams. The child dreams of pretty fish in water. The child dreams of yummy fruit on trees. The child dreams of shiny bugs. The child dreams of birds that talk. The child dreams of little friends. The friends show magic places. The child sleeps and smiles.
A bad child goes to bed. Queen Mab waves her wand again. She makes rings around the child's head. The child has bad dreams. The child dreams of big, scary shadows. The child dreams of loud, noisy storms. The child dreams of not-nice things.
The bad child wakes up sad. The child wants the night to go away. The child cries.
The good child wakes up happy. The child likes the night. The child finds the dark nice. The night is as good as the day.
So remember, be good. Your dreams will be happy. Good children have sweet dreams. Bad children have bad dreams.
Original Story
Queen Mab
A little fairy comes at night,
Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown,
With silver spots upon her wings,
And from the moon she flutters down.
She has a little silver wand,
And when a good child goes to bed,
She waves her wand from right to left,
And makes a circle round its head.
And then it dreams of pleasant things,
Of fountains filled with fairy fish,
And trees that bear delicious fruit,
And bow their branches at a wish:
Of arbours filled with dainty scents
From lovely flowers that never fade;
Bright flies that glitter in the sun,
And glow-worms shining in the shade.
And talking birds with gifted tongues,
For singing songs and telling tales,
And pretty dwarfs to show the way
Through fairy hills and fairy dales.
But when a bad child goes to bed,
From left to right she weaves her rings
And then it dreams all through the night
Of only ugly horrid things.
Then lions come with glaring eyes,
And tigers growl, a dreadful noise,
And ogres draw their cruel knives,
To shed the blood of girls and boys.
Then stormy waves rush on to drown,
Or raging flames come scorching round,
Fierce dragons hover in the air,
And serpents crawl along the ground.
Then wicked children wake and weep,
And wish the long black gloom away;
But good ones love the dark, and find
The night as pleasant as the day.
---
When the song was finished Oberon and Titania arose on their throne and faint strains of music were heard in the air; for a moment the whole place sparkled with light and colour, and then all the fairies had gone in a flash to their distant places, and nothing but a faint circle of darker grass showed where the great assembly had been. Away under a shady tree Nick Bottom and his companions were fast asleep, and when they awakened again they must have puzzled over what they had seen and heard, and which no doubt they believed that they had only dreamed. But we know better.
--- LETCHWORTH THE TEMPLE PRESS PRINTERS
---
Moral of the Story
Good children are rewarded with pleasant dreams, while bad children are punished with nightmares.
Characters
Queen Mab ★ protagonist
A small, delicate fairy with a slender build. Her skin is fair and luminous, with a subtle shimmer. She is light and airy, capable of fluttering gracefully.
Attire: She wears a delicate, ethereal gown, likely made of shimmering, translucent fabric that catches the light, perhaps in shades of silver or pale blue, reflecting the moon from which she descends. The style is flowing and unrestrictive, allowing for easy flight.
Wants: To influence the dreams of children, rewarding good behavior with pleasant dreams and punishing bad behavior with nightmares, thereby upholding a moral order.
Flaw: Her power is limited to dreams and the night; she cannot directly intervene in the waking world or change a child's inherent nature.
She remains a consistent figure of judgment and magic, her role unchanging throughout the narrative.
Benevolent to good children, stern and punitive towards bad children, magical, discerning, ethereal.
Oberon ◆ supporting
A regal and powerful fairy king, likely with an imposing yet ethereal presence. His form would be noble and commanding, befitting a monarch of the fairy realm.
Attire: He would wear magnificent, regal attire befitting a fairy king, likely made of shimmering, richly colored fabrics, perhaps deep greens, golds, or blues, adorned with natural elements like leaves, flowers, or dewdrops, and possibly subtle magical embellishments.
Wants: To preside over the fairy court and maintain order within his domain.
Flaw: Not explicitly shown in this short text, but traditionally, fairy kings can be susceptible to human interference or their own pride.
He appears briefly as a static figure of authority, his role as king unchanged.
Regal, authoritative, powerful, a leader of the fairy realm.
Titania ◆ supporting
A beautiful and majestic fairy queen, with an elegant and graceful form, embodying the beauty and magic of nature.
