Internet Shakespeare Editions

About this text

  • Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Folio 1, 1623)
  • Editor: Suzanne Westfall
  • ISBN: 978-1-55058-465-3

    Copyright Suzanne Westfall. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Suzanne Westfall
    Not Peer Reviewed

    A Midsummer Night's Dream (Folio 1, 1623)

    Enter Quince, Flute, Thisbie, Snout, and Starueling.
    Quin. Haue you sent to Bottomes house? Is he come
    home yet?
    Staru. He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt hee is
    1750transported.
    This. If
    A Midsommer nights Dreame. 159
    This. If he come not, then the play is mar'd. It goes
    not forward, doth it?
    Quin. It is not possible: you haue not a man in all
    Athens, able to discharge Piramus but he.
    1755This. No, hee hath simply the best wit of any handy-
    craft man in Athens.
    Quin. Yea, and the best person too, and hee is a very
    Paramour, for a sweet voyce.
    This. You must say, Paragon. A Paramour is (God
    1760blesse vs) a thing of nought.
    Enter Snug the Ioyner.
    Snug. Masters, the Duke is comming from the Tem-
    ple, and there is two or three Lords & Ladies more mar-
    ried. If our sport had gone forward, we had all bin made
    1765men.
    This. O sweet bully Bottome: thus hath he lost sixe-
    pence a day, during his life; he could not haue scaped six-
    pence a day. And the Duke had not giuen him sixpence
    a day for playing Piramus, Ile be hang'd. He would haue
    1770deserued it. Sixpence a day in Piramus, or nothing.
    Enter Bottome.
    Bot. Where are these Lads? Where are these hearts?
    Quin. Bottome, ô most couragious day! O most hap-
    pie houre!
    1775Bot. Masters, I am to discourse wonders; but ask me
    not what. For if I tell you, I am no true Athenian. I
    will tell you euery thing as it fell out.
    Qu. Let vs heare, sweet Bottome.
    Bot. Not a word of me: all that I will tell you, is, that
    1780the Duke hath dined. Get your apparell together, good
    strings to your beards, new ribbands to your pumps,
    meete presently at the Palace, euery man looke ore his
    part: for the short and the long is, our play is preferred:
    In any case let Thisby haue cleane linnen: and let not him
    1785that playes the Lion, paire his nailes, for they shall hang
    out for the Lions clawes. And most deare Actors, eate
    no Onions, nor Garlicke; for wee are to vtter sweete
    breath, and I doe not doubt but to heare them say, it is a
    sweet Comedy. No more words: away, go away.
    1790 Exeunt.