The action continues in the final scene of Act
Once all of the Athenians are asleep, Puck puts the antidote on Lysander’s eyes so that, when he awakens, he will once again love Hermia.
As Puck places the antidote in Lysander’s eye, he recites a little song which ends with the following:
And the country proverb known, That ‘every man should take his own,’ In your waking shall be shown.
Jack shall have his Jill, Naught shall go ill,
The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well. (42-47)
The rhyme indicates that for each man there is one woman, and life runs well as long as each man stays with the woman who is appropriate (or destined) for him. The problem that begins this play occurs when Demetrius begins to pursue a woman (Hermia) who is not suited for or destined to him. Although the modern reader may argue that Demetrius only agrees to accept Helena because he is affected by the love potion, that is not entirely true. Shakespeare earlier had specifically noted that Demetrius had been a suitor to Helena before he became infatuated with Hermia. Shakespeare implies that his infatuation was a mistake: his infatuation for Hermia was just a whim or casual desire that did not really consist of any true love. Thus, Oberon’s love potion does not really force Demetrius to love Helena. Rather, the love potion allows him to forget his infatuation so that he can see where the affections of his heart truly belong. Jack shall have his Jill, and Demetrius shall have his Helena. Demetrius and Helena belong together as much as do Jack and Jill.