(24 lines) I. i Egeus explains the issue with Hermia EGEUS 1. Full of vexation come I, with complaint 2. Against my child, my daughter Hermia.

Transcription

1 (24 lines) I. i Egeus explains the issue with Hermia EGEUS 1. Full of vexation come I, with complaint 2. Against my child, my daughter Hermia. 3. Stand forth, Demetrius! My noble lord, 4. This man hath my consent to marry her. 5. Stand forth, Lysander! And, my gracious Duke, 6. This man hath bewitched the bosom of my child. 7. Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes, 8. And interchanged love-tokens with my child. 9. Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung 10. With feigning voice verses of feigning love, 11. And stolen the impression of her fantasy. 12. With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gauds, conceits, 13. Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats messengers 14. Of strong prevailment in unhardened youth 15. With cunning hast thou filched my daughter's heart, 16. Turned her obedience which is due to me 17. To stubborn harshness. And, my gracious Duke, 18. Be it so she will not here before your grace 19. Consent to marry with Demetrius, 20. I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: 21. As she is mine, I may dispose of her; 22. Which shall be either to this gentleman 23. Or to her death, according to our law 24. Immediately provided in that case.

2 (26 lines) I. i Helena s soliloquy (she reveals her plan) HELENA 1. How happy some o'er other some can be! 2. Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. 3. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so; 4. He will not know what all but he do know. 5. And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes, 6. So I, admiring of his qualities. 7. Things base and vile, holding no quantity, 8. Love can transpose to form and dignity. 9. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, 10. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. 11. Nor hath Love's mind of any judgement taste; 12. Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste. 13. And therefore is love said to be a child 14. Because in choice he is so oft beguiled. 15. As waggish boys in game themselves forswear, 16. So the boy love is perjured everywhere; 17. For ere Demetrius looked on Hermia's eyne 18. He hailed down oaths that he was only mine, 19. And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, 20. So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt. 21. I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight. 22. Then to the wood will he tomorrow night 23. Pursue her; and for this intelligence 24. If I have thanks it is a dear expense. 25. But herein mean I to enrich my pain, 26. To have his sight thither, and back again.

3 (17 lines) II. i Puck explains his mischievous deeds PUCK 1. Thou speakest aright: 2. I am that merry wanderer of the night. 3. I jest to Oberon, and make him smile 4. When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, 5. Neighing in likeness of a filly foal; 6. And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl 7. In very likeness of a roasted crab; 8. And when she drinks, against her lips I bob, 9. And on her withered dewlap pour the ale. 10. The wisest aunt telling the saddest tale 11. Sometime for threefoot stool mistaketh me; 12. Then slip I from her bum. Down topples she, 13. And Tailor cries, and falls into a cough; 14. And then the whole choir hold their hips and laugh, 15. And waxen in their mirth, and neeze, and swear 16. A merrier hour was never wasted there. 17. But room, Fairy: here comes Oberon.

4 (20 lines) II. i Oberon instructs Puck to retrieve the pansy OBERON 1. That very time I saw but thou couldst not 2. Flying between the cold moon and the earth 3. Cupid all armed. A certain aim he took 4. At a fair vestal throned by the west, 5. And loosed his loveshaft smartly from his bow 6. As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts; 7. But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft 8. Quenched in the chaste beams of the watery moon, 9. And the imperial votaress passed on 10. In maiden meditation, fancy-free. 11. Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell: 12. It fell upon a little western flower, 13. Before, milk-white; now purple with love's wound: 14. And maidens call it love in idleness. 15. Fetch me that flower the herb I showed thee once. 16. The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid 17. Will make or man or woman madly dote 18. Upon the next live creature that it sees. 19. Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again 20. Ere the leviathan can swim a league.

5 (20 lines) II. i Oberon instructs Puck to put potion on Demetrius s eyes OBERON 1. I pray thee give it me. 2. I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, 3. Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, 4. Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, 5. With sweet muskroses and with eglantine. 6. There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, 7. Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight. 8. And there the snake throws her enamelled skin, 9. Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in. 10. And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes 11. And make her full of hateful fantasies. 12. Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove. 13. A sweet Athenian lady is in love 14. With a disdainful youth anoint his eyes; 15. But do it when the next thing he espies 16. May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man 17. By the Athenian garments he hath on. 18. Effect it with some care, that he may prove 19. More fond on her than she upon her love. 20. And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.

