A Midsummer Night's Dream

"Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace; four happy days bring in another moon..."

"Fair lovers, you are fortunately met: of this discourse we more will hear anon. Egeus, I will overbear your will; for in the temple by and by with us these couples shall eternally be knit: and, for the morning now is something worn, our purposed hunting shall be set aside. Away with us to Athens; three and three, We'll hold a feast in great solemnity. Come, Hippolyta."

"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. This palpable-gross play hath well beguiled the heavy gait of night. Sweet friends, to bed. A fortnight hold we this solemnity, in nightly revels and new jollity."

"Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; 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."

"I was with Hercules and Cadmus once, when in a wood of Crete they bay'd the bear with hounds of Sparta: never did I hear such gallant chiding: for, besides the groves, the skies, the fountains, every region near seem'd all one mutual cry: I never heard so musical a discord, such sweet thunder."

"'Tis strange my Theseus, that these lovers speak of."

"Full of vexation come I, with complaint against my child, my daughter Hermia."

"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."

"Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough: I beg the law, the law, upon his head. They would have stolen away; they would, Demetrius, thereby to have defeated you and me, you of your wife and me of my consent, of my consent that she should be your wife."

"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."

"And in the wood, where often you and I upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie, emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet, 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! Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight from lovers' food till morrow deep midnight."

"Puppet? Why so? Ay, that way goes the game. Now I perceive that she hath made compare between our statures; she hath urged her height; and with her personage, her tall personage, her height, forsooth, she hath prevail'd with him. And are you grown so high in his esteem; because I am so dwarfish and so low? How low am I, thou painted maypole? Speak; how low am I? I am not yet so low, but that my nails can reach unto thine eyes."

"Relent, sweet Hermia: and, Lysander, yield thy crazed title to my certain right."

"Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth tell you, I do not, nor I cannot love you?"

"There is no following her in this fierce vein: here therefore for a while I will remain. So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow for debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe: which now in some slight measure it will pay, if for his tender here I make some stay."

"You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him."

"A good persuasion: therefore, hear me, Hermia. I have a widow aunt, a dowager of great revenue, and she hath 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, where I did meet thee once with Helena, to do observance to a morn of May, there will I stay for thee."

"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, and tarry for the comfort of the day."

"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 more tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear, when wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. 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, my tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody. Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated, the rest I'd give to be to you translated. O, teach me how you look, and with what art you sway the motion of Demetrius' heart."

"You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant; but yet you draw not iron, for my heart is true as steel: leave you your power to draw, and I shall have no power to follow you."

"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. Can you not hate me, as I know you do, but you must join in souls to mock me too? If you were men, as men you are in show, you would not use a gentle lady so; to vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts, when I am sure you hate me with your hearts. You both are rivals, and love Hermia; and now both rivals, to mock Helena: a trim exploit, a manly enterprise, to conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes, with your derision! None of noble sort would so offend a virgin, and extort a poor soul's patience, all to make you sport."

"Is all our company here?"

"Marry, our play is, the most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby."

"Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play bare-faced. But, masters, here are your parts: and I am to entreat you, request you and desire you, to con them by to-morrow night; and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the town, by moonlight; there will we rehearse, for if we meet in the city, we shall be dogged with company, and our devices known. In the meantime I will draw a bill of properties, such as our play wants. I pray you, fail me not."

"You were best to call them generally, man by man, according to the scrip."

"A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the scroll. Masters, spread yourselves."

"Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is, that the duke hath dined. Get your apparel together, good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps; meet presently at the palace; every man look o'er his part; for the short and the long is, our play is preferred. In any case, let Thisby have clean linen; and let not him that plays the lion pair his nails, for they shall hang out for the lion's claws. And, most dear actors, eat no onion nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet comedy. No more words: away! Go, away!"

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

"If he come not, then the play is marred: it goes not forward, doth it?"

"O, sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a day during his life; he could not have 'scaped sixpence a day: an the duke had not given him sixpence a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged; he would have deserved it: sixpence a day in Pyramus or nothing."

