“Sleep well, sweet Prince,” murmured Horatio.
“Remember to tell my story, loyal friend,” whispered Hamlet. And, with that, the Prince of Denmark died.
“If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumbered here While these visions did appear…”
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Hermia
Lysander
Puck
Fairy servant of Oberon
Oberon and Titania
King and Queen of the fairies
Bottom
A weaver
Theseus
Helena
Demetrius
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
In the beautiful Greek city of Athens, Duke Theseus was soon to be wed to the Amazon Queen, Hippolyta. The city bustled with wedding preparations but not everyone was happy. Pretty, blue-eyed Hermia was in love with a young man called Lysander but her father wouldn’t allow them to marry. He insisted that another man, Demetrius, would be a better husband. No matter how much Hermia protested, her father refused to change his mind.
Raven-haired Helena was also sad. She’d been engaged to marry Demetrius herself before he met her friend Hermia and she’d never stopped loving him. However, she cheered up when she heard that Hermia had a plan.
“Tonight, Lysander and I are going to meet in the wood outside Athens and run away together,” Hermia told her. “When we’re gone, Demetrius will soon forget me and you can win him back for yourself.”
The girls wished each other luck and said goodbye. Helena’s heart beat fast. “If Demetrius hears about Hermia’s plan from me first I’m sure he’ll be grateful,” she thought, so she decided to tell Demetrius straightaway and remind him of her own faithful love.
When evening came, Hermia and Lysander slipped away from the city. But they weren’t the only ones in the moonlit wood that night. Fairies appeared among the silvery trees. Oberon, King of the fairies and his wife, Queen Titania, were quarrelling. Titania had adopted a young boy but the attention she gave him had made her husband jealous.
“Give the boy to me,” demanded Oberon. “He can be my attendant.”
Titania fluttered her shimmering wings. “No, Oberon,” she answered. “I won’t part with him, not for all your fairy kingdom!” The two argued until, at last, Titania refused to discuss the matter any further. She beckoned to her fairy maids and left to find a place to sleep.
Oberon was cross with his defiant wife. “Go your own way,” he muttered, “but you won’t leave this wood, my Queen, until I’ve taught you a lesson.”
Oberon called for his lively sprite, Puck, who always delighted in making mischief. “Fetch me the magic flower they call Love-in-idleness,” he asked. “A drop of its juice on the Queen’s eyelids will make her love the first creature she sees when she awakes.”
Puck grinned at the thought of some trouble-making. With a bow to the fairy King, he darted away on his quest.
While Oberon waited for Puck to return he amused himself by imagining what creature would capture Titania’s heart when she awoke. “Will it be a lion, or a bear?” he wondered. “Whatever it is, I won’t remove the charm until she loves me more than her precious boy.”
Just then, Oberon heard voices nearby. He made himself invisible. Demetrius had come to the wood to search for Hermia. To his annoyance, Helena was running after him.
“Go home, Helena,” said Demetrius sharply as he pushed his way through the bushes. “Stop following me, I don’t care about you any more.” But Helena wouldn’t leave.
“I still love you, however hard-hearted you are,” she vowed as she scrambled along behind him.
The two hurried on down the path, unaware that the fairy King had heard every word.
Oberon felt sorry for Helena. When Puck returned, he told him about the young couple from Athens. “When they stop to rest, drop some flower juice onto the young man’s eyes, so that he’ll love the maiden when he wakes,” said Oberon. Then he took some of the magical juice himself and flew to the glade of rambling roses where Titania was asleep.
Oberon gently squeezed the flower juice onto the Queen’s eyelids and whispered:
“Whatever you see when you awake,
For your dearest love you’ll take,
Be it lynx or cat or bear,
Leopard or boar with bristly hair!”
Then, smiling to himself, he slipped away.
Nearby, Hermia and Lysander had wandered for several hours together in the wood and were now lost.
“You’re tired, my love,” said Lysander. “Let’s sleep here tonight. It will be easier to find our way out of the wood in the morning.
Hermia agreed. With a yawn, she laid down among the sweet-scented flowers. Lysander didn’t want to leave her side, but as they weren’t yet married, he found himself a mossy bed a little way off and they were both soon fast asleep.
Along came Puck. “This must be the young man from Athens that Oberon sent me to find,” he thought. “And there’s the pretty young maid he shall learn to love when he wakes.” Quick as a hummingbird, Puck dripped the magic juice onto Lysander’s eyelids and danced away.
Moments later Demetrius strode through the trees, still followed by Helena.
“Stop, Demetrius,” she begged. “I’m exhausted!” But he ignored her and walked on.
“I give up,” Helena sighed miserably, pulling the brambles from her dress. She watched Demetrius disappear into the shadows. “Why should he look at me when he loves Hermia’s pretty face? I’m as ugly as a bear.”
Then, to her surprise, she noticed Lysander lying on the grass. “This is strange,” she thought and she shook him gently to wake him.
Lysander opened his enchanted eyes. At once he fell deeply in love with Helena.
“Where is my rival Demetrius?” he asked. “I shall kill him with my sword!”
