A Midsummer Nights Dream1

Theseus More strange than true. I never may believe These antic fables nor these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet Are of imagination all compact. One sees more devils than vast hell can hold: That is the madman. The lover, all as frantic Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt. The poet's eye, …

…of love and its effect on people, Theseus also recognizes the salutary effect it has, as Demetrius and Lysander, once bitter foes, present themselves to him as friends. He allows the lovers to marry according to their affection and betrays his own affection and appreciation for the intoxicating draught called love, "Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth. Joy, gentle friends, go and fresh days of love accompany your hearts!"(V,i,28-30)