Scene 25

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Act 3 Scene 2c

PUCK
Up and down, up and down,
I will lead them up and down:
I am fear’d in field and town:
Goblin, lead them up and down.
Here comes one.

[Re-enter LYSANDER]

LYSANDER
Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now.

PUCK
Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou?

LYSANDER
I will be with thee straight.

PUCK
Follow me, then,
To plainer ground.

[Exit LYSANDER, as following the voice]

[Re-enter DEMETRIUS]

DEMETRIUS
Lysander! speak again:
Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?

PUCK
Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
Telling the bushes that thou look’st for wars,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant; come, thou child;
I’ll whip thee with a rod: he is defiled
That draws a sword on thee.

DEMETRIUS
Yea, art thou there?

PUCK
Follow my voice: we’ll try no manhood here.

[Exeunt]

[Re-enter LYSANDER]

LYSANDER
He goes before me and still dares me on:
When I come where he calls, then he is gone.
The villain is much lighter-heel’d than I:
I follow’d fast, but faster he did fly;
That fallen am I in dark uneven way,
And here will rest me.

[Lies down]

Come, thou gentle day!
For if but once thou show me thy grey light,
I’ll find Demetrius and revenge this spite.

[Sleeps]

[Re-enter PUCK and DEMETRIUS]

PUCK
Ho, ho, ho! Coward, why comest thou not?

DEMETRIUS
Abide me, if thou darest; for well I wot
Thou runn’st before me, shifting every place,
And darest not stand, nor look me in the face.
Where art thou now?

PUCK
Come hither: I am here.

DEMETRIUS
Nay, then, thou mock’st me. Thou shalt buy this dear,
If ever I thy face by daylight see:
Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me
To measure out my length on this cold bed.
By day’s approach look to be visited.

[Lies down and sleeps] [Re-enter HELENA]

HELENA
O weary night, O long and tedious night,
Abate thy hour! Shine comforts from the east,
That I may back to Athens by daylight,
From these that my poor company detest:
And sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow’s eye,
Steal me awhile from mine own company.

[Lies down and sleeps]

PUCK
Yet but three? Come one more;
Two of both kinds make up four.
Here she comes, curst and sad:
Cupid is a knavish lad,
Thus to make poor females mad. [Re-enter HERMIA]

HERMIA
Never so weary, never so in woe,
Bedabbled with the dew and torn with briers,
I can no further crawl, no further go;
My legs can keep no pace with my desires.
Here will I rest me till the break of day.
Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray!

[Lies down and sleeps]

PUCK
On the ground
Sleep sound:
I’ll apply
To your eye,
Gentle lover, remedy.

[Squeezing the juice on LYSANDER’s eyes]

PUCK
When thou wakest,
Thou takest
True delight
In the sight
Of thy former lady’s eye:
And the country proverb known,
That every man should take his own,
In your waking shall be shown:
Jack shall have Jill;
Nought shall go ill;
The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.
[Exit]

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Final Scene – Revised

(When the scene opens, LYSANDER & DEMETRIUS are asleep, both on one side of a rock. HELENA and HERMIA are asleep on the opposite sides of the stage. LYSANDER & DEMETRIUS are dreaming.)

LYSANDER
Hermia, Hermia

DEMETRIUS
Helena, Helena

(This continues while LYSANDER & DEMETRIUS are slowing coming to)

LYSANDER
Hermia, Hermia

DEMETRIUS
Helena, Helena

(LYSANDER & DEMETRIUS both half asleep, turn towards each other and feel each other’s face. They wake up instantly, yelling, and drawing their swords. They stand facing each other. The noise wakes HELENA and HERMIA up. They scream, and run towards each other, holding each other’s arms. They then remember that they are mad at each other. Helena runs to stand beside LYSANDER, and HERMIA runs to stand beside DEMETRIUS. They then realize that they are beside the wrong man. They quickly exchange men. They are all still a little dazed. Then LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS approach each other, sword in hand.

DEMETRIUS
Lysander, keep thy Hermia

LYSANDER
(confused) I will. Demetrius, keep thy Helena.

DEMETRIUS
(confused) I will too.

LYSANDER
I do not remember clear, if we have a true quarrel here.

DEMETRIUS
I have my Helena (He takes Helen’s hand and brings her to his side.) Goddess, Nymph, Divine and rare, precious celestial. (He dips her for a passionate kiss.)

LYSANDER
And I have my Hermia (He takes

HERMIA
’s hand, to be by his side.) Who more engilds the night than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light. (He dips

HERMIA
for a passionate kiss)

DEMETRIUS
These things seem small and undistinguishable

HERMIA
Me thinks I see these things with parted eye, when everything seems double.

HELENA
So methinks: And I have found Demetrius like a jewel, mine own, and not mine own.

DEMETRIUS
Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.

LYSANDER
Then all is well….

HERMIA
But let us recount our dreams. Me thought that….

(They all sit down, and all speaking at once they begin to try and sort it out)

(A noise of a trumpet is heard. The lovers look up to see (On video projection screen) EGEUS and KING THESEUS.)