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A Midsummer Night's Dream

ACT I Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung,
With feigning voice verses of feigning love,
SCENE I. Athens. The palace of THESEUS. And stolen the impression of her fantasy
With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats, messengers
Attendants Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth:
THESEUS With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart,
Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
Draws on apace; four happy days bring in To stubborn harshness: and, my gracious duke,
Another moon: but, O, methinks, how slow Be it so she; will not here before your grace
This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Consent to marry with Demetrius,
Like to a step-dame or a dowager I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,
Long withering out a young man revenue. As she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Which shall be either to this gentleman
HIPPOLYTA Or to her death, according to our law
Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Immediately provided in that case.
Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
And then the moon, like to a silver bow THESEUS
New-bent in heaven, shall behold the night What say you, Hermia? be advised fair maid:
Of our solemnities. To you your father should be as a god;
One that composed your beauties, yea, and one
THESEUS To whom you are but as a form in wax
Go, Philostrate, By him imprinted and within his power
Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; To leave the figure or disfigure it.
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth; Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Turn melancholy forth to funerals;
The pale companion is not for our pomp. HERMIA
So is Lysander.
Exit PHILOSTRATE THESEUS
In himself he is;
Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
And won thy love, doing thee injuries; The other must be held the worthier.
But I will wed thee in another key, HERMIA
With pomp, with triumph and with revelling. I would my father look'd but with my eyes.
Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and THESEUS
DEMETRIUS Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
HERMIA
EGEUS I do entreat your grace to pardon me.
Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! I know not by what power I am made bold,
THESEUS Nor how it may concern my modesty,
Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee? In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;
But I beseech your grace that I may know
EGEUS The worst that may befall me in this case,
Full of vexation come I, with complaint If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
Against my child, my daughter Hermia.
Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord, THESEUS
This man hath my consent to marry her. Either to die the death or to abjure
Stand forth, Lysander: and my gracious duke, For ever the society of men.
This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child; Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires;
Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes, Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
And interchanged love-tokens with my child: Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun, For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd, To fit your fancies to your father's will;
To live a barren sister all your life, Or else the law of Athens yields you up--
Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon. Which by no means we may extenuate--
Thrice-blessed they that master so their blood, To death, or to a vow of single life.
To undergo such maiden pilgrimage; Come, my Hippolyta: what cheer, my love?
But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd, Demetrius and Egeus, go along:
Than that which withering on the virgin thorn I must employ you in some business
Grows, lives and dies in single blessedness. Against our nuptial and confer with you
HERMIA Of something nearly that concerns yourselves.
So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, EGEUS
Ere I will my virgin patent up With duty and desire we follow you.
Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke
My soul consents not to give sovereignty. Exeunt all but LYSANDER and HERMIA
THESEUS
Take time to pause; and, by the next new moon-- LYSANDER
The sealing-day betwixt my love and me, How now, my love! why is your cheek so pale?
For everlasting bond of fellowship-- How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
Upon that day either prepare to die HERMIA
For disobedience to your father's will, Belike for want of rain, which I could well
Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would; Beteem them from the tempest of my eyes.
Or on Diana's altar to protest LYSANDER
For aye austerity and single life. Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
DEMETRIUS Could ever hear by tale or history,
Relent, sweet Hermia: and, Lysander, yield The course of true love never did run smooth;
Thy crazed title to my certain right. But, either it was different in blood,--
LYSANDER HERMIA
You have her father's love, Demetrius; O cross! too high to be enthrall'd to low.
Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him. LYSANDER
EGEUS Or else misgraffed in respect of years,--
Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love, HERMIA
And what is mine my love shall render him. O spite! too old to be engaged to young.
And she is mine, and all my right of her
I do estate unto Demetrius. LYSANDER
Or else it stood upon the choice of friends,--
LYSANDER
I am, my lord, as well derived as he, HERMIA
As well possess'd; my love is more than his; O hell! to choose love by another's eyes.
My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd, LYSANDER
If not with vantage, as Demetrius'; Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,
And, which is more than all these boasts can be, War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it,
I am beloved of beauteous Hermia: Making it momentany as a sound,
Why should not I then prosecute my right? Swift as a shadow, short as any dream;
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head, Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,
And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes, And ere a man hath power to say 'Behold!'
Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry, The jaws of darkness do devour it up:
Upon this spotted and inconstant man. So quick bright things come to confusion.
THESEUS HERMIA
I must confess that I have heard so much, If then true lovers have been ever cross'd,
And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; It stands as an edict in destiny:
But, being over-full of self-affairs, Then let us teach our trial patience,
My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come; Because it is a customary cross,
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me, As due to love as thoughts and dreams and sighs,
I have some private schooling for you both. Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers.
LYSANDER O that my prayers could such affection move!
A good persuasion: therefore, hear me, Hermia. HERMIA
I have a widow aunt, a dowager The more I hate, the more he follows me.
Of great revenue, and she hath no child:
From Athens is her house remote seven leagues; HELENA
And she respects me as her only son. The more I love, the more he hateth me.
There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee; HERMIA
And to that place the sharp Athenian law His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine.
Cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me then,
HELENA
Steal forth thy father's house to-morrow night;
None, but your beauty: would that fault were mine!
And in the wood, a league without the town,
Where I did meet thee once with Helena, HERMIA
To do observance to a morn of May, Take comfort: he no more shall see my face;
There will I stay for thee. Lysander and myself will fly this place.
Before the time I did Lysander see,
HERMIA
Seem'd Athens as a paradise to me:
My good Lysander!
O, then, what graces in my love do dwell,
I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow,
That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell!
By his best arrow with the golden head,
By the simplicity of Venus' doves, LYSANDER
By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves, Helen, to you our minds we will unfold:
And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen, To-morrow night, when Phoebe doth behold
When the false Troyan under sail was seen, Her silver visage in the watery glass,
By all the vows that ever men have broke, Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass,
In number more than ever women spoke, A time that lovers' flights doth still conceal,
In that same place thou hast appointed me, Through Athens' gates have we devised to steal.
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee. HERMIA
LYSANDER And in the wood, where often you and I
Keep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena. Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie,
Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet,
Enter HELENA There my Lysander and myself shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
HERMIA To seek new friends and stranger companies.
God speed fair Helena! whither away? Farewell, sweet playfellow: pray thou for us;
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius!
HELENA Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight
Call you me fair? that fair again unsay. From lovers' food till morrow deep midnight.
Demetrius loves your fair: O happy fair!
Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue's sweet air LYSANDER
More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear, I will, my Hermia.
When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear.
Sickness is catching: O, were favour so, Exit HERMIA
Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye, Helena, adieu:
My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody. As you on him, Demetrius dote on you!
Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,
The rest I'd give to be to you translated. Exit
O, teach me how you look, and with what art
You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart. HELENA
How happy some o'er other some can be!
HERMIA
Through Athens I am thought as fair as she.
I frown upon him, yet he loves me still.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so;
HELENA He will not know what all but he do know:
O that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill! And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes,
HERMIA So I, admiring of his qualities:
I give him curses, yet he gives me love. Things base and vile, folding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and dignity:
HELENA
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; What is Pyramus? a lover, or a tyrant?
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind: QUINCE
Nor hath Love's mind of any judgement taste; A lover, that kills himself most gallant for love.
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste:
And therefore is Love said to be a child, BOTTOM
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled. That will ask some tears in the true performing of
As waggish boys in game themselves forswear, it: if I do it, let the audience look to their
So the boy Love is perjured every where: eyes; I will move storms, I will condole in some
For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne, measure. To the rest: yet my chief humour is for a
He hail'd down oaths that he was only mine; tyrant: I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to
And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, tear a cat in, to make all split.
