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All Site ContentMidsummer Night's DreamAct 2Scene 1
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"anoint"
Word Nerd
Act 2,
Scene 1
Lines 247-268

An explanation of the origins of the word “anoint” in Act 2, Scene 1 of myShakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Oberon

Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer.

Robin (Puck)

Ay, there it is.

Oberon

                         I pray thee give it me.
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine.
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enamelled skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.
And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes
And make her full of hateful fantasies.
[Oberon gives some of the flowers to Robin]
Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove.
A sweet Athenian lady is in love
With a disdainful youth. Anoint his eyes,
But do it when the next thing he espies
May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man
By the Athenian garments he hath on.
Effect it with some care, that he may prove
More fond on her than she upon her love.
And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.

Robin

Fear not, my lord. Your servant shall do so.
[Exit Robin and Oberon separately]

The word "anoint" derives from the Latin verb inunctum, to smear something on the body for cleansing or medicinal purposes. In ancient times people cleansed themselves by smearing olive oil on their bodies and scraping it off. (Inuctum also gave us the word "ointment," a healing cream or balm.) 

One of the principal Catholic ceremonies is called Anointing of the Sick, during which a priest pours holy oil on a sick person’s head to elicit God's healing power. Similarly, Robin is going to pour Cupid's magic potion on Demetrius’ eyes to elicit passion. 

Eventually the word "anoint" came to refer to any kind of religious blessing, but today we mostly use anoint in a figurative sense to describe someone who’s chosen, as if by God, for some office or position, as in "She was anointed by the Democratic bigwigs as their party’s presidential candidate."