The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 315
For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.
For she has beautiful eyes.
How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears:
How did her eyes become this beautiful? Not from the salt of tears:
If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers.
If so, my eyes are washed from tears more often and would be prettier.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;
No, instead I am as ugly as a bear,
For beasts that meet me run away for fear:
Even animals that see me run away, scared.
Therefore no marvel though Demetrius
Therefore it’s no surprise that Demetrius
Do, as a monster fly my presence thus.
Flees, as even a monster would run away from my looks.
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine
What evil and deceiving mirror
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne?
Made me think I could compare to Hermia’s beauty?
But who is here? Lysander! on the ground!
Who is this? Lysander! On the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.
Is he dead or asleep? I don’t see a wound or any blood.
Lysander if you live, good sir, awake.
Lysander, if you are alive, wake up!
LYSANDER
[Awaking] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.
And I will then run through fire for you.
Transparent Helena! Nature shows art,
Beautiful Helena! Nature has skillfully
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.
Made me able to see through your chest and right into your heart.
Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word
Where is Demetrius? Oh the one who belongs
Is that vile name to perish on my sword!
To that name will die on my sword!
HELENA
Do not say so, Lysander; say not so
Don’t say that, Lysander. Who
What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though?
Cares if he loves Hermia? Who cares?
Yet Hermia still loves you: then be content.
Hermia loves you instead, so be at peace.
LYSANDER
Content with Hermia! No; I do repent
At peace with Hermia! No, I regret
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Spending these painful minutes with her.
Not Hermia but Helena I love:
I love Helena, not Hermia:
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
Who would not trade a raven for a pure dove?
The will of man is by his reason sway'd;
A man’s reason guides his will
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
And my reason says you are much worthier than Hermia.
Things growing are not ripe until their season
Plants do not get ripe until they are old enough,
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason;
And the same is true for me: I was not ripe enough to see you until now.
And touching now the point of human skill,
Now, as to human abilities:
Reason becomes the marshal to my will
Reason has changed my desires
And leads me to your eyes, where I o'erlook
And lead them to your eyes, in which I see
Love's stories written in love's richest book.
The greatest stories of love in love’s best book.
HELENA
Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
Why was I born to be made fun of?
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?
When have I deserved to be treated so rudely by you?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
Isn’t it more than enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,
That I have never, and will never,
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
Receive a kind look from Demetrius?
But you must flout my insufficiency?
And on top of that now you mock my shortcomings to Hermia?
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,
Seriously, you are treating me evilly
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
By speaking to me so disdainfully.
But fare you well: perforce I must confess
Now, goodbye. Though first I must say
I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
That I thought you were much more noble.
O, that a lady, of one man refused.
I am already a lady one man refuses,
Should of another therefore be abused!
And now must I be one that another treats poorly?
Exit
LYSANDER
She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there:
She didn’t see Hermia. Hermia, stay asleep
And never mayst thou come Lysander near!
And never come near me again!
For as a surfeit of the sweetest things
I feel overstuffed with sweet things, like how eating desserts
The deepest loathing to the stomach brings,
Makes the stomach feel ill.
Or as tie heresies that men do leave
Or, false beliefs that men stop believing
Are hated most of those they did deceive,
Are hated most by the men they formerly deceived.
So thou, my surfeit and my heresy,
So you, Hermia, whom I have been overstuffed with, and whom I falsely believed in,
Of all be hated, but the most of me!
You will be hated most by me!
And, all my powers, address your love and might
I will turn all of my power and strength and love
To honour Helen and to be her knight!
Toward Helen in order to win her!
Exit
HERMIA
[Awaking] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best
Lysander, help me! Do something
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
And get this snake off of me!
Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here!
Oh my! What a dream that was!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear:
Lysander, look how much I am shivering from fright:
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
I thought a serpent was eating my heart
And you sat smiling at his cruel pray.
While you sat by smiling and watching.
Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord!
Lysander! What, is he gone? Lysander!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Can he not hear me? Is he gone without giving me notice?
Alack, where are you speak, an if you hear;
If you hear me speak,
Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.
Speak, Lysander! I am almost fainting from fear.
No? then I well perceive you all not nigh
No? Then I suppose you are not nearby.
Either death or you I'll find immediately.
I will either die, or find you right away.
Exit
The wood. TITANIA lying asleep.
Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING
BOTTOM
Are we all met?
Is everyone here?
QUINCE
Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place
Everyone is on time even. This is a perfect place
for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our
to rehearse the play. The green area over there will be
stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we
the stage and this large
bush our dressing room. We
will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.
will perform it exactly as we will in front of the duke.
BOTTOM
Peter Quince,--
Peter Quince--
QUINCE
What sayest thou, bully Bottom?
What is it, good Bottom?
BOTTOM
There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and
I am worried that some parts of this comedy of Pyramus and
Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must
Thisby will not be acceptable. For example, Pyramus
draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies
kills himself with a sword, something ladies
cannot abide. How answer you that?
cannot watch. What can we do about that?