So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt. The raging rocks
I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight: And shivering shocks
Then to the wood will he to-morrow night Shall break the locks
Pursue her; and for this intelligence Of prison gates;
If I have thanks, it is a dear expense: And Phibbus' car
But herein mean I to enrich my pain, Shall shine from far
To have his sight thither and back again. And make and mar
The foolish Fates.
Exit This was lofty! Now name the rest of the players.
This is Ercles' vein, a tyrant's vein; a lover is
SCENE II. Athens. QUINCE'S house. more condoling.
QUINCE
Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, Francis Flute, the bellows-mender.
and STARVELING FLUTE
QUINCE Here, Peter Quince.
Is all our company here? QUINCE
BOTTOM Flute, you must take Thisby on you.
You were best to call them generally, man by man, FLUTE
according to the scrip. What is Thisby? a wandering knight?
QUINCE QUINCE
Here is the scroll of every man's name, which is It is the lady that Pyramus must love.
thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our
interlude before the duke and the duchess, on his FLUTE
wedding-day at night. Nay, faith, let me not play a woman; I have a beard
coming.
BOTTOM
First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats QUINCE
on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and
to a point. you may speak as small as you will.
QUINCE BOTTOM
Marry, our play is, The most lamentable comedy, and An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too, I'll
most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby. speak in a monstrous little voice. 'Thisne,
Thisne;' 'Ah, Pyramus, lover dear! thy Thisby dear,
BOTTOM and lady dear!'
A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a
merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your QUINCE
actors by the scroll. Masters, spread yourselves. No, no; you must play Pyramus: and, Flute, you
Thisby.
QUINCE
Answer as I call you. Nick Bottom, the weaver. BOTTOM
Well, proceed.
BOTTOM
Ready. Name what part I am for, and proceed. QUINCE
Robin Starveling, the tailor.
QUINCE
You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus. STARVELING
Here, Peter Quince.
BOTTOM
QUINCE and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the
Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's mother. town, by moonlight; there will we rehearse, for if
Tom Snout, the tinker. we meet in the city, we shall be dogged with
SNOUT company, and our devices known. In the meantime I
Here, Peter Quince. will draw a bill of properties, such as our play
wants. I pray you, fail me not.
QUINCE
You, Pyramus' father: myself, Thisby's father: BOTTOM
Snug, the joiner; you, the lion's part: and, I We will meet; and there we may rehearse most
hope, here is a play fitted. obscenely and courageously. Take pains; be perfect:
adieu.
SNUG
Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it QUINCE
be, give it me, for I am slow of study. At the duke's oak we meet.
QUINCE BOTTOM
You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring. Enough; hold or cut bow-strings.
BOTTOM Exeunt
Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will
do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar, ACT II
that I will make the duke say 'Let him roar again,
let him roar again.' SCENE I. A wood near Athens.
QUINCE
An you should do it too terribly, you would fright Enter, from opposite sides, a Fairy, and PUCK
the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek; PUCK
and that were enough to hang us all. How now, spirit! whither wander you?
ALL Fairy
That would hang us, every mother's son. Over hill, over dale,
BOTTOM Thorough bush, thorough brier,
I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the Over park, over pale,
ladies out of their wits, they would have no more Thorough flood, thorough fire,
discretion but to hang us: but I will aggravate my I do wander everywhere,
voice so that I will roar you as gently as any Swifter than the moon's sphere;
sucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any And I serve the fairy queen,
nightingale. To dew her orbs upon the green.
QUINCE The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a In their gold coats spots you see;
sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a Those be rubies, fairy favours,
summer's day; a most lovely gentleman-like man: In those freckles live their savours:
therefore you must needs play Pyramus. I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
BOTTOM Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone:
Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best Our queen and all our elves come here anon.
to play it in?
PUCK
QUINCE The king doth keep his revels here to-night:
Why, what you will. Take heed the queen come not within his sight;
BOTTOM For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,
I will discharge it in either your straw-colour Because that she as her attendant hath
beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king;
beard, or your French-crown-colour beard, your She never had so sweet a changeling;
perfect yellow. And jealous Oberon would have the child
Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild;
QUINCE
But she perforce withholds the loved boy,
Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and
Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy:
then you will play bare-faced. But, masters, here
And now they never meet in grove or green,
are your parts: and I am to entreat you, request
By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen,
you and desire you, to con them by to-morrow night;
But, they do square, that all their elves for fear To Theseus must be wedded, and you come
Creep into acorn-cups and hide them there. To give their bed joy and prosperity.
Fairy OBERON
Either I mistake your shape and making quite, How canst thou thus for shame, Titania,
Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite Glance at my credit with Hippolyta,
Call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you he Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?
That frights the maidens of the villagery; Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night
Skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern From Perigenia, whom he ravished?
And bootless make the breathless housewife churn; And make him with fair AEgle break his faith,
And sometime make the drink to bear no barm; With Ariadne and Antiopa?
Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm? TITANIA
Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck, These are the forgeries of jealousy:
You do their work, and they shall have good luck: And never, since the middle summer's spring,
Are not you he? Met we on hill, in dale, forest or mead,
PUCK By paved fountain or by rushy brook,
Thou speak'st aright; Or in the beached margent of the sea,
I am that merry wanderer of the night. To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,
I jest to Oberon and make him smile But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport.
When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal: As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea
And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl, Contagious fogs; which falling in the land
In very likeness of a roasted crab, Have every pelting river made so proud
And when she drinks, against her lips I bob That they have overborne their continents:
And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale. The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain,
The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale, The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn
Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me; Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard;
Then slip I from her bum, down topples she, The fold stands empty in the drowned field,
And 'tailor' cries, and falls into a cough; And crows are fatted with the murrion flock;
And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh, The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud,
And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
A merrier hour was never wasted there. For lack of tread are undistinguishable:
But, room, fairy! here comes Oberon. The human mortals want their winter here;
Fairy No night is now with hymn or carol blest:
And here my mistress. Would that he were gone! Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
Enter, from one side, OBERON, with his train; from That rheumatic diseases do abound:
the other, TITANIA, with hers And thorough this distemperature we see
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts
OBERON Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose,
Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania. And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown
An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds
TITANIA Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer,
What, jealous Oberon! Fairies, skip hence: The childing autumn, angry winter, change
I have forsworn his bed and company. Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,
OBERON By their increase, now knows not which is which:
Tarry, rash wanton: am not I thy lord? And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
TITANIA
We are their parents and original.
Then I must be thy lady: but I know
When thou hast stolen away from fairy land, OBERON
And in the shape of Corin sat all day, Do you amend it then; it lies in you:
Playing on pipes of corn and versing love Why should Titania cross her Oberon?
To amorous Phillida. Why art thou here, I do but beg a little changeling boy,
Come from the farthest Steppe of India? To be my henchman.
But that, forsooth, the bouncing Amazon, TITANIA
Your buskin'd mistress and your warrior love,
Set your heart at rest: And the imperial votaress passed on,
The fairy land buys not the child of me. In maiden meditation, fancy-free.
His mother was a votaress of my order: Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
And, in the spiced Indian air, by night, It fell upon a little western flower,
Full often hath she gossip'd by my side, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Marking the embarked traders on the flood, Fetch me that flower; the herb I shew'd thee once:
When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid
And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind; Will make or man or woman madly dote
Which she, with pretty and with swimming gait Upon the next live creature that it sees.
Following,--her womb then rich with my young Fetch me this herb; and be thou here again
squire,-- Ere the leviathan can swim a league.
Would imitate, and sail upon the land, PUCK
To fetch me trifles, and return again, I'll put a girdle round about the earth
As from a voyage, rich with merchandise. In forty minutes.
But she, being mortal, of that boy did die;
And for her sake do I rear up her boy, Exit
And for her sake I will not part with him.
OBERON OBERON
How long within this wood intend you stay? Having once this juice,
TITANIA I'll watch Titania when she is asleep,
Perchance till after Theseus' wedding-day. And drop the liquor of it in her eyes.
If you will patiently dance in our round The next thing then she waking looks upon,
And see our moonlight revels, go with us; Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull,
If not, shun me, and I will spare your haunts. On meddling monkey, or on busy ape,
She shall pursue it with the soul of love:
OBERON And ere I take this charm from off her sight,
Give me that boy, and I will go with thee. As I can take it with another herb,
TITANIA I'll make her render up her page to me.
Not for thy fairy kingdom. Fairies, away! But who comes here? I am invisible;
We shall chide downright, if I longer stay. And I will overhear their conference.

