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Shakespeare on Stage
American Shakespeare Center, Return to the Forbidden Planet. To Dec. 1, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, All's Well That Ends Well. To Nov. 29, 2013.
SIP Editors, Measure for Measure. To Aug. 4, 2013.
Original Shakespeare Company, A Midsommer Night's Dreame (Midsummer Midsommer). To Jun. 21, 2013.
SIP Editors, King Henry VIII. To Aug. 4, 2013.
More Performances…
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A Midsummer Night's Dream (Quarto 1, 1600)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Suzanne Westfall
Not Peer Reviewed
A Midsommer nightes dreame.
hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceiue, nor his
1740hearte to report, what my dreame was. I will get Pet-
ter Quince to write a Ballet of this dreame: it shall be
call'd Bottoms Dreame; because it hath no bottome: and
I will sing it in the latter end of a Play, before the Duke.
Peraduenture, to make it the more gratious, I shall sing
1745it at her death.

Enter Quince, Flute, Thisby and the rabble.
Quin. Haue you sent to Bottoms house? Is he come
home, yet?
Flut. Hee cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is trans-
1750ported.
Thys. If hee come not, then the Play is mard. It goes
not forward. Doth it?
Quin. It is not possible. You haue not a man, in all A-
thens, able to discharge Pyramus, but he.
1755Thys. No, hee hath simply the best wit of any handy-
craftman, in Athens.
Quin. Yea, and the best person to, and hee is a very
Paramour, for a sweete voice.
This. You must say, Paragon. A Paramour is (God
1760blesse vs) a thing of nought.

Enter Snug, the Joyner.
Snug. Masters, the Duke is comming from the Tem-
ple,and there is two or three Lords and Ladies more
married. If our sport had gon forward, wee had all
1765beene made men.
Thys. O sweete bully Bottome. Thus hath hee lost six
pence a day, during his life: hee coulde not haue scaped
sixe pence a day. And the Duke had not giuen him six
pence a day, for playing Pyramus, Ile be hanged.
He would haue deserued it. Six pence a day, in Pyramus,
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