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| Theseus: What is your answer, Hermia? Remember, your father should be like a god to you. He made you, and he should be able to mould you as he wants. Besides, Demetrius is a fine gentleman. |
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| Theseus: Yes, in himself he is, But since your father doesn't approve of him, Demetrius must be considered the better man. |
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| If only my father could see things my way! |
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| Theseus: No. It is you who must see it his way. |
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| Forgive me, your Grace. I don't know what's given me the courage to talk like this, or what you'll think of me. But-what's the worst that can happen to me if I refuse to marry Demetrius? |
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| Theseus: You must die, or else you must give up the pleasures of this world, and become a nun...Consider who young you are, Hermia, and examine your feelings. If you disobey your father, you must spend the rest of your life shut up in a nunnery, a childless Sister, singing faint hymns to the cold moon. Can you bear such a life? Those who control their passions and endure such a lonely pilgrimage through life are blessed indeed. But those who become wives and mothers enjoy more earthly happiness. |
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| I would rather live and die a nun, my lord, than be forced to marry a man whose love I cannot accept. |
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| Lysander: Why are the roses in your cheeks so pale, my love? |
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| Perhaps for lack of rain, which my eyes could easily provide. |
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| Lysander: Judging by all that I've ever read or hear,d the path of true love never hs been smooth. Either the lovers are too different- |
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| Yes! A prince in love with a servant girl! |
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| Lysander: Or they are the wrong ages- |
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| Lysander: Or they were chosen by friends- |
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| How awful! To have your lover chosen for you! |
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| Lysander: Or, if the choice is a happy one, war, death, or sickness destroys it, making it as short as a dream, as brief as the lightning that is swallowed up in the jaws of night. That is the way with all bright and beautiful things. |
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| It must be a law of nature then and as much as part of love as dreams and sighs and tears. So we must learn to bear our misfortune patiently. |
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| Lysander: Well argued Now listen, Hermia. I have an aunt, a rich widow with no children, who thinks of me as her only son. She lives seven miles away from Athens, where the cruel Athenian law cannot get at us. I'll marry you there, sweet Hermia. If you love me, steal away from your father's house tomorrow night. I will wait for you in the woods-in the place where I once met you and Helena to celebrate the May festival. |
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| My dear Lysander, I swear to you by Cupid's strongest bow, and Juliet's faithful love, and all the promises that men have broken, which must be more than women have spoken, I'll meet you there. |
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| Lysander: Keep your promise, my love. Look! Here comes Helena. |
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| Where are you going, pretty Helena? |
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| Helena: Pretty indeed! Take that word back! It's your looks that Demetrius likes, not mine. Oh Hermia, you're so lucky! You'r eyes are like stars and your voice is sweeter than the lark's in springtime. If only beauty could be caught like a cold, then I'd try and catch yours before I go. I'd give up the whole world-except Demetrius, of course-to be you. Teach me what it is you do to make Demetrius love you so. |
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| I scowl at him, and yet he goes on loving me. |
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| Helena: I wish my smiles could learn from your scowls |
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| And I curse him, but he still goes on loving me. |
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| Helena: If only my prayers could stir up such love. |
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| The more I hate him, the more he follows me. |
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| Helena: The more I love him, the more he hates me. |
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| It's not my fault that he behaves so stupidly Helena. |
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| Helena: It's the fault of your beauty. Oh, I wish I had that fault! |
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| Cheer up, Helena! Demetrius won't ever see me again. Lysander and I are going to run away! Oh Lysander, Athens was a paradise for me before I knew you, but somehow you've managed to turn this heaven into a hell.... |
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| Lysander: Listen, Helena, we'll let you into our secret. Tomorrow night, when the moon is shining on the dewy grass, and it's safe for lover's to steal away, we plan to leave Athens. |
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| We are going to meet in the wood, where you and I used to lie among the primroses and tell each other all our secrets. We plan to go right away from Athens, and look for new friends. Goodbye, dear Helena. Pray for for us. And good luck with Demetrius! Keep your promise, Lysander. We must do without each other until midnight tomorrow. |
