PERSONS REPRESENTED. THESEUS, Duke of Athens. EGEUS, father to Hermia. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. LYSANDER, in love with Hermia. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 3. Act III. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1. DEMETRIUS, in love with Hermia. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 2; sc. 3. Act III. sc. 2. PHILOSTRATE, master of the revels to Theseus. QUINCE, the carpenter. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 2. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 2. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 2. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 2. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 2. STARVELING, the tailor. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 2. HIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1. HERMIA, daughter to Egeus, in love with Lysander. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 3. Act III. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1. HELENA, in love with Demetrius. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 2; sc. 3. OBERON, king of the fairies. Act III. sc. 2. Appears, Act II. sc. 2; sc. 3. Act III. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. TITANIA, queen of the fairies. Appears, Act II. sc. 2; sc. 3. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. PUCK, or Robin Goodfellow, a fairy. Appears, Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 3. Act III. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. PEAS-BLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD-SEED, fairies. Appear, Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Pyramus, Thisbe, Wall, Moonshine, Lion, characters Other Fairies attending their King and Queen. SCENE, ATHENS, AND A WOOD NEAR. A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM. ACT I. SCENE I.-Athens. A Room in the Palace of Theseus. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants. The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace; four happy days bring in Another moon: but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager, 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 Of our solemnities. The. Go, Philostrate, Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth; Turn melancholy forth to funerals, The pale companion is not for our pomp. [Exit PHIL. Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, And won thy love, doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling. Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS. Ege. Full of vexation come I, with complaint I beg the ancient privilege of Athens; Το The. What say you, Hermia? Be advis'd, fair maid: you your father should be as a god; One that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one By him imprinted, and within his power a The word duke was a corruption of the Latin dur, which was indiscriminately applied to any military chief. Chaucer has duke Theseus,-Gower, duke Spartacus,-Stanyhurst, duke Eneas. The word is also so used in our translation of the Bible. To leave the figure, or disfigure it. The. In himself he is: But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice, Her. I would my father look'd but with my eyes. I know not by what power I am made bold, In such a presence here, to plead my thoughts: The. Either to die the death, or to abjure Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires, For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd, Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon. a Earthly happier-more happy in an earthly sense. • This is one of those elliptical expressions which frequently occur in our poet: to must be understood after sovereignty. |