Helena was alarmed. “You don’t need to fight Demetrius,” she told him. “Hermia doesn’t care about him, she loves you.”
“Hermia?” Lysander frowned. “I regret the boring hours I spent with her. It’s you that I love, Helena.” He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. “Who wouldn’t change a raven for a dove?” he sighed.
Helena thought he was making fun of her. “What have I done to deserve this mockery?” she cried. “It’s bad enough that Demetrius hates me and now you tease me too!” Feeling wretched, she burst into tears and ran away with Lysander hurrying after her.
Disturbed by the noise, Hermia awoke and called out for Lysander. But to her surprise, she found herself alone. “Why would he leave me?” she wondered. Without a clue as to where he’d gone, she set off in search of him.
While the four young people hunted for each other in the wood, a group of craftsmen met in a grassy clearing. They’d come to rehearse a play, which they hoped to perform at the Duke’s wedding celebrations.
Bottom, the weaver, was full of his own importance and keen to play every part. But Quince the carpenter took charge. “Wait behind the blackberry bush, Bottom, until it’s your turn to speak,” he told him.
Puck heard their voices and crept close to see what was going on. Knowing that Titania was sleeping nearby, he saw a chance to have some fun.
Puck crept over to the blackberry bush and whispered a magic spell. When it was Bottom’s turn to speak he stepped out, unaware that he now had the head of an ass. His friends stared in horror. “The wood is haunted!” they cried and they ran away in terror.
Bottom paced up and down, wrinkling his whiskery nose. “I see what they’re doing,” he told himself. “They’re trying to frighten me, to make an ass of me. Well, I’ll show them that I’m not afraid of being alone in a dark wood.” And he began to sing.
Bottom’s song ended with a loud “heehaw!” which woke up the fairy queen. Under the spell of the magic flower juice, she gazed at his hairy head and long, shaggy ears and fell deeply in love with him.
To Bottom’s delight, beautiful Titani
a led him to her flowery bed. There, her fairies hung a garland of rosebuds around his neck and fed him fruit and honey, while Titania stroked his nose and whispered words of love in his ear. “At last, someone who appreciates me,” sighed Bottom happily.
Puck hurried away to tell Oberon, who was delighted to hear how well his charm had worked. “And did you find the young man from Athens?” Oberon asked.
Puck nodded. “All is done,” he said.
Suddenly, they heard rustling nearby. Demetrius and Hermia appeared.
“Watch now, here is the young man himself,” whispered Oberon.
“But that’s not the one whose eyes I charmed,” murmured Puck.
Hermia’s eyes were red with tears. As she couldn’t find Lysander she thought that Demetrius must have killed him in a fit of jealousy. “There can’t be any other explanation,” she said angrily. “You found him asleep and murdered him!”
“How can you be so cruel to me when I love you?” protested Demetrius. “I’m not a murderer. I’m sure Lysander is alive somewhere.”
But Hermia was certain that Lysander would never have abandoned her. “I hate you, Demetrius!” she sobbed. “Whether Lysander is alive or dead, you’ll never see me again,” and she ran away into the trees.
Demetrius sat down, exhausted and fed up. “There’s no point following Hermia while she’s in such a fierce mood,” he thought to himself, so he lay on the grass to sleep awhile.
“We must put this right,” Oberon said to Puck. “Find Helena and bring her here, while I use the magic charm once more.”
Oberon squeezed a drop of flower juice onto Demetrius’s eyes but before Puck had been gone a moment, Helena appeared, looking very upset, with Lysander at her heels.
Lysander was still trying to persuade Helena that he loved her. “Why do you think I’m teasing you?” he asked, gazing at her adoringly.
“Because you vowed to marry Hermia,” snapped Helena in exasperation.
Their voices woke up Demetrius. To everyone’s surprise he jumped to his feet and grasped Helena’s hand. “Oh, perfect goddess, my love,” he sighed. “Nothing can compare to your crystal eyes, your cherry lips and your skin as white as snow.”
Poor Helena couldn’t believe her ears! She tugged her hand away. “Don’t be so mean, Demetrius,” she said. “What have I done to make you both mock me like this?”
Lysander turned to Demetrius. “Everyone knows you love Hermia,” he said. “Well, now she is free. I wish to devote my life to Helena.”
“You can keep Hermia,” replied Demetrius scornfully. “My heart was only a guest with her, now it has returned home to Helena forever.”
When Hermia heard Lysander’s voice she came running to find him. “Why did you leave me, my love?” she asked. “I was alone and afraid.”
But Lysander didn’t even look at her. “I follow Helena, who brightens the night more than all the stars,” he replied.
Hermia stared at him in astonishment. “Surely you don’t mean what you say?” she gasped.
Helena looked at her suspiciously. “Did you encourage Demetrius and Lysander to tease me?” she asked. “They’d both do anything to please you. I thought you were my friend.”
Hermia shook her fists in frustration. “You are no friend of mine, Helena!” she cried. “You must have crept up in the night and stolen Lysander’s heart!” She was so angry that Helena feared she would scratch out her eyes.
Insults and accusations flew back and forth until Demetrius and Lysander stormed off to find somewhere to fight and Helena, afraid to stay a moment longer with Hermia, fled away into the night.