6 (27 lines) II. ii Lysander declares his love for Helena (Lysander's part only) LYSANDER 1. And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake. 2. Transparent Helena, nature shows art, 3. That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. 4. Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word 5. Is that vile name to perish on my sword! HEL. Do not say so, Lysander, say not so. What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though? Yet Hermia still loves you; then be content. LYS. 6. Content with Hermia? No; I do repent 7. The tedious minutes I with her have spent. 8. Not Hermia, but Helena I love. 9. Who will not change a raven for a dove? 10. The will of man is by his reason sway d; 11. And reason says you are the worthier maid. 12. Things growing are not ripe until their season, 13. So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason; 14. And touching now the point of human skill, 15. Reason becomes the marshal to my will, 16. And leads me to your eyes, where I o erlook 17. Love s stories written in Love s richest book. HEL. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?

7 When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? Is t not enough, is t not enough, young man, That I did never, no, nor never can, Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius eye, But you must flout my insufficiency? Good troth, you do me wrong (good sooth, you do) In such disdainful manner me to woo. But fare you well; perforce I must confess I thought you lord of more true gentleness. O that a lady, of one man refus d, Should of another therefore be abus d! Exit. LYS. 18. She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there, 19. And never mayst thou come Lysander near! 20. For as a surfeit of the sweetest things 21. The deepest loathing to the stomach brings, 22. Or as the heresies that men do leave 23. Are hated most of those they did deceive, 24. So thou, my surfeit and my heresy, 25. Of all be hated, but the most of me! 26. And, all my powers, address your love and might 27. To honor Helen and to be her knight.

8 (29 lines) III. ii Puck describes what he has done to Bottom / Titania PUCK 1. My mistress with a monster is in love. 2. Near to her close and consecrated bower, 3. While she was in her dull and sleeping hour, 4. A crew of patches, rude mechanicals, 5. That work for bread upon Athenian stalls, 6. Were met together to rehearse a play 7. Intended for great Theseus nuptial day. 8. The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort, 9. Who Pyramus presented, in their sport, 10. Forsook his scene, and ent red in a brake; 11. When I did him at this advantage take, 12. An ass s nole I fixed on his head. 13. Anon his Thisbe must be answered, 14. And forth my mimic comes. When they him spy, 15. As wild geese that the creeping fowler eye, 16. Or russet-pated choughs, many in sort 17. (Rising and cawing at the gun s report), 18. Sever themselves and madly sweep the sky, 19. So, at his sight, away his fellows fly; 20. And at our stamp, here o er and o er one falls; 21. He murder cries, and help from Athens calls. 22. Their sense thus weak, lost with their fears thus strong, 23. Made senseless things begin to do them wrong, 24. For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch; 25. Some sleeves, some hats, from yielders all things catch. 26. I led them on in this distracted fear, 27. And left sweet Pyramus translated there; 28. When in that moment (so it came to pass) 29. Titania wak d, and straightway lov d an ass.

9 (28 lines) III. ii Helena speaks of her fondness for Hermia HELENA 1. Lo! She is one of this confederacy. 2. Now I perceive, they have conjoin d all three 3. To fashion this false sport, in spite of me. 4. Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid! 5. Have you conspir d, have you with these contriv d 6. To bait me with this foul derision? 7. Is all the counsel that we two have shar d, 8. The sisters vows, the hours that we have spent, 9. When we have chid the hasty-footed time 10. For parting us O, is all forgot? 11. All school-days friendship, childhood innocence? 12. We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, 13. Have with our needles created both one flower, 14. Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, 15. Both warbling of one song, both in one key, 16. As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds 17. Had been incorporate. So we grew together, 18. Like to a double cherry, seeming parted, 19. But yet an union in partition, 20. Two lovely berries moulded on one stem; 21. So with two seeming bodies, but one heart, 22. Two of the first, like coats in heraldry, 23. Due but to one, and crowned with one crest. 24. And will you rent our ancient love asunder, 25. To join with men in scorning your poor friend? 26. It is not friendly, tis not maidenly. 27. Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it, 28. Though I alone do feel the injury.

10 III. ii Hermia (22 lines) and Helena (33 lines) fight HERMIA (PARTNER PRESENTATION) 1. O me! you juggler! you canker-blossom! 2. You thief of love! what, have you come by night 3. And stolen my love's heart from him? HELENA HERMIA HELENA HERMIA HELENA HERMIA 1. Fine, i'faith! 2. Have you no modesty, no maiden shame, 3. No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear 4. Impatient answers from my gentle tongue? 5. Fie, fie! you counterfeit, you puppet, you! 4. Puppet? why so? ay, that way goes the game. 5. Now I perceive that she hath made compare 6. Between our statures; she hath urged her height; 7. And with her personage, her tall personage, 8. Her height, forsooth, she hath prevail'd with him. 9. And are you grown so high in his esteem; 10. Because I am so dwarfish and so low? 11. How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak; 12. How low am I? I am not yet so low 13. But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes. 6. I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen, 7. Let her not hurt me: I was never curst; 8. I have no gift at all in shrewishness; 9. I am a right maid for my cowardice: 10. Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think, 11. Be cause she is something lower than myself, 12. That I can match her. 14. Lower! hark, again. 13. Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me. 14. I evermore did love you, Hermia, 15. Did ever keep your counsels, never wrong'd you; 16. Save that, in love unto Demetrius, 17. I told him of your stealth unto this wood He follow'd you; for love I follow'd him; 19. But he hath chid me hence and threaten'd me 20. To strike me, spurn me, nay, to kill me too: 21. And now, so you will let me quiet go, 22. To Athens will I bear my folly back 23. And follow you no further: let me go: 24. You see how simple and how fond I am. 15. Why, get you gone: who is't that hinders you?

