Midsummer Night's Dream

Demetrius

Of this their purpose hither to this wood,
And I, in fury, hither followed them,
Fair Helena, in fancy, following me.
But, my good lord, I wot not by what power —
But by some power it is — my love to Hermia
Melted as the snow, seems to me now
As the remembrance of an idle gaud
Which in my childhood I did dote upon.
And all the faith, the virtue of my heart,
The object and the pleasure of mine eye
Is only Helena. To her, my lord,
Was I betrothed ere I saw Hermia.
But like in sickness did I loathe this food,
But as in health come to my natural taste;
Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,
And will for evermore be true to it.

Theseus

Fair lovers, you are fortunately met.

Theseus

Go, one of you, find out the forester.
For now our observation is performed,
And since we have the vanguard of the day,
My love shall hear the music of my hounds.
Uncouple in the western valley; let them go.
Dispatch, I say, and find the forester.
[Exit servant]
We will, fair Queen, up to the mountain's top,
And mark the musical confusion
Of hounds and echo in conjunction.

Oberon

Her dotage now I do begin to pity,
For, meeting her of late behind the wood
Seeking sweet favors for this hateful fool,
I did upbraid her and fall out with her,
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
With a coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers.
And that same dew which sometime on the buds
Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls,
Stood now within the pretty flow'rets' eyes
Like tears that did their own disgrace bewail.

Robin

      On the ground
      Sleep sound.
      I'll apply
      To your eye,
      Gentle lover, remedy.
[He drops the flower’s nectar on Lysander’s eyelids]
      When thou wakest
      Thou takest
      True delight
      In the sight
      Of thy former lady's eye.
And the country proverb known,
"That every man should take his own",
In your waking shall be shown.
      Jack shall have Jill,
      Naught shall go ill,
      The man shall have his mare again,
      And all shall be well.
[Exit Robin]

Oberon

I'll to my queen and beg her Indian boy,
And then I will her charmèd eye release
From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.

Robin (Puck)

My fairy lord, this must be done with haste,
For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,
And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger,
At whose approach ghosts, wandering here and there,
Troop home to churchyards. Damnèd spirits all,

Oberon

Thou seest these lovers seek a place to fight.
Hie therefore, Robin, overcast the night;
The starry welkin cover thou anon
With drooping fog as black as Acheron,
And lead these testy rivals so astray
As one come not within another's way.
Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue,
Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong,
And sometime rail thou like Demetrius.
And from each other look thou lead them thus
Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep.

Helena

Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid,
Have you conspired, have you with these contrived
To bait me with this foul derision?
Is all the counsel that we two have shared —
The sisters' vows, the hours that we have spent
When we have chid the hasty-footed time
For parting us — O, is it all quite forgot?
All schooldays' friendship, childhood innocence?
We, Hermia, like two artificial gods,
Have with our needles created both one flower,
Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion,
Both warbling of one song, both in one key,
As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds
Had been incorporate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry: seeming parted,
But yet an union in partition,
Two lovely berries molded on one stem.
So, with two seeming bodies but one heart –
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,
Due but to one and crownèd with one crest.
And will you rend our ancient love asunder,
To join with men in scorning your poor friend?

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