"strike more dead"
Wordplay
Act 4,
Scene 1
Lines 78-85a
Titania
Oberon
Titania
[Soothing music]
Robin
[Removing the ass's head from Bottom]
Oberon
[The music changes; it's still soothing but something to which they can dance.]
[Oberon and Titania dance]
Robin
Oberon
Titania
[Exit Oberon, Titania, and Robin. The two Athenians couples and Bottom remin asleep on the stage. Horns sound off stage. Enter Duke Theseus, his soon to be Queen, Hippolyta, the nobleman Egeus, and their attendants.]
Theseus
[Exit servant]
Hippolyta
Theseus
[Seeing the four lovers and Bottom asleep]
Egeus
Theseus
Egeus
Theseus
[Exit servant. Shout off stage: “Horns.” The horns sound, and the lovers wake, startled to find themselves lying next to each other, and to find themselves in the presence of the Duke.]
Lysander
[The lovers kneel before the Duke]
Theseus
[The lovers stand]
Lysander
Egeus
Demetrius
Theseus
[Exit Duke Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus, and the Duke’s attendants. The lovers are disoriented from having been up most of the night, especially Lysander and Demetrius who are suffering the after-effects of the magic potions.]
Demetrius
Hermia
Helena
Demetrius
Hermia
Helena
Lysander
Demetrius
[Exit the lovers. Bottom wakes]
Bottom
[Exit Bottom]
The word play in these two lines is clever, but a bit convoluted. Oberon asks Titania to order some music to “strike more dead / Than common sleep of all these five the sense.” That is, he wants Titania to call for music that will put the five mortals (the Athenian lovers and Bottom) into a very deep sleep. Shakespeare’s using this awkward wording to play on two common expressions "to strike someone dead" and "the five senses."