Puck chuckled with glee. However, Oberon was not amused by all the uproar and unhappiness. “This is your fault,” he told Puck sternly, “and you must put it right.”
With a shrug, Puck agreed. He flew up into the sky and pulled a veil of dark clouds across the moon and stars. Then he led the four young people blindly through the wood until they were so tired that they fell asleep. With a magic herb he removed the charm from Lysander’s eyes so that he would love Hermia once more when he awoke.
Later that morning, Duke Theseus and Hermia’s father rode into the wood together. They were surprised to find Hermia and Helena sitting among the flowers with the two rivals, Lysander and Demetrius. All four were smiling happily, full of wonder at their curious dreams.
“By some strange power my feelings for Hermia have melted away,” said Demetrius. “Let her marry Lysander, it is Helena that I love.” Helena, who had forgotten all her doubts, flung her arms around him. Hermia’s father, relieved to see harmony at last, heartily gave his consent and Duke Theseus congratulated them all.
“So, there shall be three weddings today in Athens,” said the Duke. “I invite you all to share my celebrations.”
A short while later, as the joyful couples returned to the city to make their preparations, Bottom woke up. “What an odd vision I had,” he said, scratching his ear. “Well, I won’t make an ass of myself by telling everyone about it.” And, brushing the rose petals from his hair, he set off home.
Everyone in Athens was in a merry mood that midsummer wedding day and no one laughed louder than the Duke when Bottom and his friends performed their play.
Oberon had removed the charm from Titania’s eyes and their quarrel was forgotten. Happily in love once more, the fairy king and queen cast a spell to bless the newlyweds, so that not even mischievous Puck could disturb them from living happily ever after.
“Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not.”
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Alonso
King of Naples
Prospero
Former Duke of Milan
Caliban
Prospero’s servant
Miranda
Prospero’s daughter
Ariel
Sprite on the island
A court jester
Ferdinand
Alonso’s son
A drunken butler
THE TEMPEST
Prospero the wizard stood among the sand dunes of a wild, windswept beach, watching a ship sail into view.
“At last, fate has brought me a chance to right the wrongful deeds of the past,” he thought to himself. “My refuge on this island will soon be over.” He stepped down to the water’s edge, raised his magic staff and called up a storm. At his command, thunderclouds darkened the sky, lightning flashed and the sea erupted like a waking monster. Towering waves tossed the ship towards the rocky coast.
On board, King Alonso of Naples and his son, Ferdinand, were seized with terror. “What’s happening?” they cried.
“If we stay here, we shall all be dashed to pieces,” shouted their companion Antonio, the Duke of Milan. Fearing for their lives, the noblemen leapt into the churning sea.
Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, came running to his side. “Father, don’t use your magic this way,” she pleaded. “A ship will be wrecked and lives will be lost.”
Prospero lowered his staff. At once, the storm rolled away and the sea grew calm again but the ship was nowhere to be seen. “Have no fear,” he told Miranda. “No-one has come to any harm. I have done this for you.”
Miranda was puzzled by her father’s words.
He took her hand. “There are things I must explain,” he said gently. “It is time to tell you who we are and how we came to this island.” Miranda sat with him on the sand, eager to know more.
Prospero told his daughter that he was once the Duke of Milan. “Long ago, we lived in a beautiful palace with a great library, where I loved to spend time with my books of ancient magic,” he said. “As I was devoted to my studies I trusted my brother, Antonio, to run the affairs of state. However, Antonio enjoyed his power too much and grew ambitious. When you were only three years old, he made a secret deal with my enemy, King Alonso of Naples, who sent soldiers to arrest us so that Antonio could take my place.”
Miranda list
ened in astonishment.
“Antonio was afraid that the people of Milan would turn against him if they saw us harmed,” Prospero continued, “so he sent us away on a ship. Once at sea, we were cruelly set adrift in a little boat without a sail. Luckily, we came ashore on this island, where I have done my best to care for you ever since.”
Miranda was filled with pity for her father. “But why did you raise such a storm?” she asked.
“Alonso and my brother were aboard that ship,” Prospero explained. “Now, by the use of my magic arts, our fortunes shall change. But there is no more time for questions.” The wizard cast his hand across his daughter’s eyes and she fell into an enchanted sleep.
Prospero took up his staff once more. “Ariel, sweet spirit,” he called. In an instant he was surrounded by dancing lights and a merry-faced boy with shimmering wings fluttered before him. When Prospero arrived on the island he’d found Ariel imprisoned in a hollow tree by the witch Sycorax, who had died and left him there. Grateful to be rescued, Ariel now delighted in attending to Prospero’s wishes.
“All hail, master!” Ariel cried. He turned a somersault in the air. “I come to do your bidding; to fly, to swim, to dive into the fire or ride on the billowy clouds!”
Prospero smiled. “Did you take care of the ship as I asked?” he said.
“It’s safely hidden in the bay, with the crew fast asleep below deck,” replied Ariel, “and I made sure that everyone who leapt from the ship has come ashore unharmed.”
A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories Page 3