the fairy court
The fairy court is ruled by Titania and Oberon, who contain the knowledge to use potions. Specifically, Oberon employs the use of a love potion made from a western flower turned purple by Cupid's arrow. In addition to Titania and Oberon, the fairy court consists mainly of their servants, including Puck, a mischievous sprite. Puck and Oberon are key to the story because they are behind the conflicts of the four Athenian lovers. With the use of magic and love potions, the fairy court is responsible for the majority of the problems in the play.
Titania
In the play, Titania is the queen of the fairies and the wife of Oberon. In the beginning of the play, she is sassy, stubborn, strong-willed, and gracious. She sticks by her guns and refuses to give in to to anyone. Even though she is strong, she still falls for the machinations of men. When she is enchanted by a potion put into her eyes by Oberon, she falls in love with the unsuspecting Bottom. She has her attendants cater to his every need. Her relationship with Bottom represents an imbalance of appearance and nature, whereas her relationship with Oberon represents a struggle for power. She and Oberon seem to be very inconsistent in their feelings for each other, and there is a lot of tension between them. Her time with Bottom revealed that she can be very loving and kind, but she is never seen behaving this way with Oberon, which begs the question, what is the real source of her issues with Oberon? Some could blame it on Oberon's alleged infidelity. Titania is characterized as an overall gracious, but strong and insistent queen. It could be that her fiercely independent spirit and lust for power simply conflicts with Oberon's.
oberon
Oberon is the king of the fairies, master of Puck, and consort to Titania, the queen of the fairies.Throughout the play, Oberon seems benevolent and soft in the way that he sympathizes for Helena. He goes out of his way to make sure each person is partnered with a suitable lover. He laughs at others' expense, however, and can also be seen as a power-hungry jerk. Oberon is the one who has the idea to make Titania fall in love with Bottom in order to distract her from the Indian child so he could get his way. In that way, he could be characterized as a bit selfish, especially toward his wife, Titania. He has a very volatile relationship with Titania, one that could possibly be described as a power struggle, especially when it comes to the Indian child. Oberon wanted him as a servant, while Titania disapproved. Titania wanted more control over the boy considering she raised him since childbirth, but Oberon contradicted. Oberon is someone who both wants control and power, but is also very kind and sympathetic toward some. For example, in the story, he cursed Titania with the love potion, but removed it soon after. Oberon is a complex character; the plot of the play reflects that.
puck
Robin Goodfellow, more commonly known as Puck, is a deceptive sprite who works for Oberon, king of the fairies. He is well-known for being a trickster and a bit of a nuisance. However, many others find him funny. Puck says of himself:
"I am that merry wanderer of the night.
I jest to Oberon and make him smile"
Then:
"And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,
And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear
A merrier hour was never wasted there."
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is instructed to put a love potion on the eyes of the man with Athenian garments, this order coming from Oberon. Oberon meant for him to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena, but Puck mistakenly gave the potion to Lysander. He later remedies this, and all ends well. In fact, the end scene of the play includes Puck, Titania, and Oberon blessing the marriage beds. Puck then gives a monologue explaining that he has made amends. In addition to this, Puck is responsible for Bottom's head being turned into a donkey's, although this too is later fixed. Overall, Puck is known for his playful antics and devotion to King Oberon.
others
Other than Titania and Oberon, the fairy court consists of Titania's attendants: Mustardseed, Peaseblossom, Cobweb, and Moth. They are not given distinct personalities, but each seem to be very loyal to Queen Titania, obeying her every command. When Titania falls in love with Bottom, they are faithful servants to him as well. This may be an indicator that they are not supporters of Oberon. In addition to the attendants, there is one other member of the fairy court mentioned in A Midsummer Night's Dream, although he is not a character within the play. He is an Indian changeling that Titania supposedly felt responsible for after the death of his mother, one of Titania's friends. Titania takes care of the "lovely" Indian child, which causes a rift between she and Oberon because Oberon wanted to take the child as one of his servants. She had taken care of him since he was little, and she and Oberon's relationships with the boy is the root of many troubles.