A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

By: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

By:
IX – PATIENCE
CHARACTERS

Theseus, the Duke of Athens -

Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons and betrothed to Theseus -

Philostrate, the Master of the Revels to Theseus -

Egeus, the father of Hermia -

Hermia, the daughter of Egeus and in love with Lysander -

Lysander, the man loved by Hermia -

Demetrius, a suitor to Hermia -

Helena, a close friend of Hermia and in love with Demetrius -

Oberon, King of the Fairies -

Titania, the wife of Oberon and the Queen of the Fairies -

Robin Goodfellow, a puck -

Peaseblossom, a fairy -

Cobweb, a fairy -

Mote, a fairy -

Mustardseed, a fairy -

Peter Quince, a carpenter and one of the artisans -

Nick Bottom, a weaver who is transformed into an ass by Puck -

Francis Flute, a bellows-mender and one of the artisans -

Tom Snout, a tinker and one of the artisans -

Snug, a joiner -

Robin Starveling, a tailor -

 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
By: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

ACT I - SCENE I. Athens. The palace of THESEUS.

Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants

THESEUS Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour

Draws on apace; four happy days bring in
Another moon: but, O, methinks, how slow
This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires,
Long withering out a young man revenue.

HIPPOLYTA Four nights will quickly dream away the time; and then the
moon,
New-bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities.

THESEUS Go, Philostrate, stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;

Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth.

(Exit PHILOSTRATE)

Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,

And won thy love, doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp, with triumph and with revelling.

(Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS)

EGEUS Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke!

THESEUS Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee?

EGEUS I come with complaint, against my daughter Hermia.

Stand forth, Demetrius. This man has my consent to marry her.
Stand forth, Lysander. This man has bewitch'd my child;
 Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes,
And interchanged love-tokens with my child:
And stolen the impression of her fantasy
With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart,
Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
As she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Which shall be either to this gentleman
Or to her death, according to our law.

THESEUS What say you, Hermia? be advised fair maid:

To you your father should be as a god;
One that composed your beauties,
By him imprinted and within his power
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.

HERMIA So is Lysander.

THESEUS In himself he is; But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other must be held the worthier.

HERMIA I would my father look'd but with my eyes.

THESEUS Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.

HERMIA I do entreat your grace to pardon me.,

In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

THESEUS Either to die the death or to abjure

For ever the society of men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires;
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun,
To undergo such maiden pilgrimage.
HERMIA So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,
Ere I will my virgin patent up
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;
For aye austerity and single life.

DEMETRIUS Relent, sweet Hermia: and, Lysander,

yield thy crazed title to my certain right.

LYSANDER You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's.

EGEUS Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love,

And what is mine my love shall render him.
And she is mine, I do estate unto Demetrius.

LYSANDER I am, my lord, as well derived as he,

As well possess'd; my love is more than his;
My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd, I am beloved of
beauteous Hermia:
Why should not I then prosecute my right?
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,
Upon this spotted and inconstant man.

THESEUS I must confess that I have heard so much,

And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof;
But, being over-full of self-affairs,
My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me,
 I have some private schooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or else the law of Athens yields you up--
Which by no means we may extenuate--
To death, or to a vow of single life.
Come, my Hippolyta: what cheer, my love?
Demetrius and Egeus, go along:
I must employ you in some business
Of something nearly that concerns yourselves.

EGEUS With duty and desire we follow you.

(Exit all except 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 wellBeteem them from
the tempest of my eyes.

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.
If there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it,
So quick bright things come to confusion.

HERMIA If then true lovers have been ever cross'd,

It stands as an edict in destiny:
Then let us teach our trial patience,
As due to love as thoughts and dreams and sighs.

LYSANDER A good persuasion: therefore, hear me, Hermia.

I have a widow aunt, and she has no child:
From Athens is her house remote seven leagues;
 And she respects me as her only son.
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 to-morrow night;
And in the wood, a league without the town,
There will I stay for thee.

HERMIA My good Lysander!I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow,

By all the vows that ever men have broke,
In number more than ever women spoke,
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
To-morrow truly will I meet with thee.

LYSANDER Keep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena.

(Enter HELENA)

HERMIA God speed fair Helena! whither away?

HELENA Call you me fair? that fair again unsay.

Demetrius loves your fair: O happy fair!
Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue's sweet air.
Sickness is catching: O, were favour so,
Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go;
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye,
O, teach me how you look, and with what art
You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

HERMIA I give him curses, yet he gives me love.

HELENA O that my prayers could such affection move!

HERMIA The more I hate, the more he follows me.

HELENA The more I love, the more he hates 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.

