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SCENE I. Athens. A room in the Palace of THESEUS.
[Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants.]
THESEUS Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace; four happy days bring
in Another moon; but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my
desires, Like to a step-dame or a dowager, Long withering out a young man's revenue.
HIPPOLYTA Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights; Four nights will
quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow New bent in heaven,
shall behold the night Of our solemnities.
THESEUS Go, Philostrate, Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; Awake the pert
and nimble spirit of mirth; Turn melancholy forth to funerals-- The pale companion is
not for our pomp. --
[Exit PHILOSTRATE.]
Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, And won thy love doing thee injuries; But I
will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.
[Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS.]
EGEUS Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke!
THESEUS Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee?
EGEUS Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter
Hermia.-- Stand forth, Demetrius.--My noble lord, This man hath my consent to marry
her:-- Stand forth, Lysander;--and, my gracious duke, This man hath bewitch'd the bosom
of my child. Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes, And interchang'd
love-tokens with my child: Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung, With feigning
voice, verses of feigning love; And stol'n the impression of her fantasy With bracelets
of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits, Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats,
--messengers Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth;-- With cunning hast thou filch'd
my daughter's heart; Turned her obedience, which is due to me, To stubborn
harshness.--And, my gracious duke, Be it so she will not here before your grace Consent
to marry with Demetrius, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens,-- As she is mine I may
dispose of her: Which shall be either to this gentleman Or to her death; according to
our law Immediately provided in that case.
THESEUS What say you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid: To you your father should be
as a god; One that compos'd your beauties: yea, and one To whom you are but as a form in
wax, By him imprinted, and within his power To leave the figure, or disfigure
it. Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
HERMIA So is Lysander.
THESEUS In himself he is: But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice, The
other must be held the worthier.
HERMIA I would my father look'd but with my eyes.
THESEUS Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.
HERMIA I do entreat your grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made
bold, Nor how it may concern my modesty In such a presence here to plead my
thoughts: But I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me in this
case If I refuse to wed Demetrius.
THESEUS Either to die the death, or to abjure For ever the society of
men. Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires, Know of your youth, examine well
your blood, Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice, You can endure the livery
of a nun; For aye to be shady cloister mew'd, To live a barren sister all your
life, Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless moon. Thrice-blessed they that master
so their blood To undergo such maiden pilgrimage: But earthlier happy is the rose
distill'd Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn, Grows, lives, and dies, in
single blessedness.
HERMIA So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, Ere I will yield my virgin patent
up Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke My soul consents not to give sovereignty.
THESEUS Take time to pause; and by the next new moon,-- The sealing-day betwixt my
love and me For everlasting bond of fellowship,-- Upon that day either prepare to
die For disobedience to your father's will; Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would; Or
on Diana's altar to protest For aye austerity and single life.
DEMETRIUS Relent, sweet Hermia;--and, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my
certain right.
LYSANDER You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's: do you marry
him.
EGEUS Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love; And what is mine my love shall
render him; And she is mine; and all my right of her I do estate unto Demetrius.
LYSANDER I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he, As well possess'd; my love is more
than his; My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd, If not with vantage, as
Demetrius's; And, which is more than all these boasts can be, I am belov'd 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.
THESEUS I must confess that I have heard so much, And with Demetrius thought to
have spoke thereof; But, being over-full 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 yourself To 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 business Against our
nuptial, and confer with you Of something nearly that concerns yourselves.
EGEUS With duty and desire we follow you.
[Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, DEMETRIUS, and Train.]
LYSANDER How now, my love! why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do
fade so fast?
HERMIA Belike for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of
my eyes.
LYSANDER Ah me! for aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or
history, The course of true love never did run smooth: But either it was different in
blood,--
HERMIA O cross! too high to be enthrall'd to low!
LYSANDER Or else misgraffed in respect of years;--
HERMIA O spite! too old to be engag'd to young!
LYSANDER Or else it stood upon the choice of friends:
HERMIA O hell! to choose love by another's eye!
