[They stand apart.]
DEMETRIUS O why rebuke you him that loves you so?
Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.
HERMIA Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse,
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For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse.
If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep,
Being o’er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
And kill me too.
The sun was not so true unto the day
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As he to me. Would he have stol’n away
From sleeping Hermia? I’ll believe as soon
This whole earth may be bor’d, and that the moon
May through the centre creep, and so displease
Her brother’s noon-tide with th’Antipodes.
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It cannot be but thou hast murder’d him:
So should a murderer look, so dead, so grim.
DEMETRIUS
So should the murder’d look, and so should I,
Pierc’d through the heart with your stern cruelty;
Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear,
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As yonder Venus in her glimmering sphere.
HERMIA What’s this to my Lysander? Where is he?
Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?
DEMETRIUS
I had rather give his carcase to my hounds.
HERMIA
Out, dog! Out, cur! Thou driv’st me past the bounds
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Of maiden’s patience. Hast thou slain him then?
Henceforth be never number’d among men!
O once tell true; tell true, even for my sake!
Durst thou have look’d upon him, being awake,
And hast thou kill’d him sleeping? O brave touch!
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Could not a worm, an adder, do so much?
An adder did it; for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou serpent, never adder stung!
DEMETRIUS
You spend your passion on a mispris’d mood:
I am not guilty of Lysander’s blood;
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Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.
HERMIA I pray thee tell me then that he is well.
DEMETRIUS And if I could, what should I get therefor?
HERMIA A privilege, never to see me more.
And from thy hated presence part I so:
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See me no more, whether he be dead or no. Exit.
DEMETRIUS
There is no following her in this fierce vein;
Here therefore for a while I will remain.
So sorrow’s heaviness doth heavier grow
For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe;
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Which now in some slight measure it will pay,
If for his tender here I make some stay.
[Lies down and sleeps. Oberon and Puck come forward.]
OBERON
What hast thou done? Thou hast mistaken quite,
And laid the love-juice on some true love’s sight;
Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
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Some true love turn’d, and not a false turn’d true.
PUCK
Then fate o’er-rules, that, one man holding troth,
A million fail, confounding oath on oath.
OBERON About the wood go swifter than the wind,
And Helena of Athens look thou find;
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All fancy-sick she is, and pale of cheer
With sighs of love, that costs the fresh blood dear.
By some illusion see thou bring her here;
I’ll charm his eyes against she do appear.
PUCK I go, I go, look how I go!
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Swifter than arrow from the Tartar’s bow. Exit.
OBERON [squeezing the juice on Demetrius’ eyelids.]
Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid’s archery,
Sink in apple of his eye.
When his love he doth espy,
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Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wak’st, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.
Enter PUCK.
PUCK Captain of our fairy band,
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Helena is here at hand;
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover’s fee.
Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
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OBERON Stand aside. The noise they make
Will cause Demetrius to awake.
PUCK Then will two at once woo one:
That must needs be sport alone;
And those things do best please me
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That befall prepost’rously.
[They stand aside.]
Enter LYSANDER and HELENA.
LYSANDER
Why should you think that I should woo in scorn?
Scorn and derision never come in tears.
Look when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,
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In their nativity all truth appears.
How can these things in me seem scorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith to prove them true?
HELENA You do advance your cunning more and more.
When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!
These vows are Hermia’s: will you give her o’er?
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Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh:
Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,
Will even weigh; and both as light as tales.
LYSANDER I had no judgement when to her I swore.
HELENA Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o’er.
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LYSANDER Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
DEMETRIUS [waking]
O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!
To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy. O how ripe in show
Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
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That pure congealed white, high Taurus’ snow,
Fann’d with the eastern wind, turns to a crow
When thou hold’st up thy hand. O let me kiss
This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!
HELENA O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
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To set against me for your merriment.
If you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
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If you were men, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady so:
To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
When I am sure you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
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And now both rivals to mock Helena.
A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
To conjure tears up in a poor maid’s eyes
With your derision! None of noble sort
Would so offend a virgin, and extort
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A poor soul’s patience, all to make you sport.
LYSANDER You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so,
For you love Hermia; this you know I know:
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia’s love I yield you up my part;
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And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love, and will do till my death.
HELENA Never did mockers waste more idle breath.
DEMETRIUS Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none.
If ere I lov’d her, all that love is gone.
My heart to her but as guest-wise sojourn’d,
And now to Helen is it home return’d,
There to remain.
LYSANDER Helen, it is not so.
DEMETRIUS
Disparage not the faith thou dost not know,
Lest to thy peril thou aby it dear.
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Look where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.
Enter HERMIA.
HERMIA
Dark night, that from the eye his function takes,
The ear more quick of apprehension makes;
Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense,
It pays the hearing double recompense.
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Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found;
Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound.
But why unkindly didst thou leave me so?
LYSANDER
Why should he stay whom love doth press to go?
HERMIA
What love could press Lysander from my side?
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LYSANDER
Lysander’s love, that would not let him bide –
Fair Helena, who more engilds the night
Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light.
Why seek’st thou me? Could not this make thee know
The hate I bare thee made me leave thee so?
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HERMIA You speak not as you think; it cannot be!
HELENA Lo, she is one of this confederacy!
Now I perceive they have conjoin’d all three
To fashion this false sport in spite of me.
Injurious Hermia! Most ungrateful maid!
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Have you conspir’d, have you with these contriv’d,
To bait me with this foul derision?
Is all the counsel that we two have shar’d,
The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent
When we have chid the hasty-footed time
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For parting us – O, is all forgot?
All school-days’ 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,
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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,
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Two lovely berries moulded on one stem;
So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart;
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,
Due but to one, and crowned with one crest.
And will you rent our ancient love asunder
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To join with men in scorning your poor friend?
It is not friendly, ’tis not maidenly;
Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it,
Though I alone do feel the injury.
HERMIA I am amazed at your passionate words:
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I scorn you not; it seems that you scorn me.
HELENA Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn,
To follow me, and praise my eyes and face;
And made your other love, Demetrius,
Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,
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To call me goddess, nymph, divine and rare,
Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks he this
To her he hates? And wherefore doth Lysander
Deny your love, so rich within his soul,
And tender me, forsooth, affection,
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But by your setting on, by your consent?
What though I be not so in grace as you,
So hung upon with love, so fortunate,
But miserable most, to love unlov’d?
This you should pity rather than despise.
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HERMIA I understand not what you mean by this.
HELENA Ay, do! Persever: counterfeit sad looks,
Make mouths upon me when I turn my back,
Wink each at other; hold the sweet jest up;
This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled.
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If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
You would not make me such an argument.
But fare ye well; ’tis partly my own fault,
Which death, or absence, soon shall remedy.
LYSANDER Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excuse;
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My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena!
HELENA O excellent!
HERMIA Sweet, do not scorn her so.
DEMETRIUS If she cannot entreat, I can compel.
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 394