LYSANDER Helen, to you our minds we will unfold:

To-morrow night, when Phoebe doth behold
A time that lovers' flights doth still conceal,
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,
There my Lysander and myself shall meet;
And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,
To seek new friends and stranger companies.
Farewell, sweet playfellow: pray thou for us;
And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius!

(Exit HERMIA)

HELENA How happy some o'er other some can be!

Through Athens I am thought as fair as she.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so;
Love can transpose to form and dignity:
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is Love said to be a child,
He hail'd down oaths that he was only mine;
And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt,
So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt.
I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight:
Then to the wood will he to-morrow night

(Exit)
SCENE II. Athens. QUINCE'S house.
Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING

QUINCE Is all our company here?

BOTTOM You were best to call them generally, man by man,

according to the scrip.

QUINCE Here is the scroll of every man's name, which is

thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our
interlude before the duke and the duchess, on his
wedding-day at night.

BOTTOM First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats
on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow to a point.

QUINCE Marry, our play is, The most lamentable comedy, and
most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby.

BOTTOM A very good piece of work. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth
your actors by the scroll.

QUINCE Answer as I call you. Nick Bottom, the weaver.

BOTTOM Ready. Name what part I am for, and proceed.

QUINCE You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus.

BOTTOM What is Pyramus? a lover, or a tyrant?

QUINCE A lover, that kills himself most gallant for love.

BOTTOM That will ask some tears in the true performing of it:
if I do it, let the audience look to their eyes.

QUINCE Francis Flute, the bellows-mender.

FLUTE Here, Peter Quince.

QUINCE Flute, you must take Thisby on you.

FLUTE What is Thisby? a wandering knight?

QUINCE It is the lady that Pyramus must love.

FLUTE Nay, faith, let me not play a woman; I have a beard coming.

QUINCE That's all one: you shall play it in a mask,

and you may speak as small as you will.

QUINCE Robin Starveling, the tailor.

STARVELING Here, Peter Quince.

QUINCE Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby's mother.

Tom Snout, the tinker.

SNOUT Here, Peter Quince.

QUINCE You, Pyramus' father: myself, Thisby's father:

Snug, the joiner; you, the lion's part: and, I hope, here is a play
fitted.

SNUG Have you the lion's part written? if it be, give it me,
for I am slow of study.

QUINCE You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.

And you should do it too terribly, you would fright
the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek;
and that were enough to hang us all.

ALL That would hang us, every mother's son.

QUINCE I pray you, fail me not.

BOTTOM We will meet; and there we may rehearse most

obscenely and courageously. Take pains; be perfect: adieu.

QUINCE At the duke's oak we meet.

BOTTOM Enough; hold or cut bow-strings. Exeunt

ACT II - SCENE I. A wood near Athens.

(Enter, from opposite sides, a Fairy, and PUCK)

PUCK How now, spirit! whither wander you?I do wander

everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere; and I serve the fairy queen

NARRATOR The fairy was saying that Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, was
always arguing with Oberon, the King of the Fairies; And at
that time, Oberon was jealous because of the child who Titania
was giving all her attention to. Oberon demanded Titania to
give him the child but she refused.

PUCK But, room, fairy! here comes Oberon.

FAIRY And here my mistress.

(Enter, from one side, OBERON, with his train; from the other, TITANIA, with
hers)

OBERON Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.

TITANIA What, jealous Oberon!

OBERON Tarry, rash wanton: am not I thy lord?

TITANIA Then I must be thy lady: but I know when thou hast stolen
away from fairy land,
Why art thou here,Come from the farthest Steppe of India?
But that, forsooth, the bouncing Amazon,
Your buskin'd mistress and your warrior love,
To Theseus must be wedded, and you come
To give their bed joy and prosperity.
OBERON How canst thou thus for shame, Titania,
Glance at my credit with Hippolyta,
Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?
Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night
From Perigenia, whom he ravished?

TITANIA These are the forgeries of jealousy:

And never, since the middle summer's spring,
Met we on hill, in dale, forest or mead,
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,
But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport.
Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
The childing autumn, angry winter, change
Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,
By their increase, now knows not which is which:
And this same progeny of evil comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
We are their parents and original.

OBERON Do you amend it then; it lies in you: Why should Titania cross
her Oberon?
I do but beg a little changeling boy, To be my henchman.

TITANIA Set your heart at rest: The fairy land buys not the child of me.
His mother was a votaress of my order:
Following,--her womb then rich with my young squire,--
Would imitate, and sail upon the land,
To fetch me trifles, and return again,
But she, being mortal, of that boy did die; And for her sake do I
rear up her boy,
And for her sake I will not part with him.

OBERON How long within this wood intend you stay?

TITANIA Perchance till after Theseus' wedding-day.

OBERON Give me that boy, and I will go with thee.

TITANIA Not for thy fairy kingdom. Fairies, away! |

We shall chide downright, if I longer stay.

