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The Bad and the Good
The Bad and the Good
The earliest record of fairy lore in England comes from around the 13th century. Nowadays, we typically think of fairies as small, kind magical creatures with beautiful translucent wings. However, this was not quite the depiction of fairies centuries ago. There is skepticism regarding what fairies exactly are; according to some, they are spirits and to others, they are angels trapped on Earth, unable to reach Heaven and not sinister enough to enter Hell. There are also many types of fairies that did different tasks, like Hobgoblins, which were the guardian fairies that were useful for doing chores around the house. Whatever the case may be, fairies had close relations with humans and the mortal world. Early depictions of fairies claim that they were mainly evil spirits, a source of mischief and bad luck.
It wasn't until the Elizabethan Era when there was a shift in believing that fairies were not predominantly evil. A big influence on this shift came from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Although they continued their fair share of mischievous acts—like taking an occasional mortal child for their own—fairies did a lot of common good. At night, they would dance in the moonlight and leave behind a fairy ring. A fairy ring is a perfectly outlined circle of mushrooms, that when was entered by a mortal the following day, would be blessed with good luck. Fairies were also known to never stay in a set location as they moved their courts following the moon around the world.
Changelings
As part of their mischief, people believed that fairies sometimes stole a baby by swapping it out for a false version while the parents were fast asleep. These false substitutes were deformed fairy children known as “changelings." The parents would easily recognize they had a changeling as changelings are described as being ugly or presenting some defect. The real child would be taken to the fairy world, where they were raised into servitude of the fairies. Changelings either fell ill and died early in child development, or lived until adulthood but were observed by society as odd or strange. According to lore, one way to regain a stolen child was to threaten, beat, and/or abuse the changeling so that its cries would summon the fairies to return the stolen child.
The Fairies in this Production
The fairies in Midsummer follow close to early European lore in the respect that they are spirits of the forest, but have a close connection and dabble in mortal affairs. They are also magical incarnates with a physical form that they do switch between from: Oberon and Titania are the spirits of Theseus and Hippolyta, and Puck is the spirit of Philostrate, Theseus's servant. Titania's fairies take the physical shape of the animals of the forest; they are the watchers and protectors of their Queen and domain. The look and behavior of the fairies follow the directorial concept of "Drugs, Sex, and Rock n' Roll" in that they are rockstars. They can be egotistical, mischievous, passionate, and playful.
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