Exit TITANIA with her train Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA, following him

OBERON DEMETRIUS
Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove I love thee not, therefore pursue me not.
Till I torment thee for this injury. Where is Lysander and fair Hermia?
My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou rememberest The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me.
Since once I sat upon a promontory, Thou told'st me they were stolen unto this wood;
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back And here am I, and wode within this wood,
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath Because I cannot meet my Hermia.
That the rude sea grew civil at her song Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, HELENA
To hear the sea-maid's music. You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant;
PUCK But yet you draw not iron, for my heart
I remember. Is true as steel: leave you your power to draw,
OBERON And I shall have no power to follow you.
That very time I saw, but thou couldst not, DEMETRIUS
Flying between the cold moon and the earth, Do I entice you? do I speak you fair?
Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth
At a fair vestal throned by the west, Tell you, I do not, nor I cannot love you?
And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow, HELENA
As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts; And even for that do I love you the more.
But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius,
Quench'd in the chaste beams of the watery moon, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you:
Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, OBERON
Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave, Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this grove,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you. Thou shalt fly him and he shall seek thy love.
What worser place can I beg in your love,--
And yet a place of high respect with me,-- Re-enter PUCK
Than to be used as you use your dog?
DEMETRIUS Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer.
Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; PUCK
For I am sick when I do look on thee. Ay, there it is.
HELENA OBERON
And I am sick when I look not on you. I pray thee, give it me.
DEMETRIUS I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
You do impeach your modesty too much, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
To leave the city and commit yourself Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
Into the hands of one that loves you not; With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
To trust the opportunity of night There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
And the ill counsel of a desert place Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
With the rich worth of your virginity. And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in:
HELENA And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
Your virtue is my privilege: for that And make her full of hateful fantasies.
It is not night when I do see your face, Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove:
Therefore I think I am not in the night; A sweet Athenian lady is in love
Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company, With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes;
For you in my respect are all the world: But do it when the next thing he espies
Then how can it be said I am alone, May be the lady: thou shalt know the man
When all the world is here to look on me? By the Athenian garments he hath on.
DEMETRIUS Effect it with some care, that he may prove
I'll run from thee and hide me in the brakes, More fond on her than she upon her love:
And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts. And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.
HELENA PUCK
The wildest hath not such a heart as you. Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do so.
Run when you will, the story shall be changed:
Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase; Exeunt
The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind
Makes speed to catch the tiger; bootless speed, SCENE II. Another part of the wood.
When cowardice pursues and valour flies.
DEMETRIUS Enter TITANIA, with her train
I will not stay thy questions; let me go: TITANIA
Or, if thou follow me, do not believe Come, now a roundel and a fairy song;
But I shall do thee mischief in the wood. Then, for the third part of a minute, hence;
HELENA Some to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds,
Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, Some war with rere-mice for their leathern wings,
You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius! To make my small elves coats, and some keep back
Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex: The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders
We cannot fight for love, as men may do; At our quaint spirits. Sing me now asleep;
We should be wood and were not made to woo. Then to your offices and let me rest.

Exit DEMETRIUS The Fairies sing

I'll follow thee and make a heaven of hell, You spotted snakes with double tongue,
To die upon the hand I love so well. Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
Exit Come not near our fairy queen.
Philomel, with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby; Then by your side no bed-room me deny;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby: For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie.
Never harm, HERMIA
Nor spell nor charm, Lysander riddles very prettily:
Come our lovely lady nigh; Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,
So, good night, with lullaby. If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied.
Weaving spiders, come not here; But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy
Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence! Lie further off; in human modesty,
Beetles black, approach not near; Such separation as may well be said
Worm nor snail, do no offence. Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid,
Philomel, with melody, & c. So far be distant; and, good night, sweet friend:
Fairy Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end!
Hence, away! now all is well: LYSANDER
One aloof stand sentinel. Amen, amen, to that fair prayer, say I;
And then end life when I end loyalty!
Exeunt Fairies. TITANIA sleeps Here is my bed: sleep give thee all his rest!
Enter OBERON and squeezes the flower on HERMIA
TITANIA's eyelids With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd!

OBERON They sleep

What thou seest when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true-love take, Enter PUCK
Love and languish for his sake:
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, PUCK
Pard, or boar with bristled hair, Through the forest have I gone.
In thy eye that shall appear But Athenian found I none,
When thou wakest, it is thy dear: On whose eyes I might approve
Wake when some vile thing is near. This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence.--Who is here?
Exit Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said,
Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA Despised the Athenian maid;
And here the maiden, sleeping sound,
LYSANDER On the dank and dirty ground.
Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; Pretty soul! she durst not lie
And to speak troth, I have forgot our way: Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy.
We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
And tarry for the comfort of the day. All the power this charm doth owe.
When thou wakest, let love forbid
HERMIA Sleep his seat on thy eyelid:
Be it so, Lysander: find you out a bed; So awake when I am gone;
For I upon this bank will rest my head. For I must now to Oberon.
LYSANDER
One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; Exit
One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth.
HERMIA Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running
Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet, do not lie so near. HELENA
Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.
LYSANDER
O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence! DEMETRIUS
Love takes the meaning in love's conference. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.
I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit HELENA
So that but one heart we can make of it; O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so.
Two bosoms interchained with an oath; DEMETRIUS
So then two bosoms and a single troth.
Stay, on thy peril: I alone will go. I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady, of one man refused.
Exit Should of another therefore be abused!

