| – Duke of Athens- Planning his wedding to Hippolyta | Theseus |
| – Queen of Amazons- Captured in battle | Hippolyta |
| – Father of Hermia- Wants Hermia to marry Demetrius- Goes to Theseus and asks him to enforce Athenian rule (daughter must marry suitor of father’s choice) | Egeus |
| – Egeus’ daughter- Loves / wants to marry Lysander (suitor) | Hermia |
| – Second suitor of Hermia- Favored by Egeus | Demetrius |
| – Hermia’s friend- In love with Demetrius–> Tries to win him over by telling Demetrius when Hermia and Lysander run away | Helena |
| LYSANDERI am, my lord, as well derived as he,As well possessed. My love is more than his;My fortunes every way as fairly ranked(If not with vantage) as Demetrius’;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,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.THESEUSI must confess that I have heard so much,And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof;But, being overfull 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 yourselfTo 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 businessAgainst our nuptial, and confer with youOf something nearly that concerns yourselves.___Enter Quince the carpenter, and Snug the joiner, andBottom the weaver, and Flute the bellows-mender, andSnout the tinker, and Starveling the tailor.Is all our company here?You were best to call them generally, man byman, according to the scrip.Here is the scroll of every man’s name whichis thought fit, through all Athens, to play in ourinterlude before the Duke and the Duchess on hiswedding day at night.First, good Peter Quince, say what the playtreats on, then read the names of the actors, and sogrow to a point.Marry, our play is “The most lamentablecomedy and most cruel death of Pyramus andThisbe.”A very good piece of work, I assure you, and amerry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth youractors by the scroll. Masters, spread yourselves.Answer as I call you. Nick Bottom, the weaver.Ready. Name what part I am for, andproceed.You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus.What is Pyramus—a lover or a tyrant?A lover that kills himself most gallant for love.That will ask some tears in the true performingof it. If I do it, let the audience look to theireyes. I will move storms; I will condole in somemeasure. To the rest.—Yet my chief humor is for atyrant. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear acat in, to make all split:The raging rocksAnd shivering shocksShall break the locksOf prison gates.And Phibbus’ carShall shine from farAnd make and marThe foolish Fates.This was lofty. Now name the rest of the players.This is Ercles’ vein, a tyrant’s vein. A lover is morecondoling | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamImbalance within the Structure((I.i.101-128)1) ATHENIAN LOVERS- Demetrius loves Hermia- Hermia loves Lysander- Lysander loves Hermia- Helena loves Demetrius–> Non-parallel love–> Groups of characters show a great contrast___(I.ii.1-40)2) COMMON TRADESMEN/WORKERS- Uneducated, lower-middle class, naive3) FAIRIES- Poetic imagery- Fantasy world with magic) |
| Well, proceed.Robin Starveling, the tailor.Here, Peter Quince.Robin Starveling, you must play Thisbe’smother.—Tom Snout, the tinker.Here, Peter Quince.You, Pyramus’ father.—Myself, Thisbe’sfather.—Snug the joiner, you the lion’s part.—And I hope here is a play fitted.Have you the lion’s part written? Pray you, if itbe, give it me, for I am slow of study.You may do it extempore, for it is nothing butroaring.Let me play the lion too. I will roar that I willdo any man’s heart good to hear me. I will roar thatI will make the Duke say “Let him roar again. Lethim roar again!”An you should do it too terribly, you wouldfright the Duchess and the ladies that they wouldshriek, and that were enough to hang us all.That would hang us, every mother’s son.I grant you, friends, if you should fright theladies out of their wits, they would have no morediscretion but to hang us. But I will aggravate myvoice so that I will roar you as gently as any suckingdove. I will roar you an ’twere any nightingale.You can play no part but Pyramus, for Pyramusis a sweet-faced man, a proper man as oneshall see in a summer’s day, a most lovely gentlemanlikeman. Therefore you must needs playPyramus.Well, I will undertake it. What beard were Ibest to play it in?Why, what you will.I will discharge it in either your straw-colorbeard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grainbeard, or your French-crown-color beard,your perfit yellow.Some of your French crowns have no hair atall, and then you will play barefaced. But, masters,here are your parts, giving out the parts, and I amto entreat you, request you, and desire you to conthem by tomorrow night and meet me in the palacewood, a mile without the town, by moonlight. Therewill we rehearse, for if we meet in the city, we shallbe dogged with company and our devices known. Inthe meantime I will draw a bill of properties such asour play wants. I pray you fail me not. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamComplete Absurdity(- Within the tradesmen’s thoughts/ideals/actions- Concerns w/ roles(I.ii.55-102)–> Snug is worried that he will not remember the lion’s lines–> Too loud of a roar will lead to death –> Flute does not want to play a woman because he is growing out his beard) |