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| Lysander: My love, you must be worn, wandering in this wood. And to tell you the truth, I'm lost. We'll rest here, Hermia, if you think it's a good idea, and wait until it's day. |
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| All right, Lysander. Find somewhere to lie down. I'll lie on this bank. |
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| Lysander: It'll do for both of us. After all, our two hearts are one. |
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| No, Lysande please go further away; not so close. |
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| Lysander: Don't misunderstand me. Hermia; lovers speak from the heart, and because we love each other, our two hearts are one. So why shouldn't we lie close together? I'm not lying when I say this, Hermia. |
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| Very clever, Lysander! Of course, I wouldn't dream of calling you a liar. But plea, for the sake of love and good manners, keep a modest distance. It's only right and proper for a young girl and a bachelor. Good night, my friend. May your love for me never change. |
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| Lysander: I say "amen" to that. And may my life end when my love ends. this can be my bed. Sleep well! |
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| Lysander: Lie there, Hermia, and never come near me again! Too much of even the sweetest things can make us loathe them-so my love for yours turned into hate. I will now love and honor Helena with all my might. |
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| Help, Lysander! Help me! There's a snake-svae me...! What a dream that was! Look at me, Lysander! I'm shaking with fear. I thought a snake was eating at my heart, and you just sat there, smiling. He's gone! Lysander! Where are you? Say something , my love. Oh! I'm almost fainting....No answer? Then I'll find you or die! |
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| Demetrius: How can you be so cruel to someone who loves you so much? You should save such unkind words for your enemies. |
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| It's nothing to what I could say to you, and with good reason. If you have killed Lysander in his sleep, then kill me too. Why, he was as true to me as the sun is to the day. He would have never run away from his sleeping Hermia. You must have murdered him. You look just like a murderer-so pale and grim. |
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| Demetrius: That's how the victim should look-how I should look, pierced through the heart by your cruelty. And yet you, the murderer, manage to look as bright and clear as Venus shimmering up there. |
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| What's all this got to do with my Lysander? Where is he? Oh pleas,e Demetrius, won't you give him back to me? |
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| Demetrius: I'd rather give his carcass to my dogs. |
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| You beast! You're driving me mad! Have you killed him? Don't you ever dare call yourself a man again! Oh please, tell me the truth, just this once-for my sake. I bet you wouldn't have dared to face him when he was awake. Of course not! You had to kill him while he was asleep! How brave! A snake could have done as much! Huh! A snake has done it, because no snake could have been more treacherous than you. |
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| Demetrius: You're getting worked up about nothing. I'm not guilty of Lysander's murder. In fact he's not dead, as far as I know. |
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| Then please tell me he's all right. |
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| Demetrius: And if I could, what would I get? |
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| The privilege of never seeing me again. I can't bear to be near you. And don't ever come near me again, whether or not Lysander is dead. |
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| Demetrius: Don't make fun of feelings you've never experience.d You my live to regret it! Look, there's your love, over there. |
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| We can't see in the dark but at least we can hear twice as well! It was my ears-bless them-not my eyes that brought my to you, Lysander. But how could you leave me like that? |
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| Lysander: How could I stay, when love called me? |
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| What sort of love could call Lysander away from me? |
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| Lysander: Love for Helena, who shines more brightly than all those dim little stars up there. Why are you following me? Can't you see that I left you because I hate you? |
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| You can't mean it! You can't! |
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| Helena: So she's in this too! I see it now. They've all three got together rot think up this horrible trick. You treacherous girl, have you joined up with these two men to torment me? Have you forgotten all the talks we had, the secrets we shared, the promises we made? How we worked, and played, and sang together, as if we shared a single mind and body? And grew like two lovely berries on one stem, tear our love apart in order to join with these men in insulting me, your poor friend? I tell you, it's not friendly, it's not ladylike. This is an insult to ALL women; we should all be angry with you, even though I'm the only one that's suffering. |
