Scene I

[The Palace of Theseus in Athens]

Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, [with Philostrate, and Attendants]

THESEUS:

Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour
Draws on apace; four happy days bring in
Another moon; but, O, methinks, how slow
This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires,
Like to a step-dame or a dowager,(5)
Long withering out a young man's revenue.

THESEUS:

Now, fair Hippolyta, the time for our wedding is very close;
Just four more happy days until the new moon.
However, oh, I think time passes way too slowly!
My desires must be put on hold,
As if I were an old lady or old widow,
Wearing out my youthful patience.

HIPPOLYTA:

Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;
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(10)
Of our solemnities.

HIPPOLYTA:

Four days will quickly dissolve into four nights;
Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
And then the moon, like a silver slice in the heavens,
Will light the night of our wedding solemnities.

THESEUS:

Go, Philostrate,
Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments;
Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth;
Turn melancholy forth to funerals;(15)
The pale companion is not for our pomp.

[Exit Philostrate]

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.(20)

Enter Egeus, and his daughter Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius

THESEUS:

Go, Philostrate,
Stir up the young people of Athens to start swinging;
Get the party spirit going;
Turn sadness back to the funerals —
No sadness at our parties. — Hippolyta, I got you by waging war with you,
And made you love me by doing you injuries;
But I will marry you in a different way,
With pomp, with triumph, and with partying!

EGEUS:

Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke!

EGEUS:

Regards to Theseus, our renowned duke!

THESEUS:

Thanks, good Egeus; what's the news with thee?

THESEUS:

Thanks, good Egeus. What's new with you?

EGEUS:

Full of vexation come I, with complaint
Against my child, my daughter Hermia.
Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord,(25)
This man hath my consent to marry her.
Stand forth, Lysander. And, my gracious duke,
This man hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child.
Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes,
And interchanged love-tokens with my child;(30)
Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung,
With feigning voice, verses of feigning love,
And stolen the impression of her fantasy
With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats, messengers(35)
Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth;
With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart;
Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To stubborn harshness. And, my gracious duke,
Be it so she will not here before your Grace(40)
Consent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege of Athens:
As she is mine, I may dispose of her;
Which shall be either to this gentleman
Or to her death, according to our law(45)
Immediately provided in that case.

EGEUS:

I’m full of fury and complaints
Against my child, my daughter Hermia.—
Stand up here, Demetrius.—My noble lord,
This man has my consent to marry her.—
Stand here, Lysander;—and, my gracious duke,
This man has cast a spell over my child.
You, you, Lysander, you have sent her love poetry,
And swapped love-tokens with my child.
You have sung at her window by moonlight,
With a high-pitched voice, fake love poetry;
And made her love you
With bracelets of your hair, rings, gaudy gems, clever gifts,
Knick-knacks, sweet nothings, flowers, candies,
— all very convincing to an inexperienced girl;—
You have stolen my daughter's heart by being cunning;
You have turned her obedience, which she owes me,
To stubborn disobedience.—And, my gracious duke,
If she will not consent to marry Demetrius,
Here before your grace,
I beg the ancient privilege of Athens.
Since she belongs to me, I may dispose of her,
Which shall be either to this gentleman
Or to her death, according to our law
Which is fit to these circumstances.

THESEUS:

What say you, Hermia? Be advis'd, fair maid.
To you your father should be as a god;
One that composed your beauties; yea, and one
To whom you are but as a form in wax,(50)
By him imprinted, and within his power
To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.

THESEUS:

What do you say, Hermia? Be careful, fair maid.
To you your father should be as a god,
A god that created your beauty, yes, and a god
Who sees you as a piece of wax that he has imprinted,
And it is within his power to leave the wax as it is,
Or to disfigure it. Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.

HERMIA:

So is Lysander.

HERMIA:

So is Lysander.

THESEUS:

In himself he is;(55)
But in this kind, wanting your father's voice,
The other must be held the worthier.

THESEUS:

In any other case, he is.
But, in this case, with Lysander lacking your father's approval,
Demetrius must be considered the best choice.

HERMIA:

I would my father look'd but with my eyes.

HERMIA:

I wish my father could see with my eyes.

THESEUS:

Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.

THESEUS:

No, you must see with your father’s eyes.