(Exit TITANIA with her train)

OBERON Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove
Till I torment thee for this injury.
My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou rememberest
Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath
That the rude sea grew civil at her song
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
To hear the sea-maid's music.

PUCK I remember.

OBERON That very time I saw, but thou couldst not,

Flying between the cold moon and the earth,
Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took
At a fair vestal throned by the west,
And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow.
Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Fetch me that flower; the herb I shew'd thee once:
The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid
Will make or man or woman madly dote
Upon the next live creature that it sees.
Fetch me this herb; and be thou here again
Ere the leviathan can swim a league.

PUCK I'll put a girdle round about the earth. In forty minutes.
 (Exit)

OBERON Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania when she is asleep,
And drop the liquor of it in her eyes. The next thing then she
waking looks upon, Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, She shall
pursue it with the soul of love:
And ere I take this charm from off her sight, As I can take it
with another herb,
I'll make her render up her page to me. But who comes here? I
am invisible;
And I will overhear their conference.

(Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA, following him)

DEMETRIUS I love thee not, therefore pursue me not. Where is Lysander

and fair Hermia?
The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me.
Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.

HELENA You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant;

But yet you draw not iron, for my heart
And I shall have no power to follow you.

DEMETRIUS Do I entice you? do I speak you fair?

Tell you, I do not, nor I cannot love you?

HELENA And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel;
and, Demetrius,
The more you beat me, I will fawn on you:
What worser place can I beg in your love,--

DEMETRIUS Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit;

For I am sick when I do look on thee.

HELENA And I am sick when I look not on you.

DEMETRIUS You do impeach your modesty too much, To leave the city and
commit yourself
Into the hands of one that loves you not; With the rich worth
of your virginity.

HELENA Your virtue is my privilege: for that It is not night when I do see
your face,
Therefore I think I am not in the night; For you in my respect
are all the world:
Then how can it be said I am alone, When all the world is here
to look on me?

DEMETRIUS I will not stay thy questions; let me go: Or, if thou follow me,
do not believe
But I shall do thee mischief in the wood.

HELENA Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, You do me mischief.
Fie, Demetrius!

(Exit DEMETRIUS)

I'll follow thee and make a heaven of hell,

To die upon the hand I love so well.

NARRATOR: Oberon saw Demetrius and Helena and thought that he should
use the magic love drops on Demetrius when sleeping. He
ordered puck to do it himself.

SCENE II. Another part of the wood.

(Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA)
LYSANDER Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood;
And to speak troth, I have forgot our way:
We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good.

HERMIA Be it so Lysander, from here I’ll rest my head

LYSANDER One turf shall serve as pillow for us both

HERMIA Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear, do not lie so near.

LYSANDER O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence!

Love takes the meaning in love's conference.

HERMIA Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,

Lie further off; in human modesty,
Such separation as may well be said
So far be distant; and, good night, sweet friend:

LYSANDER Amen, amen, to that fair prayer, say I;

Here is my bed: sleep give thee all his rest!

(Enter PUCK)

PUCK Through the forest have I gone. But Athenian found I none,
Night and silence.--Who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said,
Despised the Athenian maid;
And here the maiden, sleeping sound,
On the dank and dirty ground.
Pretty soul! So awake when I am gone; For I must now to
Oberon.

(Exit) (Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running)

HELENA Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

DEMETRIUS I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.

HELENA O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so.

DEMETRIUS Stay, on thy peril: I alone will go.

(Exit)

HELENA O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!

The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies; No, no, I am as ugly as a
bear;
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine
But who is here? Lysander! on the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.
Lysander if you live, good sir, awake.

LYSANDER [Awaking] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.
Transparent Helena! Nature shows art,
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Where is
Demetrius?
O, how fit a word is that vile name to perish on my sword!

HELENA Do not say so, Lysander; say not so

What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though?
Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content.

LYSANDER Content with Hermia! No; I do repent. Not Hermia but Helena I
love:
Who will not change a raven for a dove?

HELENA Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?

Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man, that I did never,
no, nor never can,
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my insufficiency?

(Exit)
LYSANDER She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there:
And never mayst thou come Lysander near!
For as a surfeit of the sweetest things
And, all my powers, address your love and might
To honour Helen and to be her knight!

(Exit)

HERMIA [Awaking] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best

To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear:
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel pray.
Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you speak, an if you hear;
Either death or you I'll find immediately.

(Exit)

ACT III- SCENE I. The wood. TITANIA lying asleep.

(Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING)

BOTTOM Are we all met?

QUINCE Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our
rehearsal.
This green plot shall be our stage and we
will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.

BOTTOM Peter Quince,--

QUINCE What sayest thou, bully Bottom?

