At first glance, fancy and fantasy are used almost interchangeably in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. By certain definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary, they are indeed the same. But the subtle differences between the usages creates a particular meaning in the passages in which they are used, and are what makes it particularly interesting to examine as a keyword.

The first instance of either word being used is in Egeus’ appeal to Theseus regarding his daughter’s rebellion to his will: “Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung/ With feigning voices verses of feigning love/ And stol’n the impression of her fantasy…” (MSND 1.1.32-34). In this case, fantasy is most plainly targeted as part of Hermia’s imagination. “Delusive imagination, hallucination; the fact or habit of deluding oneself by imaginary perceptions” (OED) according to the OED. It seems logical that Egeus would invoke this definition of the word, as it belittles Hermia’s fascination with Lysander. When combined with the preceding line, ‘feigning voices of feigning love,’ it creates the reading that Lysander has, by false methods, painted himself as a man that Hermia could only dream of. It implies that she is still dreaming and that it is only a matter of time until she wakes up. However, if Shakespeare were to have chosen for Egeus to use fancy instead, the passage would take on a slightly different meaning. Using fancy as “arbitrary preference; individual taste; an inclination” (OED), Egeus’ speech would acknowledge Hermia’s feelings for Lysander. It would give him the credit of holding Hermia’s love, instead of being a phase of enchantment.

The subtle differences in the meanings of the two words can be further exposed in Act 4 as Demetrius describes his affection for Helena to Theseus. He declares: “Fair Helena in fancy followed me./ But, my good lord, I wot not by what power/ (But by some power) my love to Hermia/ melted as the snow, seems to me now…” (MSND 4.1.170-173). The use of fancy in this passage is key in Demetrius’ acknowledgment of his love for Helena. Demetrius, without the power of Puck and Oberon’s love potion, might have used fantasy in place of fancy, which would have been consistent with his feelings towards her before his eyes were tampered with. In his eyes, he and Helena ever being together was a joke, an impossibility. Helena in fantasy followed me would imply that their union would never be more than a dream of Helena’s. Because he uses fancy, he acknowledges his own feelings as a reciprocation of hers.

The differences in the word choices seen in these two examples seem arbitrary at first, but each passage is filled with meticulous word choices that create a very specific meaning when analyzed as a whole.