3

Oberon

About the wood go swifter than the wind,
And Helena of Athens look thou find.
All fancy-sick she is, and pale of cheer
With sighs of love that costs the fresh blood dear.
By some illusion see thou bring her here.
I'll charm his eyes against she do appear.

Robin 

I go, I go. Look how I go,
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.

Robin 

My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A crew of patches, rude mechanicals
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play
Intended for great Theseus' nuptial day.
The shallowest thickskin of that barren sort
Who Pyramus presented in their sport,
Forsook his scene and entered in a brake,
When I did him at this advantage take –
An ass's nole I fixèd on his head.
Anon his Thisbe must answered,
And forth my mimic comes. When they him spy,
As wild geese that the creeping fowler eye,
Or russet-pated choughs many in sort,
Rising and cawing at the gun's report,
Sever themselves and madly sweep the sky,
So, at his sight, away his fellows fly.
And at our stamp here, o'er and o'er one falls.
He “Murder” cries, and help from Athens calls.
Their sense thus weak, lost with their fears thus strong,
Made senseless things begin to do them wrong;
For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch
Some sleeves, some hats; From yielders all things catch.
I led them on in this distracted fear,
And left sweet Pyramus translated there;
When in that moment, so it came to pass,
Titania waked and straightway loved an ass.

Bottom

I cry your worships mercy, heartily. I beseech
your worship's name.

Cobweb

Cobweb.

Bottom

I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good
Master Cobweb. If I cut my finger, I shall
make bold with you. — Your name, honest gentleman?

Titania

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

Bottom

Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason
for that. And yet, to say the truth, reason and love
keep little company together nowadays; the more
the pity that some honest neighbors will not make them
friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.

Quince

Speak, Pyramus. Thisbe, stand forth.

Bottom (as Pyramus)

Thisbe, the flowers of odious savors sweet.

Quince

Odors, odorous!

Bottom (as Pyramus)

Odors savors sweet.
So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisbe dear.

Robin 

What hempen homespuns have we swagg’ring here
So near the cradle of the Fairy Queen?
What, a play toward? I'll be an auditor —
An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.

Quince

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 Thisbe meet by moonlight.

Snug

Doth the moon shine that night we play our
play?

Bottom

A calendar, a calendar — look in the almanac,
find out moonshine, find out moonshine.
[Enter Robin, invisible]

Quince

[Consulting an almanac] Yes, it doth shine that
night.

Bottom

Why, then may you leave a casement of the great
chamber window where we play open, and the moon
may shine in at the casement.

Quince

Ay, or else one must come in with a bush of
thorns and a lantern, and say he comes to disfigure or
to present the person of Moonshine. Then there is
[The same woods as the previous scene. Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling to rehearse their play]

Bottom

Are we all met?

Quince

Pat, pat. And here's a marvelous convenient
place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our
stage, this hawthorn brake our tiring-house, and we
will do it in action as we will do it before the Duke.

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