Attire: She would wear an exquisite, flowing gown, likely made of fine, shimmering fabrics in natural tones like silver, pale green, or floral hues, adorned with delicate flowers, leaves, or gossamer wings, reflecting her connection to nature.
Wants: To rule alongside Oberon and embody the beauty and magic of the fairy world.
Flaw: Not explicitly shown in this short text, but traditionally, fairy queens can be prone to emotional responses or rivalries.
She appears briefly as a static figure of authority, her role as queen unchanged.
Majestic, beautiful, graceful, a queen of the fairy realm.
Nick Bottom ○ minor
A sturdy, perhaps somewhat portly, human man, likely a common laborer or artisan, with a practical build. He is described as being 'fast asleep,' suggesting a robust constitution.
Attire: He would wear simple, sturdy peasant clothing appropriate for a laborer in an English setting, such as a coarse linen tunic or shirt, practical breeches, and perhaps a leather jerkin or waistcoat, in earthy tones like brown, grey, or undyed linen.
Wants: To rest and recover, as he is found asleep after the fairy assembly.
Flaw: His lack of awareness of the magical world around him, his tendency to dismiss extraordinary experiences as dreams.
He remains unchanged, merely experiencing a magical event he later dismisses as a dream.
Unaware, simple, easily bewildered (upon waking), prone to deep sleep.
Locations
A Child's Bedroom
A typical, cozy bedroom where a child sleeps, becoming the canvas for Queen Mab's magic.
Mood: peaceful, expectant, transitioning to magical or terrifying
Queen Mab visits children to weave dreams, good or bad, around their heads.
The Fairy Dreamscape (Good Child)
A fantastical, idyllic landscape filled with magical elements, representing the pleasant dreams of a good child.
Mood: magical, joyful, whimsical, serene
Good children experience delightful dreams woven by Queen Mab.
The Nightmare Realm (Bad Child)
A terrifying, chaotic landscape filled with monstrous creatures and destructive forces, representing the horrid dreams of a bad child.
Mood: terrifying, chaotic, menacing, dark
Bad children experience terrifying nightmares woven by Queen Mab.
The Fairy Assembly Glade
A temporary, magical gathering place for fairies, leaving only a faint circle of darker grass after their departure.
Mood: magical, ethereal, fleeting, mysterious
Oberon and Titania conclude a fairy assembly, and all fairies vanish, leaving a subtle trace.
Story DNA
Moral
Good children are rewarded with pleasant dreams, while bad children are punished with nightmares.
Plot Summary
Queen Mab, a tiny fairy, descends from the moon each night. She uses her silver wand to create pleasant dreams for good children, filling their sleep with magical landscapes, talking creatures, and delightful experiences. Conversely, for bad children, she weaves rings that conjure terrifying nightmares filled with monsters, natural disasters, and cruel figures. Consequently, good children awaken happily, embracing the night, while wicked children wake up weeping, wishing the darkness away, illustrating a clear moral distinction between their behaviors.
Themes
Emotional Arc
innocence to wisdom
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story is a poetic interpretation of the traditional Queen Mab figure, often associated with dreams, and is presented within a narrative frame referencing Shakespeare's play, suggesting it might be a performance or story told within that context.
Plot Beats (10)
- Queen Mab, a small fairy with blue eyes, brown hair, and silver-spotted wings, descends from the moon at night.
- When a good child goes to bed, she waves her silver wand from right to left, making a circle around their head.
- The good child then dreams of pleasant things: fountains with fairy fish, trees with delicious fruit, fragrant arbours, glittering flies, and shining glow-worms.
- They also dream of talking birds and friendly dwarfs guiding them through fairy lands.
- When a bad child goes to bed, Queen Mab weaves her rings from left to right.
- The bad child then dreams of only ugly, horrid things: glaring lions, growling tigers, cruel ogres, stormy waves, raging flames, fierce dragons, and crawling serpents.
- Wicked children wake up weeping, wishing the night away.
- Good children, however, love the dark and find the night as pleasant as the day.
- After the song about Queen Mab, Oberon and Titania depart with the other fairies, leaving only a faint circle on the grass.
- Nick Bottom and his companions awaken, believing their experiences were only a dream, but the narrator implies otherwise.