HELENA Exit
O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. LYSANDER
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies; She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there:
For she hath blessed and attractive eyes. And never mayst thou come Lysander near!
How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears: For as a surfeit of the sweetest things
If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers. The deepest loathing to the stomach brings,
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear; Or as tie heresies that men do leave
For beasts that meet me run away for fear: Are hated most of those they did deceive,
Therefore no marvel though Demetrius So thou, my surfeit and my heresy,
Do, as a monster fly my presence thus. Of all be hated, but the most of me!
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine And, all my powers, address your love and might
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne? To honour Helen and to be her knight!
But who is here? Lysander! on the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound. Exit
Lysander if you live, good sir, awake.
LYSANDER HERMIA
[Awaking] And run through fire I will for thy sweet [Awaking] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best
sake. To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Transparent Helena! Nature shows art, Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here!
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Lysander, look how I do quake with fear:
Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
Is that vile name to perish on my sword! And you sat smiling at his cruel pray.
Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord!
HELENA What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Do not say so, Lysander; say not so Alack, where are you speak, an if you hear;
What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.
though? No? then I well perceive you all not nigh
Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content. Either death or you I'll find immediately.
LYSANDER
Content with Hermia! No; I do repent Exit
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia but Helena I love: ACT III
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason sway'd; SCENE I. The wood. TITANIA lying asleep.
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their season Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT,
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason; and STARVELING
And touching now the point of human skill, BOTTOM
Reason becomes the marshal to my will Are we all met?
And leads me to your eyes, where I o'erlook
Love's stories written in love's richest book. QUINCE
Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place
HELENA for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our
Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can, BOTTOM
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, Peter Quince,--
But you must flout my insufficiency? QUINCE
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, What sayest thou, bully Bottom?
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
BOTTOM
But fare you well: perforce I must confess
There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and BOTTOM
Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanac; find
draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies out moonshine, find out moonshine.
cannot abide. How answer you that? QUINCE
SNOUT Yes, it doth shine that night.
By'r lakin, a parlous fear. BOTTOM
STARVELING Why, then may you leave a casement of the great
I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon
done. may shine in at the casement.
BOTTOM QUINCE
Not a whit: I have a device to make all well. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns
Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to and a lanthorn, and say he comes to disfigure, or to
say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is
Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more another thing: we must have a wall in the great
better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did
Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them talk through the chink of a wall.
out of fear. SNOUT
QUINCE You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?
Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be BOTTOM
written in eight and six. Some man or other must present Wall: and let him
BOTTOM have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast
No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his
eight. fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus
SNOUT and Thisby whisper.
Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? QUINCE
STARVELING If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down,
I fear it, I promise you. every mother's son, and rehearse your parts.
Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your
BOTTOM speech, enter into that brake: and so every one
Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to according to his cue.
bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is a
most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful Enter PUCK behind
wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to
look to 't. PUCK
SNOUT What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,
Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion. So near the cradle of the fairy queen?
BOTTOM What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor;
Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.
be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself QUINCE
must speak through, saying thus, or to the same Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.
defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish BOTTOM
You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,--
entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life
for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it QUINCE
were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a Odours, odours.
man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name BOTTOM
his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner. --odours savours sweet:
QUINCE So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.
Well it shall be so. But there is two hard things; But hark, a voice! stay thou but here awhile,
that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for, And by and by I will to thee appear.
you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.
Exit
SNOUT
Doth the moon shine that night we play our play? PUCK
A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here. O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on thee?
BOTTOM
Exit What do you see? you see an asshead of your own, do
you?
FLUTE
Must I speak now? Exit SNOUT
QUINCE
Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand he Re-enter QUINCE
goes
but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again. QUINCE
FLUTE Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art
Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue, translated.
Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,
Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew, Exit
As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,
I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. BOTTOM
I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;
QUINCE to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir
'Ninus' tomb,' man: why, you must not speak that from this place, do what they can: I will walk up
yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear
part at once, cues and all Pyramus enter: your cue I am not afraid.
is past; it is, 'never tire.'
FLUTE Sings
O,--As true as truest horse, that yet would
never tire. The ousel cock so black of hue,
With orange-tawny bill,
Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass's head The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill,--
BOTTOM TITANIA
If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine. [Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery
QUINCE bed?
O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted. Pray, BOTTOM
masters! fly, masters! Help! [Sings]
The finch, the sparrow and the lark,
Exeunt QUINCE, SNUG, FLUTE, SNOUT, and The plain-song cuckoo gray,
STARVELING Whose note full many a man doth mark,
And dares not answer nay;--
PUCK for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish
I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry
Through bog, through bush, through brake, through 'cuckoo' never so?
brier:
Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound, TITANIA
A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire; I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
Exit On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.
BOTTOM
BOTTOM Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason
Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and
make me afeard. love keep little company together now-a-days; the
more the pity that some honest neighbours will not
Re-enter SNOUT make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.
TITANIA
SNOUT Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.
BOTTOM COBWEB
Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out Cobweb.
of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. BOTTOM
TITANIA I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master
Out of this wood do not desire to go: Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with
Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. you. Your name, honest gentleman?
I am a spirit of no common rate; PEASEBLOSSOM
The summer still doth tend upon my state; Peaseblossom.
And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee, BOTTOM
And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your
And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep; mother, and to Master Peascod, your father. Good
And I will purge thy mortal grossness so Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more
That thou shalt like an airy spirit go. acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, sir?
Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed! MUSTARDSEED
Mustardseed.
Enter PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, and BOTTOM
MUSTARDSEED Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well:
that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath
PEASEBLOSSOM devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise
Ready. you your kindred had made my eyes water ere now. I
COBWEB desire your more acquaintance, good Master
And I. Mustardseed.
MOTH TITANIA
And I. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower.
MUSTARDSEED The moon methinks looks with a watery eye;
And I. And when she weeps, weeps every little flower,
Lamenting some enforced chastity.
ALL Tie up my love's tongue bring him silently.
Where shall we go?
TITANIA Exeunt
Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes; SCENE II. Another part of the wood.
Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,
With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries; Enter OBERON
The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees, OBERON
And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs I wonder if Titania be awaked;
And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes, Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
To have my love to bed and to arise; Which she must dote on in extremity.
And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies
To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes: Enter PUCK
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.
PEASEBLOSSOM Here comes my messenger.
Hail, mortal! How now, mad spirit!
COBWEB What night-rule now about this haunted grove?
Hail! PUCK
MOTH My mistress with a monster is in love.
Hail! Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
MUSTARDSEED A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,
Hail! That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
BOTTOM Were met together to rehearse a play
I cry your worship's mercy, heartily: I beseech your Intended for great Theseus' nuptial-day.
worship's name. The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort,
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport DEMETRIUS
Forsook his scene and enter'd in a brake So should the murder'd look, and so should I,
When I did him at this advantage take, Pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty:
An ass's nole I fixed on his head: Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear,
Anon his Thisbe must be answered, As yonder Venus in her glimmering sphere.
And forth my mimic comes. When they him spy, HERMIA
As wild geese that the creeping fowler eye, What's this to my Lysander? where is he?
Or russet-pated choughs, many in sort, Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?
Rising and cawing at the gun's report,
Sever themselves and madly sweep the sky, DEMETRIUS
So, at his sight, away his fellows fly; I had rather give his carcass to my hounds.
