ACT III

SCENE I. The wood. TITANIA lying asleep.

Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING

BOTTOM:

1

Are we all met?

QUINCE:

2

Pat, pat, and here's a marvellous convenient place

3

for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our

4

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

5

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

BOTTOM:

6

Peter Quince,--

QUINCE:

7

What sayest thou, bully Bottom?

BOTTOM:

8

There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and

9

Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must

10

draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies

11

cannot abide. How answer you that?

SNOUT:

12

By'r lakin, a parlous fear.

STARVELING:

13

I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

BOTTOM:

14

Not a whit: I have a device to make all well.

15

Write me a prologue, and let the prologue seem to

16

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

17

Pyramus is not killed indeed, and, for the more

18

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

19

Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them

20

out of fear.

QUINCE:

21

Well, we will have such a prologue, and it shall be

22

written in eight and six.

BOTTOM:

23

No, make it two more, let it be written in eight and eight.

SNOUT:

24

Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

STARVELING:

25

I fear it, I promise you.

BOTTOM:

26

Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to

27

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

28

most dreadful thing, for there is not a more fearful

29

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

30

look to 't.

SNOUT:

31

Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.

BOTTOM:

32

Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must

33

be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself

34

must speak through, saying thus, or to the same

35

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

36

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

37

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

38

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

39

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

40

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

41

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

QUINCE:

42

Well it shall be so. But there is two hard things,

43

that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber, for,

44

you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.

SNOUT:

45

Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?

BOTTOM:

46

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

47

out moonshine, find out moonshine.

QUINCE:

48

Yes, it doth shine that night.

BOTTOM:

49

Why, then may you leave a casement of the great

50

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

51

may shine in at the casement.

QUINCE:

52

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

53

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

54

present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is

55

another thing: we must have a wall in the great

56

chamber, for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did

57

talk through the chink of a wall.

SNOUT:

58

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

BOTTOM:

59

Some man or other must present Wall: and let him

60

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

61

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

62

fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus

63

and Thisby whisper.

QUINCE:

64

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

65

every mother's son, and rehearse your parts.

66

Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your

67

speech, enter into that brake: and so every one

68

according to his cue.

Enter PUCK behind

PUCK:

69

What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,

70

So near the cradle of the fairy queen?

71

What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor,

72

An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.

QUINCE:

73

Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.

BOTTOM:

74

Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,--

QUINCE:

75

Odours, odours.

BOTTOM:

76

--odours savours sweet:

77

So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.

78

But hark, a voice! stay thou but here awhile,

79

And by and by I will to thee appear.

Exit

PUCK:

80

A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here.

Exit

FLUTE:

81

Must I speak now?

QUINCE:

82

Ay, marry, must you, for you must understand he goes

83

but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.

FLUTE:

84

Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,

85

Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,

86

Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew,

87

As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,

88

I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.

QUINCE:

89

Ninus' tomb,' man: why, you must not speak that

90

yet, that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your

91

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

92

is past, it is, 'never tire.'

FLUTE:

93

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

94

never tire.

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

BOTTOM:

95

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

QUINCE:

96

O monstrous! O strange! we are haunted. Pray,

97

masters! fly, masters! Help!

Exeunt QUINCE, SNUG, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING

PUCK:

98

I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round,

99

Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier:

100

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

101

A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire,

102

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

103

Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

Exit

BOTTOM:

104

Why do they run away? this is a knavery of them to

105

make me afeard.

Re-enter SNOUT

SNOUT:

106

O Bottom, thou art changed! what do I see on thee?

BOTTOM:

107

What do you see? you see an asshead of your own, do

108

you?

Exit SNOUT

Re-enter QUINCE

QUINCE:

109

Bless thee, Bottom! bless thee! thou art

110

translated.

Exit

BOTTOM:

111

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

112

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

113

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

114

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

115

I am not afraid.

Sings

BOTTOM:

116

The ousel cock so black of hue,

117

With orange-tawny bill,

118

The throstle with his note so true,

119

The wren with little quill,--

TITANIA:

120

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

BOTTOM:

121

[Sings]

122

The finch, the sparrow and the lark,

123

The plain-song cuckoo gray,

124

Whose note full many a man doth mark,

125

And dares not answer nay,--

126

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

127

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

128

cuckoo' never so?

TITANIA:

129

I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:

130

Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note,

131

So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape,

132

And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me

133

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

BOTTOM:

134

Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason

135

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

136

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

137

more the pity that some honest neighbours will not

138

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

TITANIA:

139

Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.

BOTTOM:

140

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

141

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

TITANIA:

142

Out of this wood do not desire to go:

143

Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.

144

I am a spirit of no common rate,

145

The summer still doth tend upon my state,

146

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

147

I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee,

148

And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,

149

And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep,

150

And I will purge thy mortal grossness so

151

That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.

152

Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!

Enter PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, and MUSTARDSEED

PEASEBLOSSOM:

153

Ready.

COBWEB:

154

And I.

MOTH:

155

And I.

MUSTARDSEED:

156

And I.

ALL:

157

Where shall we go?

TITANIA:

158

Be kind and courteous to this gentleman,

159

Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes,

160

Feed him with apricocks and dewberries,

161

With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries,

162

The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees,

163

And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs

164

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

165

To have my love to bed and to arise,

166

And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies

167

To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes:

168

Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.

PEASEBLOSSOM:

169

Hail, mortal!

COBWEB:

170

Hail!

MOTH:

171

Hail!

MUSTARDSEED:

172

Hail!

BOTTOM:

173

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

174

worship's name.

COBWEB:

175

Cobweb.

BOTTOM:

176

I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master

177

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

178

you. Your name, honest gentleman?

PEASEBLOSSOM:

179

Peaseblossom.

BOTTOM:

180

I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your

181

mother, and to Master Peascod, your father. Good

182

Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more

183

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

MUSTARDSEED:

184

Mustardseed.

BOTTOM:

185

Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well:

186

that same cowardly, giant-like ox-beef hath

187

devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise

188

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

189

desire your more acquaintance, good Master

190

Mustardseed.

TITANIA:

191

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

192

The moon methinks looks with a watery eye,

193

And when she weeps, weeps every little flower,

194

Lamenting some enforced chastity.

195

Tie up my love's tongue bring him silently.

Exeunt