"It took them both a long time to understand that the boy was sick, though she would point out that she had been the first to notice that he was unhappy, and had sought to remedy his discontent with sweeter treats and more delightful distractions. She thought it was evidence that she loved him more—that she had noticed rst that something was wrong—and she said as much to her husband, when they were still trying to outdo each other in love for the child."
-- Narrator

Importance: This is the first paragraph of the story, and it helps establish some of the context around the story's central tension. Here, the narrator shows how the couple – not yet recognizable as Titania and Oberon from A Midsummer Night's Dream – are competitive in their marriage because of their son. The story comes to suggest that the tension between Titania and Oberon is due to...