4

Snug

Masters, the Duke is coming from the temple, and
there is two or three lords and ladies more married. If
our sport had gone forward we had all been made men.

Flute

O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a
day during his life; he could not have scaped sixpence a
day. An the Duke had not given him sixpence a day for
playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged. He would have
deserved it. Sixpence a day in Pyramus, or nothing.

Snug

Masters, the Duke is coming from the temple, and
there is two or three lords and ladies more married. If
our sport had gone forward we had all been made men.

Flute

O sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a
day during his life; he could not have scaped sixpence a
day. An the Duke had not given him sixpence a day for
playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged. He would have
deserved it. Sixpence a day in Pyramus, or nothing.

Bottom

My next is, “most fair Pyramus.” Heigh-ho. Peter Quince?
Flute the bellows-mender? Snout the tinker? Starveling?
God's my life! Stolen hence, and left me asleep? I have
had a most rare vision. I have had a dream past the wit
of man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass if he
go about to expound this dream. Methought I was —
there is no man can tell what methought I was and
methought I had — but man is but a patched fool if he
will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man
hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's
hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his
heart to report what my dream was. I will get Peter
Quince to write a ballad of this dream. It shall be called
“Bottom's Dream,” because it hath no bottom, and I will
sing it in the latter end of a play, before the Duke.
Peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing
it at her death.
[Exit Bottom]

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.
[Enter Quince, Flute, Snout, and Starveling]

Quince

Did you send anyone to Bottom’s house? Has he come home yet? 

Starveling

No one knows where he is. No doubt he’s been kidnapped. 

Flute

If he doesn’t come back, then the play is ruined. We can’t go on, right? 

Quince

Right. It’s not possible to do the play without him. There’s no one else in Athens who could play Pyramus. 

[Enter Titania, Queen of Fairies, Bottom with the ass-head, and fairies Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mote, and Mustardseed]

Titania

Come sit down on this flower-strewn bed while I stroke your friendly cheeks, stick muskroses in your hair, and kiss your big, beautiful ears. 

Bottom

Where is Peaseblossom?

Peaseblossom

At your service. 

Bottom

Scratch my head, Peaseblossom. Where is Master Cobweb?

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