11 HELENA HERMIA HELENA LYSANDER DEMETRIUS 25. A foolish heart, that I leave here behind. 16. What, with Lysander? 26. With Demetrius. Be not afraid; she shall not harm thee, Helena. No, sir, she shall not, though you take her part. HELENA HERMIA 27. O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd! 28. She was a vixen when she went to school; 29. And though she be but little, she is fierce. 17. 'Little' again! nothing but 'low' and 'little'! 18. Why will you suffer her to flout me thus? 19. Let me come to her. LYSANDER Get you gone, you dwarf; You minimus, of hindering knot-grass made; You bead, you acorn. DEMETRIUS You are too officious In her behalf that scorns your services. Let her alone: speak not of Helena; Take n ot her part; for, if thou dost intend Never so little show of love to her, Thou shalt aby it. LYSANDER Now she holds me not; Now follow, if thou darest, to try whose right, Of thin e or mine, is most in Helena. DEMETRIUS Follow! nay, I'll go with thee, cheek by jole. Exeunt LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS HERMIA 20. You, mistress, all this coil is 'long of you: 21. Nay, go not back. HELENA 30. I will not trust you, I, 31. Nor longer stay in your curst company. 32. Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray, 33. My legs are longer though, to run away. Exit HERMIA 22. I am amazed, and know not what to say. Exit

12 (30 lines) IV. i Oberon explains how he got the changeling boy OBERON 1. Welcome, good Robin. Seest thou this sweet sight? 2. Her dotage now I do begin to pity. 3. For meeting her of late behind the wood, 4. Seeking sweet favors for this hateful fool, 5. I did upbraid her, and fall out with her. 6. For she his hairy temples then had rounded 7. With coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers; 8. And that same dew which sometime on the buds 9. Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls, 10. Stood now within the pretty flouriets eyes, 11. Like tears that did their own disgrace bewail. 12. When I had at my pleasure taunted her, 13. And she in mild terms begg d my patience, 14. I then did ask of her her changeling child; 15. Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent 16. To bear him to my bower in fairy land. 17. And now I have the boy, I will undo 18. This hateful imperfection of her eyes. 19. And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp 20. From off the head of this Athenian swain, 21. That he, awaking when the other do, 22. May all to Athens back again repair, 23. And think no more of this night s accidents 24. But as the fierce vexation of a dream. 25. But first I will release the Fairy Queen. Touching her eyes. 26. Be as thou wast wont to be; 27. See as thou wast wont to see. 28. Dian s bud o er Cupid s flower 29. Hath such force and blessed power. 30. Now, my Titania, wake you, my sweet queen.

13 (17 lines) IV. i Demetrius declares love for Helena DEMETRIUS 1. My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth, 2. Of this their purpose hither to this wood, 3. And I in fury hither followed them, 4. Fair Helena in fancy following me. 5. But, my good lord, I wot not by what power 6. (But by some power it is), my love to Hermia 7. (Melted as the snow) seems to me now 8. As the remembrance of an idle gaud, 9. Which in my childhood I did dote upon; 10. And all the faith, the virtue of my heart, 11. The object and the pleasure of mine eye, 12. Is only Helena. To her, my lord, 13. Was I betrothed ere I saw Hermia; 14. But like a sickness did I loathe this food; 15. But, as in health, come to my natural taste, 16. Now I do wish it, love it, long for it, 17. And will forevermore be true to it.

14 (20 lines) IV. i Bottom awakes BOTTOM 1. When my cue comes, call me, 2. and I will answer. My next is, Most fair Pyramus. 3. Heigh-ho! Peter Quince! Flute the bellows-mender! 4. Snout the tinker! Starveling! God s my life, stol n 5. hence, and left me asleep! I have had a most rare 6. vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say 7. what dream it was. Man is but an ass, if he go about 8. t expound this dream. Methought I was there I 9. s no man can tell what. Methought I was, and 10. methought I had but man is but a patch d fool, if 11. he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of 12. man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, 13. man s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to 14. conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream 15. was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballet of this 16. dream. It shall be call d Bottom s Dream, 17. because it hath no bottom; and I will sing it in the 18. latter end of a play, before the Duke. 19. Peradventure, to make it the more gracious, 20. I shall sing it at her death.