BOTTOM There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and
Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must
draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies
cannot abide. How answer you that?

SNOUT By'r lakin, a parlous fear.

STARVELING I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

BOTTOM Not a whit: I have a device to make all well.

Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say,
we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not
killed indeed; and,
tell them that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus,
but Bottom the weaver: this will put them out of fear.

QUINCE Well, we will have such a prologue;

and it shall be written in eight and six.

BOTTOM No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.

SNOUT Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

STARVELING I fear it, I promise you.

BOTTOM Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: To

bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is amost dreadful
thing;
for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living;
and we ought to look to 't.

SNOUT Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.

BOTTOM Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must
be seen through the lion's neck:
QUINCE Well it shall be so. But there is two hard things;
that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for,
you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.

SNOUT Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?

BOTTOM A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanac; find

out moonshine, find out moonshine.

NARRATOR The workmen decided to have someone to play as their

moonlight since how can you bring in a moonlight in a closed
place. They also had someone to play as
a wall, who of all people could bring a wall?

QUINCE If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down,
every mother's son, and rehearse your parts.
Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your
speech according to cue.

(Enter PUCK behind)

PUCK Why why why, what do we have here? So near the cradle of
the fairy queen?
What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor; An actor too, perhaps,
if I see cause.

QUINCE Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.

BOTTOM Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,--

QUINCE Odours, odours.

BOTTOM --odours savours sweet: So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby

dear.
But hark, a voice! stay thou but here awhile, And by and by I
will to thee appear.

(Exit)
PUCK A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here.

(Exit)

FLUTE Must I speak now?

QUINCE Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand he goes
but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

FLUTE I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.

QUINCE ‘Ninus' tomb,' man: why, you must not speak that
yet; that you answer to Pyramus:

FLUTE O,--As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire.

(Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass's head)

QUINCE O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted.

Pray, masters! fly, masters! Help!

(Exeunt QUINCE, SNUG, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING)

PUCK I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round,

Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier:
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

(Exit)

BOTTOM Why do they run away? this is a knavery of

them to make me afeard.

(Re-enter SNOUT)

SNOUT O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on thee?

BOTTOM What do you see? you see an asshead of your own.

(Exit SNOUT)

NARRATOR Bottom sang and sang as the fair Titania woke. Titania said---
TITANIA I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.

NARRATOR Queen o the Fairies, Titania, feel in love she chased him and
chased him
and dersired to keep him in the forest.

TITANIA Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!

(Enter PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, and MUSTARDSEED)

PEASEBLOSSOM Ready.

COBWEB And I.

MOTH And I.

MUSTARDSEED And I.

ALL Where shall we go?

TITANIA Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;

Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricocks and dewberries, To have my love to
bed and to arise;
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

PEASEBLOSSOM Hail, mortal!

COBWEB Hail!

MOTH Hail!

MUSTARDSEED Hail!

(Exit ALL)
SCENE II. Another part of the wood.
(Enter OBERON)

OBERON I wonder if Titania be awaked; Then, what it was that next

came in her eye,
Which she must dote on in extremity. Here comes my
messenger.

NARRATOR Puck tells the King of the Fairies, Oberon,

about Titania and says that Titania fell
fell in love with an Athenian man. Oberon said --

OBERON This falls out better than I could devise.

NARRATOR: Oberon asks about the young Athenian man he

ordered to put the spell on. Puck
said that he also had put him to sleep with the Athenian
woman by his side.

OBERON Stand close: this is the same Athenian.

PUCK This is the woman, but not this the man.

DEMETRIUS O, why rebuke you him that loves you so?

Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.

HERMIA Now I but chide; but I should use thee worse,

For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse,
If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep,
Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep, and kill me too.

DEMETRIUS So should the murder'd look, and so should I,

Pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty: yet you, the
murderer, look as bright, as clear, as yonder Venus in her
glimmering sphere.
HERMIA What's this to my Lysander? where is he?
Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

DEMETRIUS I had rather give his carcass to my hounds.

NARRATOR Hermia accuses Demetrius of shedding Lysander’s blood.

Demetrius kept on on saying that he did not kill Lysander, but
Hermia refuse to believe.

HERMIA I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.

DEMETRIUS And if I could, what should I get therefore?

HERMIA A privilege never to see me more. See me no more,

whether he be dead or no.

(Exit HERMIA)

OBERON What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite

And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:

PUCK Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding troth,

A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

OBERON Helena of Athens look thou find: By some illusion see thou
bring her here:
I'll charm his eyes against she do appear.

PUCK I go, I go; look how I go,

(Exit)

OBERON Stand aside: the noise they make will cause

Demetrius to awake.

PUCK Then will two at once woo one; that must needs be sport
alone;
And those things do best please me that befal preposterously.
(Enter LYSANDER and HELENA)

LYSANDER Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.