HERMIA:

I do entreat your Grace to pardon me.(60)
I know not by what power I am made bold,
Nor how it may concern my modesty,
In such a presence here to plead my thoughts;
But I beseech your Grace that I may know
The worst that may befall me in this case,(65)
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

HERMIA:

I beg your grace to pardon me.
I don’t know what power has made me bold,
Nor how it is that I put aside my modesty
In such a presence here to plead my thoughts.
But I beseech your grace that I may know
The worst that can happen to me in this case
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

THESEUS:

Either to die the death, or to abjure
For ever the society of men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires,
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,(70)
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun,
For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd,
To live a barren sister all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.(75)
Thrice-blessed they that master so their blood
To undergo such maiden pilgrimage;
But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd
Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn
Grows, lives, and dies, in single blessedness.(80)

THESEUS:

Either to die or to swear to avoid
The society of men forever.
Therefore, fair Hermia, think about what you’re doing,
Think about how young you are, examine your choices well,
Whether, if you don’t take your father's choice,
You can endure life in a convent,
To be shut up in a cloister,
To live a childless nun all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless moon.
Those who can discipline themselves to undertake
Such a heavenly path for piety are blessed three times;
But those who are in a convent to avoid marriage
Grow, live, and die, in single blessedness.

HERMIA:

So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up
Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke
My soul consents not to give sovereignty.

HERMIA:

Well, that’s how I will grow, live, and die, my lord,
Before I will give up my virginity
To his lordship. I will not consent to yield to any man
Because of a bond I didn’t wish for.

THESEUS:

Take time to pause; and by the next new moon—(85)
The sealing-day betwixt my love and me
For everlasting bond of fellowship,—
Upon that day either prepare to die
For disobedience to your father's will,
Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would,(90)
Or on Diana's altar to protest
For aye austerity and single life.

THESEUS:

Take time to think about it; and, by the next new moon,—
The wedding day of my love and me,
For the everlasting bond of fellowship,—
On that day either prepare to die
Because you have disobeyed your father's will;
Or else marry Demetrius, as your father wants you to;
Or accept the austerity and single life of a nun.

DEMETRIUS:

Relent, sweet Hermia; and, Lysander, yield
Thy crazed title to my certain right.

DEMETRIUS:

Give in, sweet Hermia;—and, Lysander, give up
Your crazy claim to my future bride.

LYSANDER:

You have her father's love, Demetrius;(95)
Let me have Hermia's; do you marry him.

LYSANDER:

You have her father's love, Demetrius;
Let me have Hermia's. You marry him!

EGEUS:

Scornful Lysander! True, he hath my love;
And what is mine my love shall render him;
And she is mine; and all my right of her
I do estate unto Demetrius.(100)

EGEUS:

Scornful Lysander! Yes, Demetrius has my approval;
And everything I own I will leave to him;
And she is mine; and all my rights concerning her,
I leave to Demetrius.

LYSANDER:

I am, my lord, as well derived as he,
As well possess'd; my love is more than his;
My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius';
And, which is more than all these boasts can be,(105)
I am belov'd of beauteous Hermia.
Why should not I then prosecute my right?
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,
And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,(110)
Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,
Upon this spotted and inconstant man.

LYSANDER:

I am, my lord, as well born as he is,
As rich; my love is better than his;
My fortunes, no matter which way you look at it,
Are as good as Demetrius';
And, furthermore, which is more important than all these qualities,
Hermia loves me too!
Why shouldn’t I pursue Hermia?
Demetrius, I'll swear it on his head,
Pursued Nedar's daughter, Helena, the same way,
And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, loves,
Devoutly loves, loves to the point of divine worship,
This spotted and inconstant man.

THESEUS:

I must confess that I have heard so much,
And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof;
But, being over-full of self-affairs,(115)
My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me;
I have some private schooling for you both.
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will,(120)
Or else the law of Athens yields you up—
Which by no means we may extenuate—
To death, or to a vow of single life.
Come, my Hippolyta; what cheer, my love?
Demetrius and Egeus, go along;(125)
I must employ you in some business
Against our nuptial, and confer with you
Of something nearly that concerns yourselves.

THESEUS:

I must confess that I have heard that story too,
And thought I would talk to Demetrius about it;
But, absorbed in my own affairs,
I forgot to.—But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me;
I have some private advice for you both.—
For you, fair Hermia, figure out a way that
You can accept your father's will,
Or else the law of Athens will be enforced,—
Which I cannot change, even if I wanted to,—
To death, or to a single life in a convent.—
Come, my Hippolyta. are you okay, my love?
Demetrius and Egeus, go ahead;
I must ask you to do a few things about the wedding,
And meet with you about some issues that affect you.

EGEUS:

With duty and desire we follow you.

EGEUS:

We follow you, because we should and because we want to.

Exeunt [all but] Lysander and Hermia

LYSANDER:

How now, my love! Why is your cheek so pale?
How chance the roses there do fade so fast?

LYSANDER:

What’s the matter, my love! Why do you look so pale?
Why do the roses in your cheeks fade so fast?

HERMIA:

Belike for want of rain, which I could well
Beteem them from the tempest of my eyes.

HERMIA:

The “roses” fade because of no rain. I could water them well
From the tempest of my eyes.