[Dramatis Personae Theseus, Duke of Athens Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus Philostrate, Master of the Revels Egeus, father of Hermia Hermia, daughter of Egeus, in love with Lysander Lysander, in love with Hermia Demetrius, in love with Hermia and favored by Egeus Helena, in love with Demetrius Oberon, King of the Fairies Titania, Queen of the Fairies puck, or Robin Goodfellow Peaseblossom, cobweb, mote, fairies attending Titania Mustardseed, Other fairies attending peter quince, a carpenter, prologue nick bottom, a weaver, pyramus Francis flute, a bellows representing mender, Thisbe tom snout, a tinker, wall snug, a joiner, lion robin starveling, a tailor, moonshine Lords and Attendants on Theseus and Hippolyta scene: Athens, and a wood near it] 1.1 Location: Athens. Theseus's court. 4 lingers frustrates 5 Stepdame stepmother. a dowager i.e., a widow (whose right of inheritance from her dead husband is eating into her son's estate) 6 withering out causing to dwindle 7 Four . . . night (The image is of the day sinking into the ocean as night comes on.) 11 solemnities festive ceremonies of marriage. 15 companion fellow. (A pale complexion is linked to melancholy.) pomp ceremonial magnificence. 16 with my sword i.e., in a military engagement against the Amazons, when Hippolyta was taken captive 19 triumph public festivity [1.1] A Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, [and Philostrate,] with others. Theseus Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace. Four happy days bring in Another moon; but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires, 4 Like to a Stepdame or a dowager 5 Long withering out a young man's revenue. 6 Hippolyta Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; 7 Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow New bent in heaven, shall behold the night Of our solemnities. Theseus Go, Philostrate, 11 Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments. Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth. Turn melancholy forth to funerals; The pale companion is not for our pomp. 15 [Exit Philostrate.] Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword 16 And won thy love doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling. 19 Enter Egeus and his daughter Hermia, and Lysander, and Demetrius. Egeus Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! 31 feigning (1) counterfeiting (2) faining, desirous 32 And . . . fantasy and made her fall in love with you (imprinting your image on her imagination) by stealthy and dishonest means 33 gauds, conceits playthings, fanciful trifles 34 Knacks . . . sweetmeats knickknacks, trinkets, bouquets, candies 35 prevailment in influence on 39 Be it so if 45 Immediately directly, with nothing intervening 51 leave i.e., leave unaltered Theseus Thanks, good Egeus. What's the news with thee? Egeus Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia.-- Stand forth, Demetrius.--My noble lord, This man hath my consent to marry her.-- Stand forth, Lysander.--And, my gracious Duke, This man hath bewitched the bosom of my child.-- Thou, thou Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes And interchanged love tokens with my child. Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung With feigning voice verses of feigning love, 31 And stol'n the impression of her fantasy 32 With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gauds, conceits, 33 Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats--messengers 34 Of strong prevailment in unhardened youth. 35 With cunning hast thou filched my daughter's heart, Turned her obedience, which is due to me, To stubborn harshness. And, my gracious Duke, Be it so she will not here before Your Grace 39 Consent to marry with Demetrius, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: As she is mine, I may dispose of her, Which shall be either to this gentleman Or to her death, according to our law Immediately provided in that case. 45 Theseus What say you, Hermia? Be advised, fair maid. To you your father should be as a god-- One that composed your beauties, yea, and one To whom you are but as a form in wax By him imprinted, and within his power To leave the figure or disfigure it. 51 Demetrius is a worthy gentleman. 