DEMETRIUS [Awaking] O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!

HELENA O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent to set against me for your
merriment:
If you we re civil and knew courtesy, you would not do me thus
much injury.
But you must join in souls to mock me too?

LYSANDER You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;

for you love Hermia; this you know I know:

HELENA Never did mockers waste more idle breath.

DEMETRIUS Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none: if e'er I loved her,
all that love is gone.

LYSANDER Helena, it is not so.

DEMETRIUS Disparage not the faith thou dost not know,

Lest, to thy peril, thou aby it dear.
Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.

(Re-enter HERMIA)

HERMIA Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found;

Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound
But why unkindly didst thou leave me so?

LYSANDER Why should he stay, whom love doth press to go?

HERMIA What love could press Lysander from my side?

LYSANDER Lysander's love, that would not let him bide,

Fair Helena, who more engilds the night
 Why seek'st thou me? could not this make thee know,
The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?

HERMIA You speak not as you think: it cannot be.

HELENA Now I perceive they have conjoin'd all three

Injurious Hermia! most ungrateful maid!
Have you conspired, have you with these contrived
To bait me with this foul derision? Is all the counsel that we
two have shared,
The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent, we, Hermia,
like two artificial gods, As if our hands, our sides, voices and
minds,
Had been incorporate. So we grow together,
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted

HERMIA I am amazed at your passionate words. I scorn you not: it

seems that you scorn
me.

NARRATOR Helena was mad at Hermia and thought that

what was happening was planned
by the three, to be called ‘goddess, nymph, divine and rare.’ by
Demetrius was a mockery to Helena herself. Demetrius and
Lysander then decided to fight for fair Helena’s hand and
ignored Hermia.

HERMIA I am amazed, and know not what to say.

(Exit)

OBERON This is thy negligence: still thou mistakest,

Or else committ'st thy knaveries wilfully.

PUCK Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.

Did not you tell me I should know the man
By the Athenian garment be had on?
 That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;
And so far am I glad it so did sort
As this their jangling I esteem a sport.

OBERON Thou see'st these lovers seek a place to fight:

Hie therefore, Robin, overcast the night;
Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue,
Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
When they next wake, all this derision
Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision,
And back to Athens shall the lovers wend,
With league whose date till death shall never end.
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,
I'll to my queen and beg her Indian boy;
And then I will her charmed eye release
From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.

PUCK Already to their wormy beds are gone;

For fear lest day should look their shames upon,
They willfully themselves exile from light
And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night.

(Exit)

Up and down, I will lead them; I am fear'd in field and town:

Goblin, lead them up and down. Here comes one.

(Re-enter LYSANDER)

LYSANDER Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now.

PUCK Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou?

LYSANDER I will be with thee straight.

PUCK Follow me, then, to plainer ground.

(Exit LYSANDER, as following the voice) (Re-enter DEMETRIUS)

DEMETRIUS Lysander! speak again: Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou
fled?

PUCK Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars, Come, recreant;
come, thou child;

DEMETRIUS Yea, art thou there?

PUCK Follow my voice: we'll try no manhood here.

(Exeunt) (Re-enter LYSANDER)

NARRATOR Due to the exhaustion caused by following each other’s voice,

the two lied down on the ground to rest. Then comes Helena,
and then comes Hermia. They lie down to sleep in the forest
hidden deep.

PUCK On the ground, sleep sound: I'll apply, to your eye,

Gentle lover, remedy.

(Squeezing the juice on LYSANDER's eyes)

When thou wakest, in the sight of thy former lady's eye: in

your waking shall be shown: Jack shall have Jill; Nought shall go
ill; The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.

(Exit)

ACT IV SCENE I. The same. LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HELENA, and HERMIA lying
asleep.

(Enter TITANIA and BOTTOM; PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED,

and other Fairies attending; OBERON behind unseen)

TITANIA Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed, And kiss thy fair
large ears, my gentle joy.
BOTTOM Where's Peaseblossom? Scratch my head Peaseblossom.
Where's Mounsieur Cobweb?

PEASEBLOSSOM Ready.

COBWEB Ready.

BOTTOM Where's Mounsieur Mustardseed?

MUSTARDSEED Ready.

NARRATOR The fairies were taking care of Bottom

just as what Queen of the Fairies, Titania, had ordered them.

(Enter PUCK)

OBERON [Advancing] Welcome, good Robin. See'st thou this sweet

sight?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity—

NARRATOR Oberon decided to undo the spell on TItania, he made it seem

as if it was all a dream.

OBERON Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen.

TITANIA My Oberon! what visions have I seen!

Methought I was enamour'd of an ass.

OBERON There lies your love.

TITANIA How came these things to pass? O, how mine eyes do

loathe his visage now!

