Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter Titania, Queen of Fairies, with her train. TITANIA
Come, now a roundel and a fairy song;
Then, for the third part of a minute, hence—
Some to kill cankers in the muskrose buds,
Some war with reremice for their leathern wings
To make my small elves coats, and some keep back 5
The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders
At our quaint spirits. Sing me now asleep.
Then to your offices and let me rest. She lies down. | Titania instructs her fairies to dance and sing her to sleep. Then they should be off to do their work: eliminating pests from rosebuds, fighting bats so they can make leather jackets for the elves from their wings, and keeping a particularly noisy owl from being too loud. |
Fairies sing. FIRST FAIRY
You spotted snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen. 10
Newts and blindworms, do no wrong,
Come not near our Fairy Queen. CHORUS
Philomel, with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby.
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby. 15
Never harm
Nor spell nor charm
Come our lovely lady nigh.
So good night, with lullaby. FIRST FAIRY
Weaving spiders, come not here. 20
Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence.
Beetles black, approach not near.
Worm nor snail, do no offence. CHORUS
Philomel, with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby. 25
Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby.
Never harm
Nor spell nor charm
Come our lovely lady nigh.
So good night, with lullaby. 30 Titania sleeps. SECOND FAIRY
Hence, away! Now all is well.
One aloof stand sentinel. Fairies exit. | The fairies do exactly as they're told: the sing Titania to sleep and then rush off to do their chores. |
Enter Oberon, who anoints Titania’s eyelids with the
nectar. OBERON
What thou seest when thou dost wake
Do it for thy true love take.
Love and languish for his sake. 35
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear
When thou wak’st, it is thy dear.
Wake when some vile thing is near. He exits. 40 | Oberon slips in and manages to get the pansy juice onto Titania eyes before running off. |
Enter Lysander and Hermia. LYSANDER
Fair love, you faint with wand’ring 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. HERMIA
Be it so, Lysander. Find you out a bed, 45
For I upon this bank will rest my head. | Lysander and Hermia come tripping in after Oberon exits. They're lost so they decide to stop for the night and rest. |
LYSANDER
One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth. HERMIA
Nay, good Lysander. For my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet. Do not lie so near. 50 | Lysander wants to sleep close to Hermia but she tells him to back off because they're not married yet. |
LYSANDER
O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence!
Love takes the meaning in love’s conference.
I mean that my heart unto yours is knit,
So that but one heart we can make of it;
Two bosoms interchainèd with an oath— 55
So then two bosoms and a single troth.
Then by your side no bed-room me deny,
For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie. HERMIA
Lysander riddles very prettily.
Now much beshrew my manners and my pride 60
If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied.
But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy,
Lie further off in human modesty.
Such separation, as may well be said,
Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid. 65
So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend.
Thy love ne’er alter till thy sweet life end! LYSANDER
“Amen, amen” to that fair prayer, say I,
And then end life when I end loyalty!
Here is my bed. Sleep give thee all his rest! 70 HERMIA
With half that wish the wisher’s eyes be pressed! They sleep. | Lysander tries to sweet-talk Hermia but she's not having it. She stands her ground, and they fall asleep separately. |
Enter Robin. ROBIN
Through the forest have I gone,
But Athenian found I none
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower’s force in stirring love. 75
He sees Lysander.
Night and silence! Who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear.
This is he my master said
Despisèd the Athenian maid.
And here the maiden, sleeping sound 80
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. 85
He anoints Lysander’s eyelids
with the nectar.
When thou wak’st, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid.
So, awake when I am gone,
For I must now to Oberon. He exits. | Puck ambles onto the stage. He sees Lysander and mistakes him for Demetrius (because he's wearing Athenian clothes). Pleased to have found the guy Oberon sent him to mess with so quickly, Puck sprinkles the love juice on Lysander's eyelids. Then, pleased with himself, he runs off to tell Oberon. |
Enter Demetrius and Helena, running. HELENA
Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius. 90 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. Demetrius exits. | Demetrius runs in with Helena still chasing after him. Demetrius tells her to scram but she refuses, so he threatens her (again) and rushes off. |
HELENA
O, I am out of breath in this fond chase.
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. 95
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe’er she lies,
For she hath blessèd and attractive eyes.
How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears.
If so, my eyes are oftener washed than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear, 100
For beasts that meet me run away for fear.
Therefore no marvel though Demetrius
Do as a monster fly my presence thus.
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine
Made me compare with Hermia’s sphery eyne? 105
But who is here? Lysander, on the ground!
Dead or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.—
Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake. | Helena, finally weary of running after Demetrius, wanders alone for a bit, talking to herself about how poorly she measures up to Hermia. Hermia's eyes are so much brighter—probably, Helena thinks, because she hasn't spent as much time crying as Helena has. In the middle of her pity party, she notices Lysander on the ground. Worried that he's dead, she shakes him awake. |
LYSANDER, waking up
And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.
Transparent Helena! Nature shows art, 110
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! | Lysander takes one look at Helena and falls in love at first sight. Then he says he's going to kill Demetrius. |
HELENA
Do not say so. Lysander, say not so.
What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what 115
though?
Yet Hermia still loves you. Then be content. LYSANDER
Content with Hermia? No, I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia, but Helena I love. 120
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason swayed,
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their season;
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason. 125
And touching now the point of human skill,
Reason becomes the marshal to my will
And leads me to your eyes, where I o’erlook
Love’s stories written in love’s richest book. HELENA
Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? 130
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?
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? 135
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
But fare you well. Perforce I must confess
I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady of one man refused 140
Should of another therefore be abused! She exits. | Helena is confused and thinks Lysander is mocking her, which adds to the indignity of Demetrius not loving her. She exits, certain that she's being punked. |
LYSANDER
She sees not Hermia.—Hermia, sleep thou there,
And never mayst thou come Lysander near.
For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the stomach brings, 145
Or as the heresies that men do leave
Are hated most of those they did deceive,
So thou, my surfeit and my heresy,
Of all be hated, but the most of me!
And, all my powers, address your love and might 150
To honor Helen and to be her knight. He exits. | Lysander says he never wants to see Hermia again and deserts her while she's sleeping. He's off to win Helena's love now. |
HERMIA, waking up
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. 155
Methought a serpent ate my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.
Lysander! What, removed? Lysander, lord!
What, out of hearing? Gone? No sound, no word?
Alack, where are you? Speak, an if you hear. 160
Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.—
No? Then I well perceive you are not nigh.
Either death or you I’ll find immediately. She exits. | Hermia wakes up from a horrible dream. Thinking Lysander is still sleeping near her, she recounts the nightmare: she thought a serpent was eating her heart while Lysander stood by smiling. When she realizes that Lysander's not there, she panics and runs off looking for him, promising she'll either find her love or kill herself. |