And, at our stamp, here o'er and o'er one falls; HERMIA
He murder cries and help from Athens calls. Out, dog! out, cur! thou drivest me past the bounds
Their sense thus weak, lost with their fears Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him, then?
thus strong, Henceforth be never number'd among men!
Made senseless things begin to do them wrong; O, once tell true, tell true, even for my sake!
For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch; Durst thou have look'd upon him being awake,
Some sleeves, some hats, from yielders all And hast thou kill'd him sleeping? O brave touch!
things catch. Could not a worm, an adder, do so much?
I led them on in this distracted fear, An adder did it; for with doubler tongue
And left sweet Pyramus translated there: Than thine, thou serpent, never adder stung.
When in that moment, so it came to pass,
DEMETRIUS
Titania waked and straightway loved an ass.
You spend your passion on a misprised mood:
OBERON I am not guilty of Lysander's blood;
This falls out better than I could devise. Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.
But hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
HERMIA
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?
I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.
PUCK
DEMETRIUS
I took him sleeping,--that is finish'd too,--
An if I could, what should I get therefore?
And the Athenian woman by his side:
That, when he waked, of force she must be eyed. HERMIA
A privilege never to see me more.
Enter HERMIA and DEMETRIUS And from thy hated presence part I so:
See me no more, whether he be dead or no.
OBERON
Stand close: this is the same Athenian. Exit
PUCK
DEMETRIUS
This is the woman, but not this the man.
There is no following her in this fierce vein:
DEMETRIUS Here therefore for a while I will remain.
O, why rebuke you him that loves you so? So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow
Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe. For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe:
HERMIA Which now in some slight measure it will pay,
Now I but chide; but I should use thee worse, If for his tender here I make some stay.
For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse,
If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep, Lies down and sleeps
Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
And kill me too. OBERON
The sun was not so true unto the day What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite
As he to me: would he have stolen away And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:
From sleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
This whole earth may be bored and that the moon Some true love turn'd and not a false turn'd true.
May through the centre creep and so displease PUCK
Her brother's noontide with Antipodes. Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding troth,
It cannot be but thou hast murder'd him; A million fail, confounding oath on oath.
So should a murderer look, so dead, so grim.
OBERON Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,
About the wood go swifter than the wind, Will even weigh, and both as light as tales.
And Helena of Athens look thou find: LYSANDER
All fancy-sick she is and pale of cheer, I had no judgment when to her I swore.
With sighs of love, that costs the fresh blood dear:
By some illusion see thou bring her here: HELENA
I'll charm his eyes against she do appear. Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.
PUCK LYSANDER
I go, I go; look how I go, Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow. DEMETRIUS
[Awaking] O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect,
Exit divine!
To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
OBERON Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show
Flower of this purple dye, Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
Hit with Cupid's archery, That pure congealed white, high Taurus snow,
Sink in apple of his eye. Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow
When his love he doth espy, When thou hold'st up thy hand: O, let me kiss
Let her shine as gloriously This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!
As the Venus of the sky. HELENA
When thou wakest, if she be by, O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
Beg of her for remedy. To set against me for your merriment:
If you we re civil and knew courtesy,
Re-enter PUCK You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
PUCK But you must join in souls to mock me too?
Captain of our fairy band, If you were men, as men you are in show,
Helena is here at hand; You would not use a gentle lady so;
And the youth, mistook by me, To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
Pleading for a lover's fee. When I am sure you hate me with your hearts.
Shall we their fond pageant see? You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
Lord, what fools these mortals be! And now both rivals, to mock Helena:
OBERON A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
Stand aside: the noise they make To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
Will cause Demetrius to awake. With your derision! none of noble sort
PUCK Would so offend a virgin, and extort
Then will two at once woo one; A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport.
That must needs be sport alone; LYSANDER
And those things do best please me You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;
That befal preposterously. For you love Hermia; this you know I know:
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
Enter LYSANDER and HELENA In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
LYSANDER Whom I do love and will do till my death.
Why should you think that I should woo in scorn? HELENA
Scorn and derision never come in tears: Never did mockers waste more idle breath.
Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,
In their nativity all truth appears. DEMETRIUS
How can these things in me seem scorn to you, Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true? If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone.
My heart to her but as guest-wise sojourn'd,
HELENA And now to Helen is it home return'd,
You do advance your cunning more and more. There to remain.
When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!
These vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er? LYSANDER
Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh: Helen, it is not so.
DEMETRIUS Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it,
Disparage not the faith thou dost not know, Though I alone do feel the injury.
Lest, to thy peril, thou aby it dear. HERMIA
Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear. I am amazed at your passionate words.
I scorn you not: it seems that you scorn me.
Re-enter HERMIA
HELENA
HERMIA Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn,
Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, To follow me and praise my eyes and face?
The ear more quick of apprehension makes; And made your other love, Demetrius,
Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense, Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,
It pays the hearing double recompense. To call me goddess, nymph, divine and rare,
Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found; Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks he this
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound To her he hates? and wherefore doth Lysander
But why unkindly didst thou leave me so? Deny your love, so rich within his soul,
And tender me, forsooth, affection,
LYSANDER But by your setting on, by your consent?
Why should he stay, whom love doth press to go? What thought I be not so in grace as you,
HERMIA So hung upon with love, so fortunate,
What love could press Lysander from my side? But miserable most, to love unloved?
LYSANDER This you should pity rather than despise.
Lysander's love, that would not let him bide, HERNIA
Fair Helena, who more engilds the night I understand not what you mean by this.
Than all you fiery oes and eyes of light. HELENA
Why seek'st thou me? could not this make thee know, Ay, do, persever, counterfeit sad looks,
The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so? Make mouths upon me when I turn my back;
HERMIA Wink each at other; hold the sweet jest up:
You speak not as you think: it cannot be. This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled.
HELENA If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
Lo, she is one of this confederacy! You would not make me such an argument.
Now I perceive they have conjoin'd all three But fare ye well: 'tis partly my own fault;
To fashion this false sport, in spite of me. Which death or absence soon shall remedy.
Injurious Hermia! most ungrateful maid! LYSANDER
Have you conspired, have you with these contrived Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excuse:
To bait me with this foul derision? My love, my life my soul, fair Helena!
Is all the counsel that we two have shared, HELENA
The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent, O excellent!
When we have chid the hasty-footed time
For parting us,--O, is it all forgot? HERMIA
All school-days' friendship, childhood innocence? Sweet, do not scorn her so.
We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, DEMETRIUS
Have with our needles created both one flower, If she cannot entreat, I can compel.
Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, LYSANDER
Both warbling of one song, both in one key, Thou canst compel no more than she entreat:
As if our hands, our sides, voices and minds, Thy threats have no more strength than her weak
Had been incorporate. So we grow together, prayers.
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted, Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do:
But yet an union in partition; I swear by that which I will lose for thee,
Two lovely berries moulded on one stem; To prove him false that says I love thee not.
So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry, DEMETRIUS
Due but to one and crowned with one crest. I say I love thee more than he can do.
And will you rent our ancient love asunder, LYSANDER
To join with men in scorning your poor friend? If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too.
It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly:
DEMETRIUS
Quick, come! Fine, i'faith!
HERMIA Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,
Lysander, whereto tends all this? No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?
LYSANDER Fie, fie! you counterfeit, you puppet, you!
Away, you Ethiope!
HERMIA
DEMETRIUS Puppet? why so? ay, that way goes the game.
No, no; he'll [ ] Now I perceive that she hath made compare
Seem to break loose; take on as you would follow, Between our statures; she hath urged her height;
But yet come not: you are a tame man, go! And with her personage, her tall personage,
LYSANDER Her height, forsooth, she hath prevail'd with him.
Hang off, thou cat, thou burr! vile thing, let loose, And are you grown so high in his esteem;
Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent! Because I am so dwarfish and so low?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak;
HERMIA
How low am I? I am not yet so low
Why are you grown so rude? what change is this?
But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.
Sweet love,--
HELENA
LYSANDER
I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,
Thy love! out, tawny Tartar, out!
Let her not hurt me: I was never curst;
Out, loathed medicine! hated potion, hence!
I have no gift at all in shrewishness;
HERMIA I am a right maid for my cowardice:
Do you not jest? Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think,
HELENA Because she is something lower than myself,
Yes, sooth; and so do you. That I can match her.
LYSANDER HERMIA
Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee. Lower! hark, again.
DEMETRIUS HELENA
I would I had your bond, for I perceive Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me.
A weak bond holds you: I'll not trust your word. I evermore did love you, Hermia,
Did ever keep your counsels, never wrong'd you;
LYSANDER
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,
What, should I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead?
I told him of your stealth unto this wood.
Although I hate her, I'll not harm her so.
He follow'd you; for love I follow'd him;
HERMIA But he hath chid me hence and threaten'd me
What, can you do me greater harm than hate? To strike me, spurn me, nay, to kill me too:
Hate me! wherefore? O me! what news, my love! And now, so you will let me quiet go,
Am not I Hermia? are not you Lysander? To Athens will I bear my folly back
I am as fair now as I was erewhile. And follow you no further: let me go:
Since night you loved me; yet since night you left You see how simple and how fond I am.
me:
HERMIA
Why, then you left me--O, the gods forbid!--
Why, get you gone: who is't that hinders you?
In earnest, shall I say?
HELENA
LYSANDER