PUCK Now, when thou wakest, with thine own fool's eyes peep.

OBERON Come, my queen, take hands with me,

And rock the ground whereon these sleepers be.
And will to-morrow midnight solemnly
 Dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly, and bless it to all
fair prosperity:

PUCK Fairy king, attend, and mark: I do hear the morning lark.

OBERON Then, my queen, in silence sad, Trip we after the night's shade.

TITANIA Come, my lord, and in our flight tell me how it came this night.

(Exeunt) (Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train)

THESEUS Oh why! what nymphs are these?

EGEUS My lord, this is my daughter here asleep; and this, Lysander;

this Demetrius is;
This Helena, old Nedar's Helena: I wonder of their being here
together.

THESEUS No doubt they rose up early to observe after hearing our

intent,
Came here in grace our solemnity. But speak, Egeus; is not this
the day;
That Hermia should give answer of her choice?

EGEUS It is, my lord.

THESEUS Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with their horns.

(Horns and shout within. LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HELENA, and HERMIA wake and
start up)

THESEUS Good morrow, friends. Begin these wood-birds

but to couple now?

LYSANDER Pardon, my lord.

THESEUS I pray you all, stand up. I know you two are rival enemies:
How comes this gentle concord in the world, That hatred is so
 far from jealousy,
To sleep by hate, and fear no enmity?

LYSANDER My lord, I shall reply amazedly, Half sleep, half waking: but as
yet, I swear,
I cannot truly say how I came here; But, as I think,--
Our intent was to be gone from Athens; With Hermia, the one I
love.

EGEUS Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough:

I beg the law, the law, upon his head.
You of your wife and me of my consent,
Of my consent that she should be your wife.

DEMETRIUS But, my good lord, I wot not by what power,--

But by some power it is,--my love to Hermia,
Melted as the snow. The object and the pleasure of mine eye,
Is only Helena. To her, my lord, was I betroth'd ere I saw
Hermia:
But, as in health, come to my natural taste,
Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,
And will for evermore be true to it.

THESEUS Fair lovers, you are fortunately met: Egeus, I will overbear your
will;
For in the temple by and by with us
These couples shall eternally be knit: Away with us to Athens;
three and three,
We'll hold a feast in great solemnity. Come, Hippolyta.

(Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and train)

DEMETRIUS These things seem small and undistinguishable,

HERMIA Methinks I see these things with parted eye,

when every thing seems double.
HELENA So methinks: And I have found Demetrius like a jewel.

DEMETRIUS Are you sure That we are awake? It seems to me that yet we
sleep, we dream.
Do not you think the duke was here, and bid us follow him?

HERMIA Yea; and my father.

HELENA And Hippolyta.

LYSANDER And he did bid us follow to the temple.

DEMETRIUS Why, then, we are awake: let's follow him and

by the way let us recount our dreams.

(Exeunt)

NARRATOR Bottom then wakes up and looks for his fellow workmen.
He thought to himself-

BOTTOM What terrifying dream did I have?

(Exit)

SCENE II. Athens. QUINCE'S house.

Enter QUINCE, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING

QUINCE Have you sent to Bottom's house ? is he come home yet?

STARVELING He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he istransported.

FLUTE If he come not, then the play is marred:

it goes not forward, doth it?

NARRATOR Bottom’s fellow workmen was looking for him because

it is the day when they would have to perform the play for the
Duke of Athens, Theseus and his bride, Hippolyta.
SNUG Masters, the duke is coming from the temple, and
there is two or three lords and ladies more married:
if our sport had gone forward, we had all been made men.

FLUTE O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a day during
his life;
He could not have 'scaped; he would have deserved it:
sixpence a day in
Pyramus, or nothing.

(Enter BOTTOM)

BOTTOM Where are these lads? where are these hearts?

QUINCE Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happy hour!

BOTTOM Masters, I am to discourse wonders: but ask me not what;

for if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I will tell you every
thing, right as it fell out.

QUINCE Let us hear, sweet Bottom.

NARRATOR After rejoicing because of Bottom’s return,

they decided to get ready for the play that they will perform.

(Exeunt)

ACT V SCENE I. Athens. The palace of THESEUS

(Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, Lords and Attendants)

THESEUS Here come the lovers, full of joy and mirth.

(Enter LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HERMIA, and HELENA)

Joy, gentle friends! joy and fresh days of love

accompany your hearts!
LYSANDER More than to us wait in your royal walks, your board,
your bed!

THESEUS Come now; what masques, what dances shall we have,

To wear away this long age of three hours
What revels are in hand? Is there no play, to ease the anguish
of a torturing hour? Call Philostrate.

PHILOSTRATE Here, mighty Theseus.

