A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Peter Quince

Act 1, Scene 2 [Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling]
1 Is all our company here?
2 — scrip Here is a scroll of every man’s name, which isThought fit, through all Athens, to play in ourInterlude before the duke and duchess, on hisWedding-day at night.
3 — point Marry, our play is, the most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby
4 — yourselves Answer as I call you. Nick bottom, the weaver.
5 — proceed You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus.
6 — tyrant A lover, that kills himself most gallant for love.
7 — condoling Francis flute, the bellows-mender
8 — Quince Flute, you must take Thisby on you.
9 — knight It is the lady that Pyramus must love.
10 — coming That’s all one: you shall play it in a mask, andYou may speak as small as you will.
11 — dear No, no: you must play Pyramus: and, Flute, you Thisby.
12 — proceed Robin Starveling, the tailor.
13 — Quince Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby’s mother.Tom snout, the tinker.
14 — Quince You, Pyramus’ father: myself, Thisby’s father:Snug, the joiner, you, the lion’s part: and, IHope, here is a play fitted.
15 — study You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.
16 — again An you should do it too terribly, you would frightThe duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek;And that were enough to hang us all.
17 — in Why, what you will.
18 — yellow 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 we will 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.
19 — adieu At the duke’s oak we meet.
Act 3, Scene 1 [Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling]
1 — met Pat, pat; and here’s a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake the tiring house; and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.
2 — quince What sayest though, bully Bottom?
3 — (2nd) fear Well, we will have such a prologue and it shall be written in eight and six.
4 — joiner 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.
5 — (3rd) Moonshine Yes, it doth shine that night.
6 — casement Ay; or else on 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 chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall.
7 — 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 your speech, enter into that brake: and so everyone according to their cue.
8 — cause Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.
9 — sweet Odours, odours.
10 — now Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.
11 — tomb ‘Ninus’ tomb,’ man: why, you must not speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your part at once, cues and all Pyramus enter: your cue is past; it is, ‘never tire.’
12 — (w/ ass head) thine O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted. Pray, Masters! Fly, masters! Help!
13 — [re-enter Quince] you Bless thee, Bottom! Bless thee! Thou art translated.
Act 4, Scene 2 [Enter QUINCE, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING]
1 Have you sent to Bottom’s house? Is he home yet?
2 — (2nd) it It is not possible: you have not a man in all Athens able to discharge Pyramus but he.
3 — Athens Yea and the best person too; and he is a very paramour for a sweet voice.
4 — hearts Bottom! O most courageous day! O most happy hour!
5 — out Let us hear, sweet Bottom.
Act 5, Scene 1 [Enter QUINCE for the prologue]
1 — approach 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 delightWe are not here. That you should here repent you,The actors are at hand and by their showYou shall know all that you are like to know.
2 — next [Enter Pyramus and Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, and Lion]
2.5 — next People, perhaps you wonder at this show;But wait till truth makes all things clearThis man is Pyramus,This beauteous lady is certainly Thisby.This man, with lime and rough-cast, representsWall, that vile Wall which kept these lovers apart;And through Wall’s chink, pour souls, they are content to whisper. This man, with lanthorn,Presenteth Moonshine;for by moonshine did these lovers think no scornThis grisly beast,Did scare away true Thisby, or rather did affright;And, as she fled, her mantles they did fall,Which Lion vile with bloody mouth did stain.Soon comes Pyramus, And finds his trusty Thisby’s mantles array:Whereat, with bloody blade,He bravely broach’d his bloody breast;And Thisby, she did wait in the shade of the mulberry tree.Where she did see her sweet love PyramusDraw his dagger to kill himself. For all the rest,Let Lion, Moonshine, Wall, and the two lovers, Tell you their story while they still remain.
August 10, 2019