15 (21 lines) V. i Theseus THESEUS 1. More strange than true. I never may believe 2. These antic fables, nor these fairy toys. 3. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, 4. Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend 5. More than cool reason ever comprehends. 6. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 7. Are of imagination all compact. 8. One sees more devils than vast hell can hold; 9. That is the madman. The lover, all as frantic, 10. Sees Helen s beauty in a brow of Egypt. 11. The poet s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, 12. Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven; 13. And as imagination bodies forth 14. The forms of things unknown, the poet s pen 15. Turns them to shapes, and gives to aery nothing 16. A local habitation and a name. 17. Such tricks hath strong imagination, 18. That if it would but apprehend some joy, 19. It comprehends some bringer of that joy; 20. Or in the night, imagining some fear, 21. How easy is a bush suppos d a bear!

16 (25 lines) V. i Quince tells the prologue QUINCE 1. Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show; 2. But wonder on till truth make all things plain. 3. This man is Pyramus, if you would know; 4. This beauteous lady Thisbe is certain. 5. This man, with lime and rough-cast, doth present 6. Wall, that vile Wall, which did these lovers sunder; 7. And through Wall s chink, poor souls, they are content 8. To whisper. At the which let no man wonder. 9. This man, with lantern, dog, and bush of thorn, 10. Presenteth Moonshine; for if you will know, 11. By moonshine did these lovers think no scorn 12. To meet at Ninus tomb, there, there to woo. 13. This grisly beast, which Lion hight by name, 14. The trusty Thisbe, coming first by night, 15. Did scare away, or rather did affright; 16. And as she fled, her mantle she did fall, 17. Which Lion vile with bloody mouth did stain. 18. Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth and tall, 19. And finds his trusty Thisbe s mantle slain; 20. Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade, 21. He bravely broach d his boiling bloody breast; 22. And Thisbe, tarrying in mulberry shade, 23. His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest, 24. Let Lion, Moonshine, Wall, and lovers twain 25. At large discourse, while here they do remain.

17 (16 lines) V. i Puck prepares for the end of the play PUCK 1. If we shadows have offended, 2. Think but this, and all is mended, 3. That you have but slumb red here 4. While these visions did appear. 5. And this weak and idle theme, 6. No more yielding but a dream, 7. Gentles, do not reprehend. 8. If you pardon, we will mend. 9. And, as I am an honest Puck, 10. If we have unearned luck 11. Now to scape the serpent s tongue, 12. We will make amends ere long; 13. Else the Puck a liar call. 14. So, good night unto you all. 15. Give me your hands, if we be friends, 16. And Robin shall restore amends.

18 (17 lines) III.i. Titania in love with Bottom TITANIA BOTTOM TITANIA BOTTOM TITANIA 1. I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again: 2. Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note; 3. So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; 4. And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me 5. On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee. Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days; the more the pity that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion. 6. Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful. Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. 7. Out of this wood do not desire to go: 8. Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. 9. I am a spirit of no common rate; 10. The summer still doth tend upon my state; 11. And I do love thee: therefore, go with me; 12. I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee, 13. And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, 14. And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep; 15. And I will purge thy mortal grossness so 16. That thou shalt like an airy spirit go. 17. Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! And Mustardseed!

19 33 lines V.i. Bottom performs Pyramus's death scene Pyramus 1. Sweet Moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams; THESEUS 2. I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright; 3. For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering gleams, 4. I trust to take of truest Thisby sight. 5. But stay, O spite! 6. But mark, poor knight, 7. What dreadful dole is here! 8. Eyes, do you see? 9. How can it be? 10. O dainty duck! O dear! 11. Thy mantle good, 12. What, stain'd with blood! 13. Approach, ye Furies fell! 14. O Fates, come, come, 15. Cut thread and thrum; 16. Quail, crush, conclude, and quell! This passion, and the death of a dear friend, would go near to make a man look sad. HIPPOLYTA Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man. Pyramus [Stabs himself] 17. O wherefore, Nature, didst thou lions frame? 18. Since lion vile hath here deflower'd my dear: 19. Which is--no, no--which was the fairest dame 20. That lived, that loved, that liked, that look'd 21. with cheer. 22. Come, tears, confound; 23. Out, sword, and wound 24. The pap of Pyramus; 25. Ay, that left pap, 26. Where heart doth hop: 27. Thus die I, thus, thus, thus. 28. Now am I dead, 29. Now am I fled; 30. My soul is in the sky:

20 31. Tongue, lose thy light; 32. Moon take thy flight: [Exit Moonshine] 33. Now die, die, die, die, die.