THESEUS Say, what abridgement have you for this evening? How shall
we beguile
The lazy time, if not with some delight?

PHILOSTRATE Make choice of which your highness will see first.

[Reads] 'The battle with the Centaurs, to be sung
'The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals,
Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage.'
That is an old device; and it was play'd
When I from Thebes came last a conqueror.

'A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus

And his love Thisbe; very tragical mirth.'
Merry and tragical! tedious and brief!

THESEUS How shall we find the concord of this discord?

PHILOSTRATE A play there is, my lord, some ten words long,

Which is as brief as I have known a play;
Which makes it tedious; for in all the play
For Pyramus therein doth kill himself.
Which, when I saw rehearsed, I must confess,
Made mine eyes water; but more merry tears
The passion of loud laughter never shed.

THESEUS What are they that do play it?

PHILOSTRATE Hard-handed men that work in Athens here

THESEUS And we will hear it.

PHILOSTRATE No, my noble lord; It is not for you: I have heard it over,
And it is nothing, nothing in the world;
Unless you can find sport in their intents,
Extremely stretch'd and conn'd with cruel pain,
To do you service.

THESEUS I will hear that play; Go, bring them in: and
take your places, ladies.

(Exit PHILOSTRATE)

HIPPOLYTA I love not to see wretchedness o'er charged and duty

in his service perishing.

THESEUS Why, gentle sweet, you shall see no such thing.

The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing.

(Re-enter PHILOSTRATE)

PHILOSTRATE So please your grace, the Prologue is address'd.

THESEUS Let him approach. Flourish of trumpets

(Enter QUINCE for the Prologue)

QUINCE Prologue
If we offend, it is with our good will.
That you should think, we come not to offend,
But with good will. To show our simple skill,
That is the true beginning of our end.
Consider then we come but in despite.
We do not come as minding to contest you,
Our true intent is. All for your delight.

THESEUS This fellow doth not stand upon points.

LYSANDER He hath rid his prologue like a rough colt; he knows
not the stop. A good moral, my lord: it is not enough to speak,
but to speak true.

HIPPOLYTA Indeed he hath played on his prologue like a child on a

recorder;
a sound, but not in government.

THESEUS His speech, was like a tangled chain; nothing impaired, but all
disordered.
Who is next?

(Enter Pyramus and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, and Lion)

NARRATOR Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show;

But wonder on, till truth make all things plain.
This man is Pyramus, if you would know;
This beauteous lady Thisby is certain.
This man, with lime and rough-cast, doth present
Wall, that vile Wall which did these lovers sunder;
And through Wall's chink, poor souls, they are content
To whisper. At the which let no man wonder.
This man, with lanthorn, dog, and bush of thorn,
Presenteth Moonshine; for, if you will know,
By moonshine did these lovers think no scorn
To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo.
This grisly beast, which Lion hight by name,
The trusty Thisby, coming first by night,
Did scare away, or rather did affright;
And, as she fled, her mantle she did fall,
Which Lion vile with bloody mouth did stain.
Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth and tall,
And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle slain:
Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
He bravely broach'd is boiling bloody breast;
 And Thisby, tarrying in mulberry shade,
His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest,
Let Lion, Moonshine, Wall, and lovers twain
At large discourse, while here they do remain.

(Exeunt Prologue, Thisbe, Lion, and Moonshine)

THESEUS I wonder if the lion be to speak.

DEMETRIUS No wonder, my lord: one lion may, when many asses do.

WALL In this same interlude it doth befall That I, one Snout by name,
present a wall;
And such a wall, as I would have you think,
That had in it a crannied hole or chink,
Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisby,
Did whisper often very secretly.

THESEUS Would you desire lime and hair to speak better?

DEMETRIUS It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard discourse, my lord.

(Enter Pyramus)

THESEUS Pyramus draws near the wall: silence!

PYRAMUS O grim-look'd night! O night with hue so black!

O night, which ever art when day is not! O night, O night!
alack, alack, alack,
I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot! And thou, O wall, O sweet,
O lovely wall,
That stand'st between her father's ground and mine!
Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall,
Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne!

(Wall holds up his fingers)

 Thanks, courteous wall: Jove shield thee well for this!
But what see I? No Thisby do I see. O wicked wall, through
whom I see no bliss!
Cursed be thy stones for thus deceiving me!

THESEUS The wall, methinks, being sensible, should curse again.

PYRAMUS No, in truth, sir, he should not. 'Deceiving me' is Thisby's cue:
she is to enter now, and I am to spy her through the wall.
You shall see, it will fall pat as I told you. Yonder she comes.

(Enter Thisbe)

THISBE O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans,

For parting my fair Pyramus and me!
My cherry lips have often kiss'd thy stones,
Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee.

