Queen Mab
Queen Mab is a fairy referred to in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, where "she is the fairies' midwife". Later, she appears in other poetry and literature, and in various guises in drama and cinema. In the play, her activity is described in a famous speech by Mercutio published originally in prose and often adapted into iambic pentameter, in which she is a miniature creature who performs midnight pranks upon sleepers. Being driven by a team of atomies, she rides her chariot over their noses and "delivers the fancies of sleeping men". She is also described as a midwife to help sleepers "give birth" to their dreams. Later depictions have typically portrayed her as the Queen of the Fairies.
For other uses, see Queen Mab (disambiguation).Origin[edit]
Shakespeare may have borrowed the character of Mab from folklore, but this is debated and there have been numerous theories on the origin of the name. A popular theory holds that Mab derives from Medb (pronounced "Maive"[1][2]), a legendary queen from 12th-century Irish poetry; scholar Gillian Edwards notes “little resemblance”, however, between the two characters.[3] There is marked contrast between the formidable warrior Medb and the tiny dream-bringer Mab.[2]
Other authors such as Wirt Sikes argued that Mab comes from the Welsh "mab" ("child" or "son"), although critics noted the lack of supporting evidence.[3][2] Thomas Keightley suggested a connection to Habundia or Dame Habonde, a goddess associated with witches in medieval times and sometimes described as a queen.[4]
A more likely origin for Mab's name would be from Mabel and the Middle English derivative "Mabily" (as used by Chaucer)[5] all from the Latin amabilis ("lovable").[6] Simon Young contends that this fits in with fairy names in British literature of the time, which tended to be generic and monosyllabic. "Mab" was a nickname for a low-class woman or prostitute, or possibly for a haglike witch.[7] Similarly, "queen" is a pun on "quean," a term for a prostitute.[3]
In other works[edit]
Since then, Queen Mab re-appears in works of 17th century poetry, notably Ben Jonson's "The Entertainment at Althorp" and Michael Drayton's "Nymphidia". In Poole's work Parnassus, Mab is described as the Queen of the Fairies and consort to Oberon, emperor of the Fairies.[8] Further works include a 1750 pantomime by actor Henry Woodward,[9][10] and Queen Mab, the first large poetic work written by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822).[11] The composer Hector Berlioz wrote a "Queen Mab" scherzo in his Romeo et Juliette symphony (1839). Hugh Macdonald describes this piece as "Berlioz's supreme exercise in light orchestral texture, a brilliant, gossamer fabric, prestissimo and pianissimo almost without pause... The pace and fascination of the movement are irresistible; it is some of the most ethereally brilliant music ever penned."[12] In modern times, she appears frequently as a character in works of fiction, including television shows, music, and novels. Charles Gounod's 1867 opera Romeo et Juliette includes a song about Queen Mab sung by the character Mercutio.