SNOUT
By'r lakin, a parlous fear.
By God, that’s a scary problem.
STARVELING
I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.
It seems we must leave out the suicide.
BOTTOM
Not a whit: I have a device to make all well.
No, we won’t: I have an idea to make it work well.
Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to
Write a prologue that I can say before the play starts, saying
say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that
that we will not hurt anyone with our swords, and that
Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more
Pyramus does not actually die – actually, even
better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not
better, tell them that I am not really
Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them
Pyramus, but am Bottom the weaver. Saying this will
out of fear.
calm their fears.
QUINCE
Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be
Okay, and we will write that prologue in
written in eight and six.
ballad form.
BOTTOM
No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.
No, make each line even syllables.
SNOUT
Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
Won’t the ladies be afraid of the lion?
STARVELING
I fear it, I promise you.
I am worried about that, really.
BOTTOM
Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to
Yes, friends, we should all think about this: to
bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is a
bring a lion – a lion! – into the company of women, is an
most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful
awful thing. There is not a scarier
wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to
bird alive than a lion, and we would do well
look to 't.
to think about this.
SNOUT
Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.
So why not write another prologue explaining that he is not a real lion?
BOTTOM
Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must
That’s not enough: we must name the actor, and show half the face
be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself
through the lion’s neck. And he should
must speak through, saying thus, or to the same
speak directly to the audience, saying something
defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish
like, “Ladies,” or “Fair ladies, I hope”
You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would
or, “I would like to ask you,” or “I
entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life
beg of you, do not be afraid. I am as concerned for your life
for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it
as I am mine. If you think I am actually a lion,
were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a
I would be ashamed: I am not, I am only
man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name
a man like these other men.” And then make him
his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.
say plainly that he is Snug the joiner.
QUINCE
Well it shall be so. But there is two hard things;
Alright, that is all fine. Now there are two difficulties.
that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for,
One is how to get the moonlight into the room, since
you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.
as you all know, Pyramus and Thisby meet beneath the moon.
SNOUT
Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?
Is there a full moon or a bright moon the night we are to perform?
BOTTOM
A calendar, a calendar! look in the almanac; find
Someone get a calendar or an almanac and find out
out moonshine, find out moonshine.
how the moon is shining that night.
QUINCE
Yes, it doth shine that night.
Yes, it is bright that night.
BOTTOM
Why, then may you leave a casement of the great
Well then all we have to do is leave open
chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon
the big window in the room where we play, and the moon
may shine in at the casement.
will shine into the room.
QUINCE
Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns
Yes, that or someone could come in with a thornbush
and a lanthorn, and say he comes to disfigure, or to
and a lantern and explain that he is the representation
present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is
of the character of Moonshine. Also, there is
another thing: we must have a wall in the great
another difficulty: we need a wall to put in the
chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did
chamber room, since Pyramus and Thisby in the story
talk through the chink of a wall.
talk to each other through a hole in the wall.
SNOUT
You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?
We cannot bring in a wall. What do you think, Bottom?
BOTTOM
Some man or other must present Wall: and let him
Someone needs to play the Wall, then – we can give him
have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast
some plaster or some clay or some gravel to put
about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his
on him so he looks like a wall, and he can hold
fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus
his fingers like this, and through that hole Pyramus
and Thisby whisper.
and Thisby can whisper.
QUINCE
If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down,
If we can do that, then we are in good shape. Come and sit,
every mother's son, and rehearse your parts.
everyone, and rehearse your parts.
Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your
Pyramus, you first: after you have finished your
speech, enter into that brake: and so every one
speech go behind the bush, and everyone else, do the same thing
according to his cue.
when it is your cue to exit the stage.
Enter PUCK behind
PUCK
What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,
So near the cradle of the fairy queen?
So close to where the queen sleep?
What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor;
Oh so this is a play! I will be an audience member then,
An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.
And perhaps an actor too, if I want.
QUINCE
Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth.
Speak now, Pyramus; Thisby, be ready.
BOTTOM
Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet,--
Thisby, these flowers of sweet, odious tastes--
QUINCE
Odours, odours.
Odors, not odious.
BOTTOM
--odours savours sweet:
--odors tastes sweet:
So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear.
So does your breath, my dear Thisby.
But hark, a voice! stay thou but here awhile,
But listen, a voice! Wait here for a little
And by and by I will to thee appear.
And soon enough I will come back.
Exit
PUCK
A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here.
I have never seen a stranger Pyramus.
Exit
FLUTE
Must I speak now?
Do I go now?
QUINCE
Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand he goes
Yes, of course, now you speak. Know that at this point, he leaves
but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again.
to check on a noise that he heard, and will then come back.
FLUTE
Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,
Most beautiful Pyramus, as white as a lily,
Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,
As red as the rose on the rosebush,
Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew,
An energetic young man and a handsome Jew,
As true as truest horse that yet would never tire,
As dependable as the best horse that never gets tired,
I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb.
I’ll meet you, Pyramus, at Ninny’s tomb.
QUINCE
'Ninus' tomb,' man: why, you must not speak that