Since I first saw this play as a young woman, it has been my favourite work of Shakespeare – for its humour, its cleverness, its colour, its celebration of love and magic and nature. I often find myself recalling lines when I am somewhere beautiful, somewhere it seems magic must be afoot, and so I could not resist having my character, Venetia, in The Echoes of Love do the same:

They went up the steps to the terrace that lay in the sunshine. Here, tawny bees hovered and settled on the wild roses and honeysuckle that smothered the balustrades and columns in a tangle, the tranquil air pervaded by their fragrant scent, made stronger by the heat.

A panoramic view met them. Venetia looked around and then over the parapet. Down amongst the broken rocks were several fragile-looking reptilian skins that could not have been shed earlier than this spring. Venetia thought of the lovely lines from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

‘And there the snake throws her enamell’d skin,

Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.’

The idea of fairies seemed very apt in such a place at such a time. Not a stir, not a sound; she and Paolo might have been alone in the world. She could hear nothing except for the humming of bees resounding loudly in the silence. The whole place left the impression of peace and they stood there for a while, neither of them speaking, absorbing the atmosphere of another epoch.

These are, perhaps, two of the lesser quoted lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I could have woven in so many more, for the play is full of wisdom (albeit imparted in jest) on the subjects of life and love – and my characters in The Echoes of Love have much to learn from Shakespeare’s actors and lovers and fairies…

The course of true love never did run smooth.

So says Lysander to Hermia in an effort to reassure her that they are not the only true lovers who have had troubles. True indeed! Is not the essence of every love story the struggle to be together despite obstacles? Certainly Paolo and Venetia’s course is meandering and, at times, treacherous.

So quick bright things come to confusion.

In modern parlance Shakespeare’s confusion equates to darkness. Happiness is fragile, too fleeting. We must chase it, fight for it, and enjoy it while we have it! For Venetia, that takes a great deal of courage.

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

Very apt for The Echoes of Love, in which a key theme is mirage versus reality. Can Venetia trust her mind, which longs for Paolo?

And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays.

Very much at the heart of Venetia’s inner conflict in the book – given half a chance, she may reason her way out of falling in love; and what a tragedy that would be!

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

The gleeful Puck really has a point as he mocks the on-again/off-again relationships of the lovers in the play. We mortals are fools, especially when love is at stake. But then I am reminded of a line from Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s famous poem ‘The Invitation’: I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love/for your dream/for the adventure of being alive. Yes! we want to answer. Because what other way is there to truly, authentically, happily live?