A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.
Ay, by my life;
And never did desire to see thee more. HERMIA
Therefore be out of hope, of question, of doubt; What, with Lysander?
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jest HELENA
That I do hate thee and love Helena. With Demetrius.
HERMIA LYSANDER
O me! you juggler! you canker-blossom! Be not afraid; she shall not harm thee, Helena.
You thief of love! what, have you come by night
DEMETRIUS
And stolen my love's heart from him?
No, sir, she shall not, though you take her part.
HELENA
HELENA
O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd! OBERON
She was a vixen when she went to school; Thou see'st these lovers seek a place to fight:
And though she be but little, she is fierce. Hie therefore, Robin, overcast the night;
HERMIA The starry welkin cover thou anon
'Little' again! nothing but 'low' and 'little'! With drooping fog as black as Acheron,
Why will you suffer her to flout me thus? And lead these testy rivals so astray
Let me come to her. As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue,
LYSANDER Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
Get you gone, you dwarf; And sometime rail thou like Demetrius;
You minimus, of hindering knot-grass made; And from each other look thou lead them thus,
You bead, you acorn. Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
DEMETRIUS With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep:
You are too officious Then crush this herb into Lysander's eye;
In her behalf that scorns your services. Whose liquor hath this virtuous property,
Let her alone: speak not of Helena; To take from thence all error with his might,
Take not her part; for, if thou dost intend And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight.
Never so little show of love to her, When they next wake, all this derision
Thou shalt aby it. Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision,
And back to Athens shall the lovers wend,
LYSANDER
With league whose date till death shall never end.
Now she holds me not;
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,
Now follow, if thou darest, to try whose right,
I'll to my queen and beg her Indian boy;
Of thine or mine, is most in Helena.
And then I will her charmed eye release
DEMETRIUS From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.
Follow! nay, I'll go with thee, cheek by jole.
PUCK
My fairy lord, this must be done with haste,
Exeunt LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS
For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,
And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger;
HERMIA
At whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there,
You, mistress, all this coil is 'long of you:
Troop home to churchyards: damned spirits all,
Nay, go not back.
That in crossways and floods have burial,
HELENA Already to their wormy beds are gone;
I will not trust you, I, For fear lest day should look their shames upon,
Nor longer stay in your curst company. They willfully themselves exile from light
Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray, And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night.
My legs are longer though, to run away.
OBERON
But we are spirits of another sort:
Exit
I with the morning's love have oft made sport,
And, like a forester, the groves may tread,
HERMIA
Even till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,
I am amazed, and know not what to say.
Opening on Neptune with fair blessed beams,
Turns into yellow gold his salt green streams.
Exit
But, notwithstanding, haste; make no delay:
We may effect this business yet ere day.
OBERON
This is thy negligence: still thou mistakest,
Exit
Or else committ'st thy knaveries wilfully.
PUCK PUCK
Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook. Up and down, up and down,
Did not you tell me I should know the man I will lead them up and down:
By the Athenian garment be had on? I am fear'd in field and town:
And so far blameless proves my enterprise, Goblin, lead them up and down.
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes; Here comes one.
And so far am I glad it so did sort
As this their jangling I esteem a sport. Re-enter LYSANDER
LYSANDER Abide me, if thou darest; for well I wot
Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now. Thou runn'st before me, shifting every place,
PUCK And darest not stand, nor look me in the face.
Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou? Where art thou now?
LYSANDER PUCK
I will be with thee straight. Come hither: I am here.
PUCK DEMETRIUS
Follow me, then, Nay, then, thou mock'st me. Thou shalt buy this dear,
To plainer ground. If ever I thy face by daylight see:
Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me
Exit LYSANDER, as following the voice To measure out my length on this cold bed.
By day's approach look to be visited.
Re-enter DEMETRIUS
Lies down and sleeps
DEMETRIUS
Lysander! speak again: Re-enter HELENA
Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head? HELENA
O weary night, O long and tedious night,
PUCK Abate thy hour! Shine comforts from the east,
Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars, That I may back to Athens by daylight,
Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars, From these that my poor company detest:
And wilt not come? Come, recreant; come, thou child; And sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow's eye,
I'll whip thee with a rod: he is defiled Steal me awhile from mine own company.
That draws a sword on thee.
DEMETRIUS Lies down and sleeps
Yea, art thou there?
PUCK PUCK
Follow my voice: we'll try no manhood here. Yet but three? Come one more;
Two of both kinds make up four.
Here she comes, curst and sad:
Exeunt
Cupid is a knavish lad,
Thus to make poor females mad.
Re-enter LYSANDER
Re-enter HERMIA
LYSANDER
He goes before me and still dares me on:
HERMIA
When I come where he calls, then he is gone.
Never so weary, never so in woe,
The villain is much lighter-heel'd than I:
Bedabbled with the dew and torn with briers,
I follow'd fast, but faster he did fly;
I can no further crawl, no further go;
That fallen am I in dark uneven way,
My legs can keep no pace with my desires.
And here will rest me.
Here will I rest me till the break of day.
Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray!
Lies down
Lies down and sleeps
Come, thou gentle day!
For if but once thou show me thy grey light,
PUCK
I'll find Demetrius and revenge this spite.
On the ground
Sleep sound:
Sleeps
I'll apply
To your eye,
Re-enter PUCK and DEMETRIUS
Gentle lover, remedy.
PUCK
Squeezing the juice on LYSANDER's eyes
Ho, ho, ho! Coward, why comest thou not?
DEMETRIUS
When thou wakest, Give me your neaf, Mounsieur Mustardseed. Pray
Thou takest you,
True delight leave your courtesy, good mounsieur.
In the sight MUSTARDSEED
Of thy former lady's eye: What's your Will?
And the country proverb known,
That every man should take his own, BOTTOM
In your waking shall be shown: Nothing, good mounsieur, but to help Cavalery
Jack shall have Jill; Cobweb
Nought shall go ill; to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for
The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face; and I
well. am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me,
I must scratch.
Exit TITANIA
What, wilt thou hear some music,
ACT IV my sweet love?
BOTTOM
SCENE I. The same. LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, I have a reasonable good ear in music. Let's have
HELENA, and HERMIA the tongs and the bones.
lying asleep. TITANIA
Or say, sweet love, what thou desirest to eat.
Enter TITANIA and BOTTOM; PEASEBLOSSOM, BOTTOM
COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and other Truly, a peck of provender: I could munch your good
Fairies attending; OBERON behind unseen dry oats. Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle
of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow.
TITANIA
TITANIA
Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,
I have a venturous fairy that shall seek
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,
The squirrel's hoard, and fetch thee new nuts.
And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,
And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy. BOTTOM
I had rather have a handful or two of dried peas.
BOTTOM
But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me: I
Where's Peaseblossom?
have an exposition of sleep come upon me.
PEASEBLOSSOM
TITANIA
Ready.
Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.
BOTTOM Fairies, begone, and be all ways away.
Scratch my head Peaseblossom. Where's Mounsieur
Cobweb? Exeunt fairies
COBWEB
Ready. So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle
Gently entwist; the female ivy so
BOTTOM Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.
Mounsieur Cobweb, good mounsieur, get you your O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!
weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hipped
humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good They sleep
mounsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret
yourself too much in the action, mounsieur; and, Enter PUCK
good mounsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not;
I would be loath to have you overflown with a OBERON
honey-bag, signior. Where's Mounsieur Mustardseed? [Advancing] Welcome, good Robin.
MUSTARDSEED See'st thou this sweet sight?
Ready. Her dotage now I do begin to pity:
BOTTOM For, meeting her of late behind the wood,
Seeking sweet favours from this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her and fall out with her;
For she his hairy temples then had rounded PUCK
With a coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers; Fairy king, attend, and mark:
And that same dew, which sometime on the buds I do hear the morning lark.
Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls, OBERON
Stood now within the pretty flowerets' eyes Then, my queen, in silence sad,
Like tears that did their own disgrace bewail. Trip we after the night's shade:
When I had at my pleasure taunted her We the globe can compass soon,
And she in mild terms begg'd my patience, Swifter than the wandering moon.
I then did ask of her her changeling child;
Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent TITANIA
To bear him to my bower in fairy land. Come, my lord, and in our flight
And now I have the boy, I will undo Tell me how it came this night
This hateful imperfection of her eyes: That I sleeping here was found
And, gentle Puck, take this transformed scalp With these mortals on the ground.
From off the head of this Athenian swain;
That, he awaking when the other do, Exeunt
May all to Athens back again repair
And think no more of this night's accidents Horns winded within
But as the fierce vexation of a dream.
But first I will release the fairy queen. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train
Be as thou wast wont to be;
See as thou wast wont to see: THESEUS
Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower Go, one of you, find out the forester;
Hath such force and blessed power. For now our observation is perform'd;
Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen. And since we have the vaward of the day,
My love shall hear the music of my hounds.
TITANIA Uncouple in the western valley; let them go:
My Oberon! what visions have I seen! Dispatch, I say, and find the forester.
Methought I was enamour'd of an ass.
OBERON Exit an Attendant
There lies your love.
TITANIA We will, fair queen, up to the mountain's top,
How came these things to pass? And mark the musical confusion
O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now! Of hounds and echo in conjunction.
OBERON HIPPOLYTA
Silence awhile. Robin, take off this head. I was with Hercules and Cadmus once,
Titania, music call; and strike more dead When in a wood of Crete they bay'd the bear
Than common sleep of all these five the sense. With hounds of Sparta: never did I hear
Such gallant chiding: for, besides the groves,
TITANIA The skies, the fountains, every region near
Music, ho! music, such as charmeth sleep! Seem'd all one mutual cry: I never heard
So musical a discord, such sweet thunder.
Music, still
THESEUS
PUCK My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
Now, when thou wakest, with thine So flew'd, so sanded, and their heads are hung
own fool's eyes peep. With ears that sweep away the morning dew;
Crook-knee'd, and dew-lapp'd like Thessalian bulls;
OBERON Slow in pursuit, but match'd in mouth like bells,
Sound, music! Come, my queen, take hands with me, Each under each. A cry more tuneable
And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be. Was never holla'd to, nor cheer'd with horn,
Now thou and I are new in amity, In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly:
And will to-morrow midnight solemnly Judge when you hear. But, soft! what nymphs are
Dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly, these?
And bless it to all fair prosperity:
There shall the pairs of faithful lovers be EGEUS