| Thou speakest aright.I am that merry wanderer of the night.I jest to Oberon and make him smileWhen I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,Neighing in likeness of a filly foal.And sometime lurk I in a gossip’s bowlIn very likeness of a roasted crab,And, when she drinks, against her lips I bobAnd on her withered dewlap pour the ale.The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale,Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me;Then slip I from her bum, down topples she,And “Tailor!” cries, and falls into a cough,And then the whole choir hold their hips and loffeAnd waxen in their mirth and neeze and swearA merrier hour was never wasted there.But room, fairy. Here comes Oberon. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamIntroduction to the Fairies(- Titania, Oberon, and Puck (a.k.a. Robin Goodfellow)–> Bring magic to the play(II.i.44-60)- Puck is speaking in terms of poetry–> Poetic imagery -> Shows greatest contrast to commoners (size + language)) |
| That very time I saw (but thou couldst not),Flying between the cold moon and the earth,Cupid all armed. A certain aim he tookAt a fair vestal thronèd by the west,And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bowAs it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts.But I might see young Cupid’s fiery shaftQuenched in the chaste beams of the wat’ry moon,And the imperial vot’ress passèd onIn maiden meditation, fancy-free.Yet marked 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 showed thee once.The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laidWill make or man or woman madly doteUpon the next live creature that it sees.Fetch me this herb, and be thou here againEre the leviathan can swim a league. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamRomantic Confusion(- Lysander now loves Helena instead of Hermia-> Helena questions Lysander’s intents-> Hermia questions herself–> Magic causes this confusion(II.i.161-180)–> Love juice (Love-in-Idleness)) |
| Through the forest have I gone,But Athenian found I noneOn whose eyes I might approveThis flower’s force in stirring love.Night and silence! Who is here?Weeds of Athens he doth wear.This is he my master saidDespisèd the Athenian maid.And here the maiden, sleeping soundOn the dank and dirty ground.Pretty soul, she durst not lieNear this lack-love, this kill-courtesy–Churl, upon thy eyes I throwAll the power this charm doth owe.When thou wak’st, let love forbidSleep his seat on thy eyelid.So, awake when I am gone,For I must now to Oberon. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamLove Potion((II.ii.72-89)- Robin drips the love-in-idleness juice on Lysander’s eyes- Oberon drips it into Titania’s eyes–> Attempting to problem-solve using magic–> At the same time, magic love juice brings comedy to the play) |
| Content with Hermia? No, I do repentThe tedious minutes I with her have spent.Not Hermia, but Helena I love.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.And touching now the point of human skill,Reason becomes the marshal to my willAnd leads me to your eyes, where I o’erlookLove’s stories written in love’s richest book.Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?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 canDeserve a sweet look from Demetrius’ eye,But you must flout my insufficiency?Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,In such disdainful manner me to woo.But fare you well. Perforce I must confessI thought you lord of more true gentleness.O, that a lady of one man refusedShould of another therefore be abused! | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamMND: Is it a true love story?(- R+J = true love story (basis)- MND = not true love story–> Mocks love -> Process -> Institution(II.ii.118-141)) |
| Doth the moon shine that night we play ourplay?A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanac.Find out moonshine, find out moonshine.Yes, it doth shine that night.Why, then, may you leave a casement of thegreat chamber window, where we play, open, andthe moon may shine in at the casement.Ay, or else one must come in with a bush ofthorns and a lantern and say he comes to disfigureor to present the person of Moonshine. Then thereis another thing: we must have a wall in the greatchamber, for Pyramus and Thisbe, says the story,did talk through the chink of a wall.You can never bring in a wall. What say you,Bottom?Some man or other must present Wall. Andlet him have some plaster, or some loam, or someroughcast about him to signify wall, or let himhold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shallPyramus and Thisbe whisper.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 yourspeech, enter into that brake, and so everyoneaccording to his cue. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamLiteral Thinking of the Tradesmen(- Thinking of the rehearsal of Pyramus and Thisbe – Examples of Literal thinking:1. Moonshine/moonlight2. Wall3. Prologue(III.i.50-75)–> Direct opposition to fairies -> Sophisticated language) |