LYSANDER Or, if there were a sympathy in choice, War, death, or sickness, did lay
siege to it, Making it momentary as a sound, Swift as a shadow, short as any
dream; Brief as the lightning in the collied night That, in a spleen, unfolds both
heaven and earth, And ere a man hath power to say, Behold! The jaws of darkness do
devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion.
HERMIA If then true lovers have ever cross'd, It stands as an edict in
destiny: Then let us teach our trial patience, Because it is a customary cross; As due
to love as thoughts, and dreams, and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers.
LYSANDER A good persuasion; therefore, hear me, Hermia. I have a widow aunt, a
dowager Of great revenue, and she hath no child: From Athens is her house remote seven
leagues; And she respects me as her only son. There, gentle Hermia, may I marry
thee; And to that place the sharp Athenian law Cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me
then, Steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night; And in the wood, a league without
the town, Where I did meet thee once with Helena, To do observance to a morn of
May, There will I stay for thee.
HERMIA My good Lysander! I swear to thee by Cupid's strongest bow, By his best
arrow, with the golden head, By the simplicity of Venus' doves, By that which knitteth
souls and prospers loves, And by that fire which burn'd the Carthage queen, When the
false Trojan under sail was seen,-- By all the vows that ever men have broke, In number
more than ever women spoke,-- In that same place thou hast appointed me, Tomorrow truly
will I meet with thee.
LYSANDER Keep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena.
[Enter HELENA.]
HERMIA God speed fair Helena! Whither away?
HELENA Call you me fair? that fair again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. O happy
fair! Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue's sweet air More tuneable than lark to
shepherd's ear, When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. Sickness is catching: O,
were favour so, Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go; My ear should catch your
voice, my eye your eye, My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody. Were the
world mine, Demetrius being bated, The rest I'd give to be to you translated. O, teach
me how you look; and with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart!
HERMIA I frown upon him, yet he loves me still.
HELENA O that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!
HERMIA I give him curses, yet he gives me love.
HELENA O that my prayers could such affection move!
HERMIA The more I hate, the more he follows me.
HELENA The more I love, the more he hateth me.
HERMIA His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine.
HELENA None, but your beauty: would that fault were mine!
HERMIA Take comfort; he no more shall see my face; Lysander and myself will fly
this place.-- Before the time I did Lysander see, Seem'd Athens as a paradise to me: O,
then, what graces in my love do dwell, That he hath turn'd a heaven unto hell!
LYSANDER Helen, to you our minds we will unfold: To-morrow night, when Phoebe doth
behold Her silver visage in the watery glass, Decking with liquid pearl the bladed
grass,-- A time that lovers' flights doth still conceal,-- Through Athens' gates have we
devis'd to steal.
HERMIA And in the wood where often you and I Upon faint primrose beds were wont to
lie, Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet, There my Lysander and myself shall
meet: And thence from Athens turn away our eyes, To seek new friends and stranger
companies. Farewell, sweet playfellow: pray thou for us, And good luck grant thee thy
Demetrius!-- Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight From lovers' food, till
morrow deep midnight.
LYSANDER I will, my Hermia.
[Exit HERMIA.]
LYSANDER Helena, adieu: As you on him, Demetrius dote on you!
[Exit LYSANDER.]
HELENA How happy some o'er other some can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair
as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so; He will not know what all but he do
know. And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes, So I, admiring of his qualities. Things
base and vile, holding no quantity, Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks
not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind. Nor
hath love's mind of any judgment taste; Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste: And
therefore is love said to be a child, Because in choice he is so oft beguil'd. As
waggish boys in game themselves forswear, So the boy Love is perjur'd everywhere: For
ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne, He hail'd down oaths that he was only mine; And
when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, So he dissolv'd, and showers of oaths did
melt. I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight; Then to the wood will he to-morrow
night Pursue her; and for this intelligence If I have thanks, it is a dear expense: But
herein mean I to enrich my pain, To have his sight thither and back again.
[Exit HELENA.]
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