A small grey-coated gnat,
Not so big as a round little worm
Prick’d from the lazy finger of a maid.
– William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 4. In this passage Mercutio describes the wagoner, or chariot driver, of Queen Mab, the bringer of dreams. While the Queen Mab of Mercutio’s speech may at first seem a whimsical creation, we learn later in the speech that she is a malevolent, vindictive and mean-spirited hag.