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The Library
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A character in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Who is Titania?

By the Library of Alexandria · 2 minute read · Updated 23 oct 2026

In short

  • Titania is the strong willed queen of the fairies in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • She refuses to surrender the child in her care to Oberon, king of the fairies.
  • Their quarrel unsettles nature, while Oberon's plan brings a magic love flower into their dispute.

Who Titania is

Titania rules the fairies as their queen in the wood near Athens. She belongs to the magical world that crosses paths with the young lovers and the workmen rehearsing a play.

Her quarrel with Oberon reaches beyond their own lives and into nature. She says their fighting disrupts the seasons, bringing fogs, floods and ruined crops.

What Titania wants

Titania wants to keep the child she is raising, despite Oberon's demand to have him as his page. Her refusal puts her strong will against the fairy king's wish to control the boy's future.

Titania and the others in the story

Oberon turns to trickery when Titania will not give him the child. He plans to use a flower whose juice makes sleepers love the first living creature they see on waking.

Under its spell, Titania falls in love with Nick Bottom, a weaver whom Puck gives a donkey's head. She orders her fairies to attend him, bringing fairy royalty and an ordinary workman into an unexpected relationship.

Questions

Who is Titania?

Titania is the fairy queen who rules the wood alongside Oberon.

Why does Titania quarrel with Oberon?

She refuses to hand over the child in her care, whom Oberon wants as his page.

Why does Titania fall in love with Bottom?

A magic flower causes her sudden love for Bottom. Its juice makes her adore the first living creature she sees after waking.

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