54 kind respect. wanting lacking. voice approval 65 die the death be executed by legal process 68 blood passions 70 livery habit, costume 71 aye ever. mewed shut in. (Said of a hawk, poultry, etc.) 76 earthlier happy happier as respects this world. distilled i.e., to make perfume 80 patent privilege Hermia So is Lysander. Theseus In himself he is; But in this kind, wanting your father's voice, 54 The other must be held the worthier. Hermia I would my father looked but with my eyes. Theseus Rather your eyes must with his judgment look. Hermia I do entreat Your Grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold, Nor how it may concern my modesty In such a presence here to plead my thoughts; But I beseech Your Grace that I may know The worst that may befall me in this case If I refuse to wed Demetrius. Theseus Either to die the death or to abjure 65 Forever the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires, Know of your youth, examine well your blood, 68 Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice, You can endure the livery of a nun, 70 For aye to be in shady cloister mewed, 71 To live a barren sister all your life, Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon. Thrice blessed they that master so their blood To undergo such maiden pilgrimage; But earthlier happy is the rose distilled 76 Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn, Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness. Hermia So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, Ere I will yield my virgin patent up 80 89 protest vow 92 crazed cracked, unsound 98 estate unto settle or bestow upon 99 as well derived as well born and descended 100 possessed endowed with wealth 101 fairly handsomely 102 vantage superiority 106 head i.e., face 110 spotted i.e., morally stained Unto His Lordship, whose unwished yoke My soul consents not to give sovereignty. Theseus Take time to pause, and by the next new moon-- The sealing day betwixt my love and me For everlasting bond of fellowship-- Upon that day either prepare to die For disobedience to your father's will, Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would, Or on Diana's altar to protest 89 For aye austerity and single life. Demetrius Relent, sweet Hermia, and, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. 92 Lysander You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's. Do you marry him. Egeus Scornful Lysander! True, he hath my love, And what is mine my love shall render him. And she is mine, and all my right of her I do estate unto Demetrius. 98 Lysander I am, my lord, as well derived as he, 99 As well possessed; my love is more than his; 100 My fortunes every way as fairly ranked, 101 If not with vantage, as Demetrius'; 102 And, which is more than all these boasts can be, I am beloved of beauteous Hermia. Why should not I then prosecute my right? Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head, 106 Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes, Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry Upon this spotted and inconstant man. 110 113 self-affairs my own concerns 116 schooling admonition 117 look you arm take care you prepare 118 fancies likings, thoughts of love 120 extenuate mitigate, relax 123 go i.e., come 125 Against in preparation for 126 nearly that that closely 130 Belike Very likely 131 Beteem grant, afford 135 blood hereditary rank 136 cross vexation. 137 misgrafted ill grafted, badly matched Theseus I must confess that I have heard so much, And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; But, being overfull of self-affairs, 113 My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come, And come, Egeus, you shall go with me; I have some private schooling for you both. 116 For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself 117 To fit your fancies to your father's will, 118 Or else the law of Athens yields you up-- Which by no means we may extenuate-- 120 To death or to a vow of single life. Come, my Hippolyta. What cheer, my love? Demetrius and Egeus, go along. 123 I must employ you in some business Against our nuptial, and confer with you 125 Of something nearly that concerns yourselves. 126 Egeus With duty and desire we follow you. Exeunt [all but Lysander and Hermia]. Lysander How now, my love, why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast? Hermia Belike for want of rain, which I could well 130 Beteem them from the tempest of my eyes. 131 Lysander Ay me! For aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth; But either it was different in blood-- 135 Hermia Oh, cross! Too high to be enthralled to low. 136 Lysander Or else misgrafted in respect of years-- 137 139 friends relatives 141 sympathy agreement 143 momentany lasting but a moment 145 collied blackened (as with coal dust), darkened 146 in a spleen in a swift impulse, in a violent flash. unfolds reveals 149 confusion ruin. 150 ever crossed always thwarted 152 teach . . . patience i.e., teach ourselves patience in this trial 155 fancy's amorous passion's 156 persuasion doctrine. 159 seven leagues about 21 miles 160 respects regards 165 without outside Hermia Oh, spite! Too old to be engaged to young. Lysander Or else it stood upon the choice of friends-- 139 Hermia Oh, hell, to choose love by another's eyes! Lysander Or if there were a sympathy in choice, 141 War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it, Making it momentany as a sound, 143 Swift as a shadow, short as any dream, Brief as the lightning in the collied night 145 That in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth, 146 And ere a man hath power to say "Behold!" The jaws of darkness do devour it up. So quick bright things come to confusion. 