Wedded, with Theseus, all in jollity. My lord, this is my daughter here asleep;
And this, Lysander; this Demetrius is;
This Helena, old Nedar's Helena: And all the faith, the virtue of my heart,
I wonder of their being here together. The object and the pleasure of mine eye,
THESEUS Is only Helena. To her, my lord,
No doubt they rose up early to observe Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia:
The rite of May, and hearing our intent, But, like in sickness, did I loathe this food;
Came here in grace our solemnity. But, as in health, come to my natural taste,
But speak, Egeus; is not this the day Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,
That Hermia should give answer of her choice? And will for evermore be true to it.
EGEUS THESEUS
It is, my lord. Fair lovers, you are fortunately met:
Of this discourse we more will hear anon.
THESEUS Egeus, I will overbear your will;
Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with their horns. For in the temple by and by with us
These couples shall eternally be knit:
Horns and shout within. LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, And, for the morning now is something worn,
HELENA, and HERMIA wake and start up Our purposed hunting shall be set aside.
Away with us to Athens; three and three,
Good morrow, friends. Saint Valentine is past: We'll hold a feast in great solemnity.
Begin these wood-birds but to couple now? Come, Hippolyta.
LYSANDER
Pardon, my lord. Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train
THESEUS
DEMETRIUS
I pray you all, stand up.
These things seem small and undistinguishable,
I know you two are rival enemies:
How comes this gentle concord in the world, HERMIA
That hatred is so far from jealousy, Methinks I see these things with parted eye,
To sleep by hate, and fear no enmity? When every thing seems double.
LYSANDER HELENA
My lord, I shall reply amazedly, So methinks:
Half sleep, half waking: but as yet, I swear, And I have found Demetrius like a jewel,
I cannot truly say how I came here; Mine own, and not mine own.
But, as I think,--for truly would I speak, DEMETRIUS
And now do I bethink me, so it is,-- Are you sure
I came with Hermia hither: our intent That we are awake? It seems to me
Was to be gone from Athens, where we might, That yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think
Without the peril of the Athenian law. The duke was here, and bid us follow him?
EGEUS HERMIA
Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough: Yea; and my father.
I beg the law, the law, upon his head.
They would have stolen away; they would, HELENA
Demetrius, And Hippolyta.
Thereby to have defeated you and me, LYSANDER
You of your wife and me of my consent, And he did bid us follow to the temple.
Of my consent that she should be your wife. DEMETRIUS
DEMETRIUS Why, then, we are awake: let's follow him
My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth, And by the way let us recount our dreams.
Of this their purpose hither to this wood;
And I in fury hither follow'd them, Exeunt
Fair Helena in fancy following me.
But, my good lord, I wot not by what power,-- BOTTOM
But by some power it is,--my love to Hermia, [Awaking] When my cue comes, call me, and I will
Melted as the snow, seems to me now answer: my next is, 'Most fair Pyramus.' Heigh-ho!
As the remembrance of an idle gaud Peter Quince! Flute, the bellows-mender! Snout,
Which in my childhood I did dote upon; the tinker! Starveling! God's my life, stolen
hence, and left me asleep! I have had a most rare O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a
vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to day during his life; he could not have 'scaped
say what dream it was: man is but an ass, if he go sixpence a day: an the duke had not given him
about to expound this dream. Methought I was--there sixpence a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged;
is no man can tell what. Methought I was,--and he would have deserved it: sixpence a day in
methought I had,--but man is but a patched fool, if Pyramus, or nothing.
he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye
of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not Enter BOTTOM
seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue
to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream BOTTOM
was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of Where are these lads? where are these hearts?
this dream: it shall be called Bottom's Dream, QUINCE
because it hath no bottom; and I will sing it in the Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happy hour!
latter end of a play, before the duke:
peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall BOTTOM
sing it at her death. Masters, I am to discourse wonders: but ask me not
what; for if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I
Exit will tell you every thing, right as it fell out.
QUINCE
SCENE II. Athens. QUINCE'S house. Let us hear, sweet Bottom.
BOTTOM
Enter QUINCE, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is, that
QUINCE the duke hath dined. Get your apparel together,
Have you sent to Bottom's house ? is he come home good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your
yet? pumps; meet presently at the palace; every man look
STARVELING o'er his part; for the short and the long is, our
He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is play is preferred. In any case, let Thisby have
transported. clean linen; and let not him that plays the lion
pair his nails, for they shall hang out for the
FLUTE lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onions
If he come not, then the play is marred: it goes nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I
not forward, doth it? do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet
QUINCE comedy. No more words: away! go, away!
It is not possible: you have not a man in all
Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he. Exeunt
FLUTE
No, he hath simply the best wit of any handicraft ACT V
man in Athens.
SCENE I. Athens. The palace of THESEUS.
QUINCE
Yea and the best person too; and he is a very Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE,
paramour for a sweet voice. Lords and Attendants
FLUTE HIPPOLYTA
You must say 'paragon:' a paramour is, God bless us, 'Tis strange my Theseus, that these
a thing of naught. lovers speak of.
Enter SNUG THESEUS
More strange than true: I never may believe
SNUG These antique fables, nor these fairy toys.
Masters, the duke is coming from the temple, and Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
there is two or three lords and ladies more married: Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
if our sport had gone forward, we had all been made More than cool reason ever comprehends.
men. The lunatic, the lover and the poet
Are of imagination all compact:
FLUTE One sees more devils than vast hell can hold,
That is, the madman: the lover, all as frantic,
Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt: We'll none of that: that have I told my love,
The poet's eye, in fine frenzy rolling, In glory of my kinsman Hercules.
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to
heaven; Reads
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen 'The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals,
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage.'
A local habitation and a name. That is an old device; and it was play'd
Such tricks hath strong imagination, When I from Thebes came last a conqueror.
That if it would but apprehend some joy,
It comprehends some bringer of that joy; Reads
Or in the night, imagining some fear,
How easy is a bush supposed a bear! 'The thrice three Muses mourning for the death
HIPPOLYTA Of Learning, late deceased in beggary.'
But all the story of the night told over, That is some satire, keen and critical,
And all their minds transfigured so together, Not sorting with a nuptial ceremony.
More witnesseth than fancy's images
And grows to something of great constancy; Reads
But, howsoever, strange and admirable.
'A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus
THESEUS And his love Thisbe; very tragical mirth.'
Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth. Merry and tragical! tedious and brief!
That is, hot ice and wondrous strange snow.
Enter LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HERMIA, and How shall we find the concord of this discord?
HELENA
PHILOSTRATE
Joy, gentle friends! joy and fresh days of love A play there is, my lord, some ten words long,
Accompany your hearts! Which is as brief as I have known a play;
But by ten words, my lord, it is too long,
LYSANDER Which makes it tedious; for in all the play
More than to us There is not one word apt, one player fitted:
Wait in your royal walks, your board, your bed! And tragical, my noble lord, it is;
THESEUS For Pyramus therein doth kill himself.
Come now; what masques, what dances shall we Which, when I saw rehearsed, I must confess,
have, Made mine eyes water; but more merry tears
To wear away this long age of three hours The passion of loud laughter never shed.
Between our after-supper and bed-time? THESEUS
Where is our usual manager of mirth? What are they that do play it?
What revels are in hand? Is there no play,
To ease the anguish of a torturing hour? PHILOSTRATE
Call Philostrate. Hard-handed men that work in Athens here,
Which never labour'd in their minds till now,
PHILOSTRATE And now have toil'd their unbreathed memories
Here, mighty Theseus. With this same play, against your nuptial.
THESEUS THESEUS
Say, what abridgement have you for this evening? And we will hear it.
What masque? what music? How shall we beguile
The lazy time, if not with some delight? PHILOSTRATE
No, my noble lord;
PHILOSTRATE It is not for you: I have heard it over,
There is a brief how many sports are ripe: And it is nothing, nothing in the world;
Make choice of which your highness will see first. Unless you can find sport in their intents,
Extremely stretch'd and conn'd with cruel pain,
Giving a paper To do you service.
THESEUS THESEUS
[Reads] 'The battle with the Centaurs, to be sung I will hear that play;
By an Athenian eunuch to the harp.' For never anything can be amiss,
When simpleness and duty tender it. This fellow doth not stand upon points.
Go, bring them in: and take your places, ladies. LYSANDER
He hath rid his prologue like a rough colt; he knows
Exit PHILOSTRATE not the stop. A good moral, my lord: it is not
enough to speak, but to speak true.
HIPPOLYTA
I love not to see wretchedness o'er charged HIPPOLYTA
And duty in his service perishing. Indeed he hath played on his prologue like a child
on a recorder; a sound, but not in government.
THESEUS
Why, gentle sweet, you shall see no such thing. THESEUS
His speech, was like a tangled chain; nothing
HIPPOLYTA impaired, but all disordered. Who is next?
He says they can do nothing in this kind.
THESEUS Enter Pyramus and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, and
The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing. Lion
Our sport shall be to take what they mistake:
And what poor duty cannot do, noble respect Prologue
Takes it in might, not merit. Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show;
Where I have come, great clerks have purposed But wonder on, till truth make all things plain.
To greet me with premeditated welcomes; This man is Pyramus, if you would know;
Where I have seen them shiver and look pale, This beauteous lady Thisby is certain.
Make periods in the midst of sentences, This man, with lime and rough-cast, doth present
Throttle their practised accent in their fears Wall, that vile Wall which did these lovers sunder;
And in conclusion dumbly have broke off, And through Wall's chink, poor souls, they are content
Not paying me a welcome. Trust me, sweet, To whisper. At the which let no man wonder.
Out of this silence yet I pick'd a welcome; This man, with lanthorn, dog, and bush of thorn,
And in the modesty of fearful duty Presenteth Moonshine; for, if you will know,
I read as much as from the rattling tongue By moonshine did these lovers think no scorn
Of saucy and audacious eloquence. To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo.
Love, therefore, and tongue-tied simplicity This grisly beast, which Lion hight by name,
In least speak most, to my capacity. The trusty Thisby, coming first by night,
Did scare away, or rather did affright;
Re-enter PHILOSTRATE And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall,
Which Lion vile with bloody mouth did stain.
PHILOSTRATE Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth and tall,
So please your grace, the Prologue is address'd. And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle slain:
THESEUS Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
Let him approach. He bravely broach'd is boiling bloody breast;
And Thisby, tarrying in mulberry shade,
Flourish of trumpets His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest,
Let Lion, Moonshine, Wall, and lovers twain
Enter QUINCE for the Prologue At large discourse, while here they do remain.