| O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see onthee?What do you see? You see an ass-head of yourown, do you?Enter Quince.Bless thee, Bottom, bless thee! Thou arttranslated!I see their knavery. This is to make an ass ofme, to fright me, if they could. But I will not stirfrom this place, do what they can. I will walk upand down here, and I will sing, that they shall hearI am not afraid.He sings. The ouzel cock, so black of hue,With orange-tawny bill,The throstle with his note so true,The wren with little quill—, waking upWhat angel wakes me from my flow’ry bed?singsThe finch, the sparrow, and the lark,The plainsong cuckoo gray,Whose note full many a man doth markAnd dares not answer “nay”—for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish abird? Who would give a bird the lie though he cry”cuckoo” never so?I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again.Mine ear is much enamored of thy note,So is mine eye enthrallèd to thy shape,And thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move meOn the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.Methinks, mistress, you should have littlereason for that. And yet, to say the truth, reasonand love keep little company together nowadays.The more the pity that some honest neighbors willnot make them friends. Nay, I can gleek uponoccasion.Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.Not so neither; but if I had wit enough to getout of this wood, I have enough to serve mine ownturn.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,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 deepAnd sing while thou on pressèd flowers dost sleep.And I will purge thy mortal grossness soThat thou shalt like an airy spirit go.—Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote, and Mustardseed! | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamAcross-Culture Romance((III.i.116-164)2 cultures:Fairies – Titania (elegant queen of fairies)Tradesmen – Nick Bottom (monstrous man)Example of mocking love (not a true love story)) |
| “Puppet”? Why so? Ay, that way goes the game.Now I perceive that she hath made compareBetween our statures; she hath urged her height,And with her personage, her tall personage,Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him.And are you grown so high in his esteemBecause I am so dwarfish and so low?How low am I, thou painted maypole? Speak!How low am I? I am not yet so lowBut that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.___O spite! O hell! I see you all are bentTo set against me for your merriment.If you were 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 eyesWith your derision! None of noble sortWould so offend a virgin and extortA poor soul’s patience, all to make you sport. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamInsecurities(- Hidden, dormant insecurities –> Until magic plays a part- Hermia = insecure about her height(III.ii.304-313)___- Helena = low self-esteem about her looks(III.ii.148-164) |
| He goes before me and still dares me on.When I come where he calls, then he is gone.The villain is much lighter-heeled than I.I followed fast, but faster he did fly,That fallen am I in dark uneven way,And here will rest me. Come, thou gentle day,For if but once thou show me thy gray light,I’ll find Demetrius and revenge this spite. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamImportance of Magic (- Magic will be connected to the imbalance of love–> Athenian Lovers (III.ii.440-447)+ MAGIC= Balance of Love–> Demetrius + Helena, Lysander + Hermia) |
| Welcome, good Robin. Seest thou this sweet sight?Her dotage now I do begin to pity.For, meeting her of late behind the wood,Seeking sweet favors for this hateful fool,I did upbraid her and fall out with her.For she his hairy temples then had roundedWith coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;And that same dew, which sometime on the budsWas wont to swell like round and orient pearls,Stood now within the pretty flouriets’ eyes,Like tears that did their own disgrace bewail.When I had at my pleasure taunted her,And she in mild terms begged my patience,I then did ask of her her changeling child,Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sentTo bear him to my bower in Fairyland.And now I have the boy, I will undoThis hateful imperfection of her eyes.And, gentle Puck, take this transformèd scalpFrom off the head of this Athenian swain,That he, awaking when the other do,May all to Athens back again repairAnd think no more of this night’s accidentsBut as the fierce vexation of a dream.But first I will release the Fairy Queen.Be as thou wast wont to be.See as thou wast wont to see.Dian’s bud o’er Cupid’s flowerHath such force and blessèd power.Now, my Titania, wake you, my sweet queen. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamEasy/Simple Resolution(- Conflict Solution–> Love juice remains on Demetrius–> Lysander needs the love juice to fall back in love with Hermia–> Bottom is no longer an ass-head–> Oberon needs the magical Indian Boy(IV.i.47-76)–> Puck and Oberon are in charge of the magic) |
