The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works

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The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works Page 140

by William Shakespeare

What’s this to my Lysander? Where is he?

  Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

  DEMETRIUS

  I had rather give his carcass to my hounds.

  HERMIA

  Out, dog; out, cur. Thou driv’st me past the bounds

  Of maiden’s patience. Hast thou slain him then?

  Henceforth be never numbered among men.

  O, once tell true; tell true, even for my sake.

  Durst thou have looked upon him being awake,

  And hast thou killed him sleeping? O brave touch!

  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 misprised mood.

  I am not guilty of Lysander’s blood,

  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.

  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,

  Which now in some slight measure it will pay,

  If for his tender here I make some stay.

  He lies down and sleeps

  OBERON (to Robin)

  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

  Some true love turned, and not a false turned true.

  ROBIN

  Then fate o’errules, 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.

  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.

  ROBIN

  I go, I go—look how I go,

  Swifter than arrow from the Tartar’s bow. Exit

  OBERON

  Flower of this purple dye,

  Hit with Cupid’s archery,

  Sink in apple of his eye.

  He drops the juice on Demetrius’ eyelids

  When his love he doth espy,

  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 Robin Goodfellow, the puck

  ROBIN

  Captain of our fairy band,

  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!

  OBERON

  Stand aside. The noise they make

  Will cause Demetrius to awake.

  ROBIN

  Then will two at once woo one.

  That must needs be sport alone;

  And those things do best please me

  That befall prepost’rously.

  ⌈They stand apart.⌉

  Enter Helena, Lysander ⌈following her⌉

  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,

  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?

  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.

  LYSANDER

  Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.

  ⌈HELENA⌉ ⌈ ⌉

  DEMETRIUS (awaking)

  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!

  That pure congealed white—high Taurus’ snow,

  Fanned 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

  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?

  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,

  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

  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;

  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 e’er I loved her, all that love is gone.

  My heart to her but as guestwise sojourned

  And now to Helen is it home returned,

  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.

  Enter Hermia

  Look where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.

  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.

  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?

  LYSANDER

  Lysander’s love, that would not let him bide:

  Fair Helena, who more engilds the night

  Than all yon fiery O’s 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?

  HERMIA

  You speak
not as you think. It cannot be.

  HELENA ⌈side⌉

  Lo, she is one of this confederacy.

  Now I perceive they have conjoined all three

  To fashion this false sport in spite of me.—

  Injurious Hermia, most ungrateful maid,

  Have you conspired, have you with these contrived

  To bait me with this foul derision?

  Is all the counsel that we two have shared—

  The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent

  When we have chid the hasty-footed time

  For parting us—O, is all quite forgot?

  All schooldays’ 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,

  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,

  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 rend our ancient love asunder,

  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.

  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—

  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,

  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 unloved—

  This you should pity rather than despise.

  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.

  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,

  My love, my life, my soul, fair Helena.

  HELENA

  O excellent!

  HERMIA (to Lysander) Sweet, do not scorn her so.

  DEMETRIUS (to Lysander)

  If she cannot entreat I can compel.

  LYSANDER

  Thou canst compel no more than she entreat.

  Thy threats have no more strength than her weak

  prayers.—

  Helen, I love thee; by my life I do.

  I swear by that which I will lose for thee

  To prove him false that says I love thee not.

  DEMETRIUS (to Helena)

  I say I love thee more than he can do.

  LYSANDER

  If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too.

  DEMETRIUS

  Quick, come.

  HERMIA Lysander, whereto tends all this?

  ⌈She takes him by the arm⌉

  LYSANDER

  Away, you Ethiope.

  DEMETRIUS No, no, sir, yield.

  Seem to break loose, take on as you would follow,

  But yet come not. You are a tame man; go.

  LYSANDER (to Hermia)

  Hang off, thou cat, thou burr; vile thing, let loose,

  Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent.

  HERMIA

  Why are you grown so rude? What change is this,

  Sweet love?

  LYSANDER Thy love? Out, tawny Tartar, out; Out, loathed med’cine; O hated potion, hence.

  HERMIA

  Do you not jest?

  HELENA Yes, sooth, and so do you.

  LYSANDER

  Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee.

  DEMETRIUS

  I would I had your bond, for I perceive

  A weak bond holds you. I’ll not trust your word.

  LYSANDER

  What, should I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead?

