You are here

All Site ContentMidsummer Night's DreamAct 3Scene 2
Back to the Play
“wild geese”
Metaphor
Act 3,
Scene 2
Lines 6-34

An explanation of Robin’s description of the mechanicals fleeing the woods in Act 3, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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.

Robin is comparing Bottom's companions suddenly fleeing into the forest to a flock of geese or a field of crows screeching and madly taking flight when they hear a hunter's gun go off.