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

"I fear it, I promise you."

"He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is transported."

"Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?"

[laughs] "You can never bring in a wall." [small pause] What say you, Bottom?"

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

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

"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."

"How now, spirit! Whither wander you?"

"Through the forest have I gone. But Athenian found I none, on whose eyes I might approve, this flower's force in stirring love. 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! She durst not lie, near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy. Churl upon thy eyes I throw, all the power this charm doth owe. When thou wakest, let love forbid, sleep his seat on thy eyelid: So awake when I am gone; for I must now to Oberon."

"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, if we have unearned luck, now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, we will make amends ere long. Else the Puck a liar call; so, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends."

"What, jealous Oberon! Fairies, skip hence: I have forsworn his bed and company."

"Not for thy fairy kingdom. Fairies, away! We shall chide downright, if I longer stay."

"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."

"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania."

"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? and make him with fair Aegle break his faith, with Ariadne and Antiopa?"

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

"Over hill, over dale, thorough bush, thorough brier, over park, over pale, thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, swifter than the moon's sphere; and I serve the fairy queen, to dew her orbs upon the green. The cowslips tall her pensioners be: in their gold coats spots you see; those be rubies, fairy favours, in those freckles live their savours: I must go seek some dewdrops here and hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear. Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone: our queen and all our elves come here anon."

"Either I mistake your shape and making quite, or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you he that frights the maidens of the villagery; skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern and bootless make the breathless housewife churn; and sometime make the drink to bear no barm; mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm? Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck, you do their work, and they shall have good luck: are not you he?"

"And here my mistress. Would that he were gone!"

"And I."

"Where shall we go?"

"Hail!"

"Ready."

"Hence, away! Now all is well: one aloof stand sentinel."

"And I."

"Where shall we go?"

"Hail!"

"And I. Where shall we go?"

"Hail!"

"Ready."

"What's your Will?"

"Here, mighty Theseus."

"There is a brief how many sports are ripe: make choice of which your highness will see first."

"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."

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

(Sing any song you want!)

(Sing any song you want!)

(Sing any song you want!)

(Sing any song you want!)

"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 we are not here. That you should here repent you, the actors are at hand and by their show you shall know all that you are like to know."

"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."

"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 Thisbe'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 eye!"

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

"I see a voice: now will I to the chink, to spy an I can hear my Thisbe's face. Thisbe!"

"Sweet Moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams; I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright; for, by thy gracious, golden, glittering gleams, I trust to take of truest Thisby sight. But stay, O spite! But mark, poor knight, what dreadful dole is here! Eyes, do you see? How can it be? O dainty duck! O dear! Thy mantle good, what, stain'd with blood! Approach, ye Furies fell! O Fates, come, cut thread and thrum; quail, crush, conclude, and quell!

"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."

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

"Asleep, my love? What, dead, my dove? O Pyramus, arise! Speak, speak. Quite dumb? Dead, dead? A tomb must cover thy sweet eyes. These My lips, this cherry nose, these yellow cowslip cheeks, are gone, are gone: lovers, make moan: his eyes were green as leeks. O Sisters Three, come, come to me, with hands as pale as milk; lay them in gore, since you have shore with shears his thread of silk. Tongue, not a word: come, trusty sword; come, blade, my breast imbrue..."

"And, farewell, friends; thus Thisbe ends: adieu, adieu, adieu."

"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 Thisbe, did whisper often very secretly. This loam, this rough-cast and this stone doth show that I am that same wall; the truth is so: and this the cranny is, right and sinister, through which the fearful lovers are to whisper."

"Thus have I, Wall, my part discharged so; and, being done, thus Wall away doth go."

"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."

"You, ladies, you, whose gentle hearts do fear the smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor, may now perchance both quake and tremble here, when lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. Then know that I, one Snug the joiner, am a 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."

"ROAR!!!!!"

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(Sing any song you want!)

(Sing any song you want!)

(Sing any song you want!)