| These things seem small and undistinguishable,Like far-off mountains turnèd into clouds.Methinks I see these things with parted eye,When everything seems double.So methinks.And I have found Demetrius like a jewel,Mine own and not mine own.Are you sureThat we are awake? It seems to meThat yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you thinkThe Duke was here and bid us follow him?Yea, and my father.And Hippolyta | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamBalanced Love(- 3 couples will marry at the end-> Theseus + Hippolyta-> Hermia + Lysander-> Helena + Demetrius–> Taming of the Shrew conclusion- Promotes love + institution of marriage only to tear it down and mock it(IV.i.194-206)) |
| When my cue comes, call me,and I will answer. My next is “Most fair Pyramus.”Hey-ho! Peter Quince! Flute the bellows-mender!Snout the tinker! Starveling! God’s my life! Stolenhence and left me asleep! I have had a most rarevision. I have had a dream past the wit of man to saywhat dream it was. Man is but an ass if he go aboutto expound this dream. Methought I was—thereis no man can tell what. Methought I was andmethought I had—but man is but a patched fool ifhe will offer to say what methought I had. The eye ofman hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen,man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue toconceive, nor his heart to report what my dreamwas. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of thisdream. It shall be called “Bottom’s Dream” becauseit hath no bottom; and I will sing it in the latter end of a play, before the Duke. Peradventure,to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it at herdeath. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamTransfer of Subject Matter / Focus of the Play(- Starting point = love and magic- Ending point = play within a play (Pyramus and Thisbe)–> Bottom is the only character involved in both aspects of the play(IV.i.210-226)) |
| Masters, the Duke is coming from the temple,and there is two or three lords and ladies moremarried. If our sport had gone forward, we had allbeen made men.O, sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a day during his life. He could not have’scaped six pence a day. An the Duke had not givenhim six pence a day for playing Pyramus, I’ll behanged. He would have deserved it. Six pence a dayin Pyramus, or nothing!Where are these lads? Where are thesehearts?Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happyhour!Masters, I am to discourse wonders. But askme not what; for, if I tell you, I am not trueAthenian. I will tell you everything right as it fellout.Let us hear, sweet Bottom.Not a word of me. All that I will tell you is thatthe Duke hath dined. Get your apparel together,good strings to your beards, new ribbons to yourpumps. Meet presently at the palace. Every manlook o’er his part. For the short and the long is, ourplay is preferred. In any case, let Thisbe have cleanlinen, and let not him that plays the lion pare hisnails, for they shall hang out for the lion’s claws.And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, forwe are to utter sweet breath, and I do not doubt butto hear them say it is a sweet comedy. No morewords. Away! Go, away! | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamGreat Transition(- Feelings/attitudes -> Sad, depressed, sullen –> Happy, excited, joyous–> Bottom faces this change/transition -> Returns as himself + completely changes the mood (no longer the ass-head) -> They can now perform P+T at the Wedding Banquet –> Because of this, Bottom is the hero of the play(IV.ii.15-45)) |
| If we offend, it is with our goodwill.That you should think we come not to offend,But with goodwill. 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 content you,Our true intent is. All for your delightWe are not here. That you should here repentyou,The actors are at hand, and, by their show,You shall know all that you are like to know. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamComic Epilogue(- Pyramus and Thisbe production = epilogue–> Humorous, nonsensical, well-intentioned -> Lighthearted means of conclusion(V.i.114-124)) |
| If we shadows have offended,Think but this and all is mended:That you have but slumbered hereWhile 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 unearnèd luckNow 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. | ShakespeareA Midsummer Night’s DreamSymbol of Dreams(- Dreams = major symbol + significant theme1) Bottom’s dream–> “ass-head”2) Athenian Lovers–> Have the same dream about love / their relationships3) Puck asks the audience to think of the play as a dream (if you disliked it)–> (V.i.440-455)) |
| Climax of A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Titania Passing the Magical Indian Boy to Oberon(- Titania originally has the magical Indian Boy–> The boy’s mother worshipped/praised Titania–> When the mother died, Titania adopted him- Oberon then receives the boy from Titania–> She passes him along because of magic (love-in-idleness)) |
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (LONG quotes just recognize scene)
August 28, 2019