149 Hermia If then true lovers have been ever crossed, 150 It stands as an edict in destiny. Then let us teach our trial patience, 152 Because it is a customary cross, As due to love as thoughts, and dreams, and sighs, Wishes, and tears, poor fancy's followers. 155 Lysander A good persuasion. Therefore, hear me, Hermia: 156 I have a widow aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and she hath no child. From Athens is her house remote seven leagues; 159 And she respects me as her only son. 160 There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee, And to that place the sharp Athenian law Cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me, then, Steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night; And in the wood, a league without the town, 165 Where I did meet thee once with Helena 167 To do . . . May to perform the ceremonies of May Day 170 best arrow (Cupid's best gold-pointed arrows were supposed to induce love; his blunt leaden arrows, aversion.) 171 simplicity innocence. doves i.e., those that drew Venus's chariot 173, 174 Carthage queen, false Trojan (Dido, Queen of Carthage, immolated herself on a funeral pyre after having been deserted by the Trojan hero Aeneas.) 180 fair fair-complexioned. (Generally regarded by the Elizabethans as more beautiful than a dark complexion.) 182 your fair your beauty (even though Hermia is dark complexioned). happy fair lucky fair one. 183 lodestars guiding stars. air music 184 tunable tuneful, melodious 186 favor appearance, looks 190 bated excepted 191 translated transformed. 193 sway the motion control the impulses To do observance to a morn of May, 167 There will I stay for thee. Hermia My good Lysander! I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow, By his best arrow with the golden head, 170 By the simplicity of Venus' doves, 171 By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves, And by that fire which burned the Carthage queen 173 When the false Trojan under sail was seen, 174 By all the vows that ever men have broke, In number more than ever women spoke, In that same place thou hast appointed me Tomorrow truly will I meet with thee. Lysander Keep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena. Enter Helena. Hermia God speed, fair Helena! Whither away? 180 Helena Call you me fair? That "fair" again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. Oh, happy fair! 182 Your eyes are lodestars, and your tongue's sweet air 183 More tunable than lark to shepherd's ear 184 When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. Sickness is catching. Oh, were favor so, 186 Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go; My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye, My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody. Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated, 190 The rest I'd give to be to you translated. 191 Oh, teach me how you look and with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart. 193 Hermia I frown upon him, yet he loves me still. 197 Oh, that . . . move! Would that my prayers could arouse such desire! 204-5 Before . . . to me (Love has led to complications and jealousies, making Athens hell for Hermia.) 209 Phoebe Diana, the moon 210 glass reflecting surface (of a lake, etc.) 211 liquid pearl i.e., dew 212 still always 215 faint pale 216 counsel secret thought Helena Oh, that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill! Hermia I give him curses, yet he gives me love. Helena Oh, that my prayers could such affection move! 197 Hermia The more I hate, the more he follows me. Helena The more I love, the more he hateth me. Hermia His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine. Helena None, but your beauty. Would that fault were mine! Hermia Take comfort. He no more shall see my face. Lysander and myself will fly this place. Before the time I did Lysander see 204 Seemed Athens as a paradise to me. 205 Oh, then, what graces in my love do dwell, That he hath turned a heaven unto a hell? Lysander Helen, to you our minds we will unfold. Tomorrow night, when Phoebe doth behold 209 Her silver visage in the watery glass, 210 Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass, 211 A time that lovers' flights doth still conceal, 212 Through Athens' gates have we devised to steal. Hermia And in the wood, where often you and I Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie, 215 Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet, 216 There my Lysander and myself shall meet, Excerpted from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
