A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM 3.1

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, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we

will do it in action as we will do it before the duke. 5

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 10

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 15

say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that

Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more

better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not

Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them

out of fear. 20

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. 25

BOTTOM Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to

bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is a

most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful

wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to

look to 't. 30

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: and he himself

must speak through, saying thus, or to the same

defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish 35

You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would

entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life

for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it

were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a

man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name 40

his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.

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? 45

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

out moonshine, find out moonshine.

QUINCE Yes, it doth shine that night.

BOTTOM Why, then may you leave a casement of the great

chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon 50

may shine in at the casement.

QUINCE Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns

and a lanthorn, and say he comes to disfigure, or to

present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is

another thing: we must have a wall in the great 55

chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did

talk through the chink of a wall.

SNOUT You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?

BOTTOM Some man or other must present Wall: and let him

have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast 60

about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his

fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus

and Thisby whisper.

QUINCE If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down,

every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. 65

Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your

speech, enter into that brake: and so every one

according to his cue.

[Enter PUCK behind]

PUCK What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,

So near the cradle of the fairy queen? 70

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. 75

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. 80

[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 Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,

Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier, 85

Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew,

As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,

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: you speak all your 90

part at once, cues and all Pyramus enter: your cue

is past; it is, 'never tire.'

FLUTE O,--As true as truest horse, that yet would

never tire.

[Re-enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with an ass's head]

BOTTOM If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine. 95

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:

Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound, 100

A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;

And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,

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. 105

[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, do

you?

[Exit SNOUT]

[Re-enter QUINCE]

QUINCE Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art

translated. 110

[Exit]

BOTTOM I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;

to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir

from this place, do what they can: I will walk up

and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear

I am not afraid. 115

[Sings]

The ousel cock so black of hue,

With orange-tawny bill,

The throstle with his note so true,

The wren with little quill,--

TITANIA [Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? 120

BOTTOM [Sings]

The finch, the sparrow and the lark,

The plain-song cuckoo gray,

Whose note full many a man doth mark,

And dares not answer nay;-- 125

for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish

a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry

'cuckoo' never so?

TITANIA I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:

Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note; 130

So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;

And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me

On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.

BOTTOM Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason

for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and 135

love keep little company together now-a-days; the

more the pity that some honest neighbours will not

make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.

TITANIA Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

BOTTOM Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out 140

of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.

TITANIA Out of this wood do not desire to go:

Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.

I am a spirit of no common rate;

The summer still doth tend upon my state; 145

And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;

I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee,

And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,

And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep;

And I will purge thy mortal grossness so 150

That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.

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; 155

Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes;

Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,

With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries;

The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees,

And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs 160

And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,

To have my love to bed and to arise;

And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies

To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes:

Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies. 165

PEASEBLOSSOM Hail, mortal!

COBWEB Hail!

MOTH Hail!

MUSTARDSEED Hail!

BOTTOM I cry your worship's mercy, heartily: I beseech your 170

worship's name.

COBWEB Cobweb.

BOTTOM I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master

Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with

you. Your name, honest gentleman? 175

PEASEBLOSSOM Peaseblossom.

BOTTOM I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your

mother, and to Master Peascod, your father. Good

Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more

acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, sir? 180

MUSTARDSEED Mustardseed.

BOTTOM Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well:

that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath

devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise

you your kindred had made my eyes water ere now. I 185

desire your more acquaintance, good Master

Mustardseed.

TITANIA Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower.

The moon methinks looks with a watery eye;

And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, 190

Lamenting some enforced chastity.

Tie up my love's tongue bring him silently.

[Exeunt]

QUINCE	Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place
	for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our
	stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we
	will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.	5

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	10
	cannot abide. How answer you that?

BOTTOM	Not a whit: I have a device to make all well.
	Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to	15
	say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that
	Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more
	better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not
	Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them
	out of fear.	20

QUINCE		Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be
		written in eight and six.

BOTTOM	Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to
	bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is a
	most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful
	wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to
	look to 't.	30

BOTTOM	Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must
	be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself
	must speak through, saying thus, or to the same
	defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish	35
	You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would
	entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life
	for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it
	were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a
	man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name	40
	his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.

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.

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

BOTTOM	Why, then may you leave a casement of the great
	chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon	50
	may shine in at the casement.

QUINCE	Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns
	and a lanthorn, and say he comes to disfigure, or to
	present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is
	another thing: we must have a wall in the great	55
	chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did
	talk through the chink of a wall.

BOTTOM	Some man or other must present Wall: and let him
	have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast	60
	about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his
	fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus
	and Thisby whisper.

QUINCE	If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down,
	every mother's son, and rehearse your parts.	65
	Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your
	speech, enter into that brake: and so every one
	according to his cue.
	[Enter PUCK behind]

PUCK	What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,
	So near the cradle of the fairy queen?	70
	What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor;
	An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.

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]

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	Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,
	Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,	85
	Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew,
	As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,
	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: you speak all your	90
	part at once, cues and all Pyramus enter: your cue
	is past; it is, 'never tire.'

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:
	Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,	100
	A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;
	And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,
	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.	105
	[Re-enter SNOUT]

BOTTOM		What do you see? you see an asshead of your own, do
		you?
		[Exit SNOUT]
		[Re-enter QUINCE]

QUINCE	Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art
	translated.	110
	[Exit]

BOTTOM	I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;
	to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir
	from this place, do what they can: I will walk up
	and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear
	I am not afraid.	115
	[Sings]
	The ousel cock so black of hue,
	With orange-tawny bill,
	The throstle with his note so true,
	The wren with little quill,--

BOTTOM	[Sings]
	The finch, the sparrow and the lark,
	The plain-song cuckoo gray,
	Whose note full many a man doth mark,
	And dares not answer nay;--	125
	for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish
	a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry
	'cuckoo' never so?

TITANIA	I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
	Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;	130
	So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;
	And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
	On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.

BOTTOM	Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason
	for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and	135
	love keep little company together now-a-days; the
	more the pity that some honest neighbours will not
	make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.

BOTTOM		Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out	140
		of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn.

TITANIA	Out of this wood do not desire to go:
	Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
	I am a spirit of no common rate;
	The summer still doth tend upon my state;	145
	And I do love thee: therefore, go with me;
	I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee,
	And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
	And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep;
	And I will purge thy mortal grossness so	150
	That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.
	Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!
	[Enter PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, and MUSTARDSEED]

TITANIA	Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;	155
	Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes;
	Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,
	With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries;
	The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees,
	And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs	160
	And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,
	To have my love to bed and to arise;
	And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies
	To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes:
	Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.	165