Queen Mab

Emily is a Canadian-born editor, writer, and translator living in Barcelona.

Her work has been published in The Nation, The Rumpus, and The Stinging Fly, and she's here to talk to us about her debut novel, Queen Mab.

Emily, welcome to the show.

Thank you for having me.

through a particularly bad time.

Emily, thank you so much for joining us today.

Listeners don't miss Queen Mab, which you can find at an independent bookseller near you.

That's it for the Fiction Nonfiction Podcast.

Yeah, so was that in the original? Did he hit him with something in the original version of it?

Mercutio does do the Queen Mab speech.

And the Queen Mab speech could be taken a few ways.

I don't know.

In my head, they don't really allude to drugs at that point.

think of dates in my head.

Yeah, the 1936 Romeo and Juliet would be the one because that film has the very famous Queen Mab, or that play has the Queen Mab speech, but I don't, it's such a shambles of an adaptation that I don't know if they actually include the full Queen Mab speech.

I haven't seen that Romeo and Juliet it's terrible but you should also see it to be clear so much of when I think of monologues and this definitely goes back to my background in theater I think of Shakespeare before anything else and so I'm assuming if you made a movie of Romeo and Juliet You had to at least have had either the Queen Mab or the Gallops of Pace or Juliet's Suicide Monologue.

One of those at least had to have made it into the film.

But...

in bed asleep while they do dream things true

oh then i see queen mab hath been with you she is the fairy's midwife and she comes in shape no bigger than an agate stone on the forefinger of an alderman drawn with a team of little atomies athwart men's noses as they lie asleep her wagon spokes made of long spinner's legs the cover of the wings of grasshoppers the traces of the smallest spider's web the collars of the moonshine's watery beams her whip of cricket's bone the lash of film her wagoner a small gray-coated gnat not half so big as a round little worm pricked from the lazy finger of a maid her chariot is an empty hazel-nut made by the joiner squirrel or old grub time out of mind the fairy's coachmakers and in this state she gallops night by night through lovers brains and then they dream of love or courtiers knees that dream on curtseys straight or lawyers fingers who straight dream on fees or ladies lips who straight on kisses dream which oft the angry mab with blisters plagues because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are sometimes she gallops o'er a courtier's nose and then dreams he of smelling out a suit and sometimes comes she with a tithe pig's tail tickling a parson's nose as he lies asleep then dreams he of another benefice sometime he driveth o'er a soldier's neck and then dreams he of cutting foreign throats of breeches ambuscados spanish blades of healths five fathom deep and then anon drums in his ear at which he starts and wakes and being thus frightened swears a prayer or two and sleeps again this is that very mab that plaits the manes of horses in the night and bakes the elf-locks in foul sluttish hairs which once untangled much misfortune bodes this is the hag when maids lie on their backs that presses them and learns them first to bear making them women of good courage this is she peace peace mercutio peace thou talk'st of nothing true i talk of dreams which are the children of an idle brain begot of nothing but vain fantasy which is as thin of substance as the air and more inconstant than the wind who woos even now the frozen bosom of the north and being angered puffs away from thence turning his face to the dew-dropping south

this wind you talk of blows us from ourselves supper is done and we shall come too late

i fear too early for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars shall bitterly begin his fearful date with this night's revels and expire the term of a despised life closed in my breast by some vile forfeit of untimely death but he that hath a steerage of my course direct my sail on lusty gentlemen strike drum

Chaucer uses the word fairy as well as for the individual as for the country or system, or what we should now call fairyland, or fairyism.

He knew nothing, it would seem, of Oberon, Titania, or Mab, but speaks of, quote, Pluto that is the king of fairy, and many a lady in his company, following his wife, the queen Proserpina, etc.

End quote.

The Merchant's Tale, one, one O one O one.

He is, likewise, a character in the old French romances of Juan de Bordeaux and Ogier le Danois, and there even seems to be one upon his own exploits, Roman Oberon.

What authority, however, Shakespeare had for the name Titania, it does not appear, nor is she so called by any other writer.

He himself, at the same time as well as many others, gives to the Queen of Fairies the name of Mab, though no one except Drayton mentions her as the wife of Oberon.

O then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.

Because this is Irides, the court fears that the resulting caps could retain some portion of his memories, intelligence, will, and magical ability.

He is an ancient red cap who oversees all of the fathers of the Queen Mab's court.

Queen Mab and Falchion are the rulers of the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

In this particular case, the Supreme Fey Court has been triggered because the Feywild is under danger.

If Irides successfully fruits, the Feywild itself may unravel.

Well, um, your job as a neutral third party is to use the other ones to indicate whether that person is lying or not.

Mm.

I'm, they see all the rules, and unfortunately, Falchion and Queen Mab have signed a treaty and this is how it works.

Chaucer uses the word fairy as well as for the individual as for the country or system, or what we should now call fairyland, or fairyism.

He knew nothing, it would seem, of Oberon, Titania, or Mab, but speaks of, quote, Pluto that is the king of fairy and many a lady in his company, following his wife, the queen Preserpina, etc.

End quote.

The Merchant's Tale 1.

The allegorical Spencer gives it to King Henry VIII.

Robert Greene was the author of a play entitled The Scottish History of James IV, intermixed with a pleasant comedy presented by Oberon, King of the Fairies.

He is, likewise, a character in the old French romances of Juan de Bordeaux, and ogier le danois and there even seems to be one upon his own exploits roman oberon what authority however shakespeare had for the name titania it does not appear nor is she so called by any other writer he himself at the same time as well as many others gives to the queen of fairies the name of mab though no one except drayton mentions her as the wife of oberon O then, I see, Queen Mab hath been with you.

She is the fairy's midwife, and she comes in shape no bigger than an agate stone on the forefinger of an alderman, drawn with a team of little atomies, athwart men's noses as they lie asleep.