PYRAMUS I see a voice: now will I to the chink,

To spy an I can hear my Thisby's face. Thisby!

THISBE My love thou art, my love I think.

PYRAMUS Think what thou wilt, I am thy lover's grace

O kiss me through the hole of this vile wall!

THISBE I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all.

PYRAMUS Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway?

THISBE 'Tide life, 'tide death, I come without delay.

(Exeunt Pyramus and Thisbe)

HIPPOLYTA This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard.

THESEUS The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst
are no worse, if imagination amend them.

HIPPOLYTA It must be your imagination then, and not theirs.

(Enter Lion and Moonshine)

LION You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear

The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor,
When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar.
Then know that I, one Snug the joiner, amA lion-fell, nor else
no lion's dam; For, if I should as lion come in strife
Into this place, 'twere pity on my life.

THESEUS A very gentle beast, of a good conscience.

MOONSHINE This lanthorn doth the horned moon present;--

DEMETRIUS He should have worn the horns on his head.

THESEUS He is no crescent, and his horns are

invisible within the circumference.

MOONSHINE This lanthorn doth the horned moon present;

Myself the man i' the moon do seem to be.
All that I have to say, is, to tell you that the
lanthorn is the moon; I, the man in the moon; this
thorn-bush, my thorn-bush; and this dog, my dog.

(Enter Thisbe)

THISBE This is old Ninny's tomb. Where is my love?

LION [Roaring] Oh--

(Thisbe runs off)

 (The Lion shakes Thisbe's mantle, and exit)

(Enter Pyramus)

PYRAMUS Sweet Moon, I thank thee, for shining now so bright;

For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering gleams,
I trust to take of truest Thisby sight.
But stay, O spite! What dreadful dole is here! Eyes, do you
see? How can it be? O dear! What, stain'd with blood!
Approach, ye Furies fell! O Fates, come, come, Quail, crush,
conclude, and quell!

THESEUS This passion, and the death of a dear friend,

would go near to make a man look sad.

HIPPOLYTA Beshrew my heart, but I pity the man.

PYRAMUS O wherefore, Nature, didst thou lions frame? Come, tears,

confound; Out, sword, and wound the pap of Pyramus;
Ay, that left pap, where heart doth hop:

(Stabs himself) Thus die I, thus, thus, thus. Now am I dead,

My soul is in the sky: Moon take thy flight:

(Exit Moonshine)

Now die, die, die, die, die. Dies

DEMETRIUS No die, but an ace, for him; for he is but one.

LYSANDER Less than an ace, man; for he is dead; he is nothing.

HIPPOLYTA How chance Moonshine is gone before Thisbe comes

back and finds her lover?

(Re-enter Thisbe)
THISBE Asleep, my love? What, dead, my dove? O Pyramus, arise!
Dead, dead? A tomb. These My lips, this cherry nose, are gone,
are gone: Lovers, make moan: Come, trusty sword; Come,
blade, my breast imbrue:

(Stabs herself)

And, farewell, friends; Thus Thisby ends: Adieu, adieu, adieu.

Dies

THESEUS Moonshine and Lion are left to bury the dead.

DEMETRIUS Ay, and Wall too.

BOTTOM [Starting up] No assure you; the wall is down that

parted their fathers. Will it please you to see the epilogue, or
to hear a Bergomask dance between two of our company?

THESEUS No epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs no

excuse. Never excuse; for when the players are all dead.
Marry, if he that writ it had played Pyramus and hanged
himself in Thisbe's garter, it would have been a fine tragedy:

(A dance)

WORKMEN The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve:

Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time. I fear we shall out-sleep
the coming morn as much as we this night have overwatch'd.
The heavy gait of night. Sweet friends, to bed.
A fortnight hold we this solemnity, in nightly revels and new
jollity.

(Exeunt) (Enter PUCK)

PUCK Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon;
All with weary task fordone. Now the wasted brands do glow,
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud, in remembrance of a
shroud. Now it is the time of night every one lets forth his
 sprite, in the church-way paths to glide: And we fairies, that do
run from the presence of the sun, following darkness like a
dream, now are frolic: not a mouse shall disturb this hallow'd
house: I am sent with broom before, to sweep the dust behind
the door.

(Enter OBERON and TITANIA with their train)

OBERON Through the house give gathering light,

Every elf and fairy sprite.

TITANIA 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, ever true in loving be;
Never mole, hare lip, nor scar,
Nor mark prodigious, such as are
Despised in nativity,
Shall upon their children be.
Every fairy take his gait;
And each several chamber bless,
Through this palace, with sweet peace;
And the owner of it blest
Ever shall in safety rest.
Trip away; make no stay; Meet me all by break of day.
 (Exeunt OBERON, TITANIA, and train)

PUCK If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore
amends.