  Although I hate her, I’ll not harm her so.

  HERMIA

  What, can you do me greater harm than hate?

  Hate me—wherefore O me, what news, my love?

  Am not I Hermia? Are not you Lysander?

  I am as fair now as I was erewhile.

  Since night you loved me, yet since night you left me.

  Why then, you left me—O, the gods forbid—

  In earnest, shall I say?

  LYSANDER Ay, by my life,

  And never did desire to see thee more.

  Therefore be out of hope, of question, doubt.

  Be certain, nothing truer; ’tis no jest

  That I do hate thee and love Helena.

  HERMIA (to Helena)

  O me, you juggler, you canker blossom,

  You thief of love—what, have you come by night

  And stol’n my love’s heart from him?

  HELENA Fine, i’faith.

  Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,

  No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear

  Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?

  Fie, fie, you counterfeit, you puppet, you!

  HERMIA

  Puppet? Why, so! Ay, that way goes the game.

  Now I perceive that she hath made compare

  Between our statures; she hath urged her height,

  And with her personage, her tall personage,

  Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him—

  And are you grown so high in his esteem

  Because I am so dwarfish and so low?

  How low am I, thou painted maypole? Speak,

  How low am I? I am not yet so low

  But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

  HELENA (to Demetrius and Lysander)

  I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,

  Let her not hurt me. I was never curst.

  I have no gift at all in shrewishness.

  I am a right maid for my cowardice.

  Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think

  Because she is something lower than myself

  That I can match her—

  HERMIA Lower? Hark again.

  HELENA

  Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me.

  I evermore did love you, Hermia,

  Did ever keep your counsels, never wronged you—

  Save that in love unto Demetrius

  I told him of your stealth unto this wood.

  He followed you; for love I followed him.

  But he hath chid me hence, and threatened me

  To strike me, spurn me, nay, to kill me too.

  And now, so you will let me quiet go,

  To Athens will I bear my folly back,

  And follow you no further. Let me go.

  You see how simple and how fond I am.

  HERMIA

  Why, get you gone. Who is’t that hinders you?

  HELENA

  A foolish heart that I leav
e here behind.

  HERMIA

  What, with Lysander?

  HELENA With Demetrius.

  LYSANDER

  Be not afraid; she shall not harm thee, Helena.

  DEMETRIUS

  No, sir, she shall not, though you take her part.

  HELENA

  O, when she is angry she is keen and shrewd.

  She was a vixen when she went to school,

  And though she be but little, she is fierce.

  HERMIA

  Little again? Nothing but ‘low’ and ‘little’?—

  Why will you suffer her to flout me thus?

  Let me come to her.

  LYSANDER Get you gone, you dwarf,

  You minimus of hind’ring knot-grass made,

  You bead, you acorn.

  DEMETRIUS You are too officious

  In her behalf that scorns your services.

  Let her alone. Speak not of Helena.

  Take not her part. For if thou dost intend

  Never so little show of love to her,

  Thou shalt aby it.

  LYSANDER Now she holds me not.

  Now follow, if thou dar’st, to try whose right,

  Of thine or mine, is most in Helena.

  DEMETRIUS

  Follow? Nay, I’ll go with thee, cheek by jowl.

  Exeunt Lysander and Demetrius

  HERMIA

  You, mistress, all this coil is long of you.

  Nay, go not back.

  HELENA I will not trust you, I,

  Nor longer stay in your curst company.

  Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray;

  My legs are longer, though, to run away. Exit

  HERMIA

  I am amazed, and know not what to say. Exit

  ⌈Oberon and Robin come forward⌉

  OBERON

  This is thy negligence. Still thou mistak‘st,

  Or else commit’st thy knaveries wilfully.

  ROBIN

  Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.

  Did not you tell me I should know the man

  By the Athenian garments he had on?—

  And so far blameless proves my enterprise

  That I have ’nointed an Athenian’s eyes;

  And so far am I glad it so did sort

  As this their jangling I esteem a sport.

  OBERON

  Thou seest these lovers seek a place to fight.

  Hie therefore, Robin, overcast the night;

  The starry welkin cover thou anon

  With drooping fog as black as Acheron,

  And lead these testy rivals so astray

  As one come not within another’s way.

  Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue,

  Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;

  And sometime rail thou like Demetrius,

  And from each other look thou lead them thus

 

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