OBSERVATIONS. THIS play was entered at Stationers' Hall, Oct. 8, 1600, by Thomas Fisher. It is probable that the hint for it was received from Chaucer's Knight's Tale. There is an old black letter pamphlet by W. Bettie, called Titana and Theseus, entered at Stationers' Hall, in 1608; but Shakspeare has taken no hints from it. Titania is also the name of the Queen of the Fairies in Decker's Whore of Babylon, 1607. STEEVENS. Wild and fantastical as this play is, all the parts in their various modes are well written, and give the kind of pleasure which the author designed. Fairies in his time were much in fashion; common tradition had made them familiar, and Spen. ser's poem had made them great. JOHNSON. Johnson's concluding observation on this play, is not conceived with his usual judgment. There is no analogy or resemblance whatever between the Fairies of Spenser, and those of Shakspeare. The Fairies of Spenser, as appears from his description of them in the second book of the Fairy Queen, canto x. were a race of mortals created by Prometheus, of the human size, shape, and affections, and subject to death. But those of Shakspeare, and of common tradition, as Johnson calls them, were a diminutive race of sportful beings, endowed with immortality and supernatural power, totally different from those of Spenser. M. MASON. HIPPOLYTA, queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus. HERMIA, daughter to Egeus, in love with Lysander. HELENA, in love with Demetrius. OBERON, king of the fairies. PUCK, or ROBIN-GOODFELLOW, a fairy. PEAS-BLOSSOM, COBWEB, MUSTARD-SEED, Мотн, PYRAMUS, THISBE, WALL, LION, } Fairies. ·Characters in the interlude, performed MOONSHINE, by the Clowns. Other Fairies, attending their king and queen. Attendants on Theseus and Hippolyta. SCENE, Athens, and a Wood not far from it. MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM. ACT I. SCENE 1.-Athens. A Room in the Palace of THESEUS. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants. Theseus. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hip. Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights; Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow New bent in heaven, shall behold the night The. Go, Philostrate, Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; The pale companion is not for our pomp. [Ex PHIL. With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling. Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS. Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke ! The. Thanks,good Egeus: What's the news with thee? Ege. Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia. -Stand forth, Demetrius ;-My noble lord, -Stand forth, Lysander ;-and, my gracious duke, -Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes, With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits, To stubborn harshness :—And, my gracious duke, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens ; and one The. What say you, Hermia ? be advis'd, fair maid : To you your father should be as a god; One that compos'd your beauties; yea, To whom you are but as a form in wax, By him imprinted, and within his power To leave the figure, or disfigure it. Demetrius is a worthy gentleman. Her. So is Lysander. The. In himself he is : But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice, The other must be held the worthier. Her. I would, my father look'd but with my eyes. eyes The. Rather your eyes must with his judgment look. Her. I do entreat your grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold; Nor how it may concern my modesty, In such a presence here, to plead my thoughts: If I refuse to wed Demetrius. The. Either to die the death,2 or to abjure [1] By a law of Solon, parents had an absolute power of life and death over their children. So it suited the poet's purpose well enough to suppose the Athenians had it before. Or perhaps he neither thought nor knew any thing of the matter. WARBURTON. [2]Shakspeare employs this scriptural'expression in King John; and I meet with it again in the 2d part of the Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntingdon. STEEVENS. For ever the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires, For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd, Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon. Unto his lordship, to whose unwished yoke My soul consents not to give sovereignty. The. Take time to pause: and, by the next new moon, (The sealing-day betwixt my love and me, For everlasting bond of fellowship) Upon that day either prepare to die, Or else, to wed Demetrius, as he would; Or on Diana's altar to protest, For aye, austerity, and single life. Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia ;-And, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius ; Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him. Ege. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my love; I do estate unto Demetrius. Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv d as he, As well possess'd; my love is more than his ; My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd, If not with vantage, as Demetrius'; And, which is more than all these boasts can be, Why should not I then prosecute my right? Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, 17 VOL. II. |