Prologue Exeunt Prologue, Thisbe, Lion, and Moonshine

If we offend, it is with our good will.
That you should think, we come not to offend, THESEUS
But with good will. To show our simple skill, I wonder if the lion be to speak.
That is the true beginning of our end. DEMETRIUS
Consider then we come but in despite. No wonder, my lord: one lion may, when many asses
We do not come as minding to contest you, do.
Our true intent is. All for your delight Wall
We are not here. That you should here repent you, In this same interlude it doth befall
The actors are at hand and by their show That I, one Snout by name, present a wall;
You shall know all that you are like to know. And such a wall, as I would have you think,
THESEUS That had in it a crannied hole or chink,
Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisby,
Did whisper often very secretly. Think what thou wilt, I am thy lover's grace;
This loam, this rough-cast and this stone doth show And, like Limander, am I trusty still.
That I am that same wall; the truth is so: Thisbe
And this the cranny is, right and sinister, And I like Helen, till the Fates me kill.
Through which the fearful lovers are to whisper.
Pyramus
THESEUS Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true.
Would you desire lime and hair to speak better?
Thisbe
DEMETRIUS As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you.
It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard
discourse, my lord. Pyramus
O kiss me through the hole of this vile wall!
Enter Pyramus Thisbe
I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all.
THESEUS Pyramus
Pyramus draws near the wall: silence! Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway?
Pyramus Thisbe
O grim-look'd night! O night with hue so black! 'Tide life, 'tide death, I come without delay.
O night, which ever art when day is not!
O night, O night! alack, alack, alack, Exeunt Pyramus and Thisbe
I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot!
And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall,
Wall
That stand'st between her father's ground and mine!
Thus have I, Wall, my part discharged so;
Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall,
And, being done, thus Wall away doth go.
Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne!
Exit
Wall holds up his fingers
THESEUS
Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well for this!
Now is the mural down between the two neighbours.
But what see I? No Thisby do I see.
O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss! DEMETRIUS
Cursed be thy stones for thus deceiving me! No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear
without warning.
THESEUS
The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse HIPPOLYTA
again. This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard.
Pyramus THESEUS
No, in truth, sir, he should not. 'Deceiving me' The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst
is Thisby's cue: she is to enter now, and I am to are no worse, if imagination amend them.
spy her through the wall. You shall see, it will HIPPOLYTA
fall pat as I told you. Yonder she comes. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs.
THESEUS
Enter Thisbe
If we imagine no worse of them than they of
themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here
Thisbe
come two noble beasts in, a man and a lion.
O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans,
For parting my fair Pyramus and me!
Enter Lion and Moonshine
My cherry lips have often kiss'd thy stones,
Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee.
Lion
Pyramus You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear
I see a voice: now will I to the chink, The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor,
To spy an I can hear my Thisby's face. Thisby! May now perchance both quake and tremble here,
Thisbe When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar.
My love thou art, my love I think. Then know that I, one Snug the joiner, am
A lion-fell, nor else no lion's dam;
Pyramus
For, if I should as lion come in strife Enter Thisbe
Into this place, 'twere pity on my life.
THESEUS Thisbe
A very gentle beast, of a good conscience. This is old Ninny's tomb. Where is my love?
DEMETRIUS Lion
The very best at a beast, my lord, that e'er I saw. [Roaring] Oh--
LYSANDER Thisbe runs off
This lion is a very fox for his valour.
THESEUS DEMETRIUS
True; and a goose for his discretion. Well roared, Lion.
DEMETRIUS THESEUS
Not so, my lord; for his valour cannot carry his Well run, Thisbe.
discretion; and the fox carries the goose. HIPPOLYTA
THESEUS Well shone, Moon. Truly, the moon shines with a
His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valour; good grace.
for the goose carries not the fox. It is well:
leave it to his discretion, and let us listen to the moon. The Lion shakes Thisbe's mantle, and exit
Moonshine
This lanthorn doth the horned moon present;-- THESEUS
Well moused, Lion.
DEMETRIUS
He should have worn the horns on his head. LYSANDER
And so the lion vanished.
THESEUS
He is no crescent, and his horns are DEMETRIUS
invisible within the circumference. And then came Pyramus.

Moonshine Enter Pyramus

This lanthorn doth the horned moon present;
Myself the man i' the moon do seem to be. Pyramus
THESEUS Sweet Moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams;
This is the greatest error of all the rest: the man I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright;
should be put into the lanthorn. How is it else the For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering gleams,
man i' the moon? I trust to take of truest Thisby sight.
But stay, O spite!
DEMETRIUS
But mark, poor knight,
He dares not come there for the candle; for, you
What dreadful dole is here!
see, it is already in snuff.
Eyes, do you see?
HIPPOLYTA How can it be?
I am aweary of this moon: would he would change! O dainty duck! O dear!
THESEUS Thy mantle good,
It appears, by his small light of discretion, that What, stain'd with blood!
he is in the wane; but yet, in courtesy, in all Approach, ye Furies fell!
reason, we must stay the time. O Fates, come, come,
Cut thread and thrum;
LYSANDER
Quail, crush, conclude, and quell!
Proceed, Moon.
THESEUS
Moonshine
This passion, and the death of a dear friend, would
All that I have to say, is, to tell you that the
go near to make a man look sad.
lanthorn is the moon; I, the man in the moon; this
thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog. HIPPOLYTA
Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man.
DEMETRIUS
Why, all these should be in the lanthorn; for all Pyramus
these are in the moon. But, silence! here comes O wherefore, Nature, didst thou lions frame?
Thisbe. Since lion vile hath here deflower'd my dear:
Which is--no, no--which was the fairest dame Asleep, my love?
That lived, that loved, that liked, that look'd What, dead, my dove?
with cheer. O Pyramus, arise!
Come, tears, confound; Speak, speak. Quite dumb?
Out, sword, and wound Dead, dead? A tomb
The pap of Pyramus; Must cover thy sweet eyes.
Ay, that left pap, These My lips,
Where heart doth hop: This cherry nose,
These yellow cowslip cheeks,
Stabs himself Are gone, are gone:
Lovers, make moan:
Thus die I, thus, thus, thus. His eyes were green as leeks.
Now am I dead, O Sisters Three,
Now am I fled; Come, come to me,
My soul is in the sky: With hands as pale as milk;
Tongue, lose thy light; Lay them in gore,
Moon take thy flight: Since you have shore
With shears his thread of silk.
Exit Moonshine Tongue, not a word:
Come, trusty sword;
Now die, die, die, die, die. Come, blade, my breast imbrue:

Dies Stabs herself

DEMETRIUS And, farewell, friends;

No die, but an ace, for him; for he is but one. Thus Thisby ends:
LYSANDER Adieu, adieu, adieu.
Less than an ace, man; for he is dead; he is nothing.
Dies
THESEUS
With the help of a surgeon he might yet recover, and THESEUS
prove an ass. Moonshine and Lion are left to bury the dead.
HIPPOLYTA DEMETRIUS
How chance Moonshine is gone before Thisbe comes Ay, and Wall too.
back and finds her lover?
BOTTOM
THESEUS [Starting up] No assure you; the wall is down that
She will find him by starlight. Here she comes; and parted their fathers. Will it please you to see the
her passion ends the play. epilogue, or to hear a Bergomask dance between two
of our company?
Re-enter Thisbe
THESEUS
HIPPOLYTA No epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs no
Methinks she should not use a long one for such a excuse. Never excuse; for when the players are all
Pyramus: I hope she will be brief. dead, there needs none to be blamed. Marry, if he
that writ it had played Pyramus and hanged himself
DEMETRIUS in Thisbe's garter, it would have been a fine
A mote will turn the balance, which Pyramus, which tragedy: and so it is, truly; and very notably
Thisbe, is the better; he for a man, God warrant us; discharged. But come, your Bergomask: let your
she for a woman, God bless us. epilogue alone.
LYSANDER
She hath spied him already with those sweet eyes. A dance
DEMETRIUS
The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve:
And thus she means, videlicet:--
Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time.
Thisbe I fear we shall out-sleep the coming morn
As much as we this night have overwatch'd.
This palpable-gross play hath well beguiled Ever true in loving be;
The heavy gait of night. Sweet friends, to bed. And the blots of Nature's hand
A fortnight hold we this solemnity, Shall not in their issue stand;
In nightly revels and new jollity. Never mole, hare lip, nor scar,
Nor mark prodigious, such as are
Exeunt Despised in nativity,
Shall upon their children be.
Enter PUCK With this field-dew consecrate,
Every fairy take his gait;
PUCK And each several chamber bless,
Now the hungry lion roars, Through this palace, with sweet peace;
And the wolf behowls the moon; And the owner of it blest
Whilst the heavy ploughman snores, Ever shall in safety rest.
All with weary task fordone. Trip away; make no stay;
Now the wasted brands do glow, Meet me all by break of day.
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe Exeunt OBERON, TITANIA, and train
In remembrance of a shroud.
Now it is the time of night PUCK
That the graves all gaping wide, If we shadows have offended,
Every one lets forth his sprite, Think but this, and all is mended,
In the church-way paths to glide: That you have but slumber'd here
And we fairies, that do run While these visions did appear.
By the triple Hecate's team, And this weak and idle theme,
From the presence of the sun, No more yielding but a dream,
Following darkness like a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend:
Now are frolic: not a mouse if you pardon, we will mend:
Shall disturb this hallow'd house: And, as I am an honest Puck,
I am sent with broom before, If we have unearned luck
To sweep the dust behind the door. Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Enter OBERON and TITANIA with their train Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
OBERON Give me your hands, if we be friends,
Through the house give gathering light, And Robin shall restore amends.
By the dead and drowsy fire:
Every elf and fairy sprite
Hop as light as bird from brier;
And this ditty, after me,
Sing, and dance it trippingly.
TITANIA
First, rehearse your song by rote
To each word a warbling note:
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.

Song and dance

OBERON
Now, until the break of day,
Through this house each fairy stray.
To the best bride-bed will we,
Which by us shall blessed be;
And the issue there create
Ever shall be fortunate.
So shall all the couples three