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| How can you be so angry? I'm not laughing at you. It's you who seem to be mocking me. |
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| Helena: Didn't you get Lysander to follow me and make fun of me by praising my eyes and face? And didn't you get your other love, demetrius, who was trying to get rid of me earlier on, to call me "heavenly goddess", precious, and rare? Why does he say these things to a woman he hates? And how could Lysander deny his great love for you and offer his heart to me, unless you had put him up to it? I'm wretched and unloved, and not as lucky as you. You should pity me for this, not despise me. |
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| I just don't know what you mean. |
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| Helena: Oh, very impressive! |
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| Don't make fun of her, my sweet. |
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| Demetrius: All right, come on. |
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| Lysander, what's going on? |
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| Lysander: Take your claws off me, you clinging cat, or I'll shake you off. |
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| What's made you so rude, my love? What's happening? |
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| Lysander: Your love? Get off, you witch! You make me sick, you nasty medicine, you poison! |
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| Lysander: What do you want me to do? Hit her? Strike her dead? Even though I hate her, I won't do that. |
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| What? Can you do anything more terrible to me than hate me? Hate me? But why? Oh, what is going on my love? Aren't I Hermia? Aren't you Lysander? And aren't I as pretty as I used to be? Until last night, you loved me. And yet you left me. So you left me-on purpose? Oh, my God! |
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| Lysander: Of course I did, and I never wanted to see you again. So you'd better just accept it. I tell you, I'm deadly serious- this is no joke. I hate you and I love Helena. |
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| You cheat, you thief, coming in the night and stealing my love. |
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| Helena: This is a fine thing! Have you no shame, no modesty? Are you determined to make me angry? Shame on you, you hypocrite, you puppet, you! |
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| Puppet? Why puppet? Ah! So that's your game, is it? I see! She's comparing our heights. She' string ti impress him with her extra inches, her lofty figure. I suppose he thinks so highly of you because I am so low. Such a dwarf. How low am I, you painted maypole? How low am I? Not so low, my nails can't reach your eyes! |
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| Helena: I know you despise me, but please don't let her hurt me. I never have been any good at quarreling. I'm only a weak, cowardly girl. Please don't let her hit me. Perhaps you think I'm a match for her because she's shorter than me. |
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| Shorter! There she goes again! |
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| Helena: Dear Hermia, don't be so angry with me. I've always loved you, Hermia, never harmed you, always kept your secrets, except whenI told Demetrius about your plan to run away into this wood. That's why he followed you. And because I loved him, I followed him. But he shouted at me, and threatened to hit me, and even to kill me. So now, if you'll let me go quietly, I'll take my stupid self back to Athens, and stop following you. Let me go. You can see what a silly, love-sick girl I am. |
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| Well go, then. What's stopping you? |
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| Helena: a foolish heart, that I'm leaving here. |
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| Helena: Oh, she can be really mean when she's angry. She used to be vicious at school. She may be little, but she can be fierce. |
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| "Little" again? Why do you allow her to taunt me like this? Let me get at her! |
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| Demetrius: Follow you? Oh no! i'm coming with you. |
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| You-Miss-all this trouble is because of you. No-don't go back! |
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| Helena: I don't trust you. I shan't stay in your miserable company any longer. You may be handy with your fists, but Im faster on my feet. |
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| I just don't know what to say! |
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| Puck: Only three? Just one more, and we'll have four. Ah, here she comes all cross and sad. What a wicked fellow Cupid is, to make poor females mad! |
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| I'm tired and miserable, I'm damp with the dew, and I've been scratched by thorns and briars. My legs have given up: I can't crawl and further. I'll rest here till it's day. God protect my Lysander, if he and Demetrius should fight! |
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| Demetrius: Everything seems small and blurred, like distant mountains that turn out to be clouds. |
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| It's all out of focus- I seem to be seeing double. |
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| Demetrius: Are you sure that we're awake? It seems to me we're still asleep and dreaming. Was the Duke really here, telling us to follow him? |
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