A Midsummer Night’s Dream

ACT 1 – Scene 1
Line 1 – THESEUS

Theseus tells Hippolyta that the time for their wedding is coming soon. They are going to marry
when the new moon appears, but he is so anxious to get married that Theseus feels that the
old man is taking too much time to leave, that old man is delaying his desires to marry
Hippolyta. He is waiting the wedding so anxiously as a young man waits for his will.

Line 47 – THESEUS

Theseus advices Hermia to think of her father as a god because he is her owner. He can oblige
her to marry with the man he had chosen and also he has the right to kill her own daughter.
She is under her father's total control and also makes Hermia realize that Demetrius is a good
man to marry with.

Line 67 – THESEUS

Theseus says that if Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, she has only two options. One of
them is to die and the other is to become a nun wearing a priestess’s habit and caged up in a
cloister forever. At this point things aren't looking good for Hermia. Theseus adds that being a
nun is not so great, since they will receive their price in heaven but they are unhappy on earth
and on the other hand a wife is like a perfume, something alive and full of happiness, but on
the contrary being a priestess is like a flower dying.

Line 100 – Page 9 – LYSANDER

Lysander tells Egeus that he was as good as Demetrius to get married to her daughter Hermia,
indeed he loves Hermia more than his own perspectives, highlighting that he has better
perspectives than Demetrius. He not only was in love with Hermia, but also says that
Demetrius was a liar, because he made Helena, a sweet girl, fall in love with him and now he
pretends to abandon her so as to get married with Hermia.

Line 151 – Page 13 – HERMIA

Hermia tells Lysander that true lovers usually give up because of their troubles. She proposes
him being patience, don't give up and continuing fighting for their love, because difficulties are
as real as thoughts, dreams, wishes, and tears. But true love prevails.

Line 169- page 13- HERMIA

Hermia promised Lysander to meet him the following day in the place they agreed. As sure she
was of her presence that day that she swear it for the strangest things, such as the cupid's
strongest bow, Cupid was the god of love, the innocence of Venus' doves, for the knitted souls
and prospers loves, for that fire which burned the Carthage queen when the false Troyan
sailing away.
Line 87- page 15- HELENA

Helena complained about not being as beautiful as Hermia. She wishes, beauty was contagious
as illnesses so as to be infected herself of Hermia’s beauty. Helena would abandon everything
just to be Hermia and have Demetrious' love. Helena asked Hermia what she did to make
Demestrious fall in love.

Line 227- page 19- HELENA

Helena wonders why everybody, but Demetrious thinks that she is as beautiful as Hermia, and
it is the only important thing for her, how she looks in Demetrious' eyes. She knows she is so
obsessed with Demetrious as he is obsessed with Hermia, but for her is love that leads them to
do strange things. Helena says that sometimes people are blind because of love, that love
makes you blind, that’s why the god of love, Cupido, is always shown as blind.

Line 24- page 21- HELENA

Helena is planning to tell Demestrious Hermia's plan of running away with Lysandre, so as to
Demetrious get angry with Hermia, and feels grateful with her because of the information, it is
reward enough for her to alleviate her pain of having helped her love to follow her rival.

Line 64- page 27- BOTTOM

The bottom says that if they scare the ladies of the audience would be a reason to hang them,
so in order to not scare them, he promised to soften his voice, he says he will roar as gently as
a baby dove, as sweet as a nightingale.

ACT 2 – SCENE 2
Line 18 – PUCK / ROBIN

Puck snaps back that the Fairy King (Oberon) is having party in these
woods tonight, so the Fairy Queen better watch her back and stay out
of Oberon's way. He gives them some backstory, explaining that
Titania and Oberon have been fighting over a stolen child. Oberon
wants the kid to be his personal page (errand boy), but Titania wants
him for herself. She spends all her time crowning him with flowers
and doting on him. Because of this feud, Titania and Oberon, who are
supposed to be a couple, never hangout anymore.

Line 146 – OBERON

Oberon promises that Titania won't leave the woods until he pays her
back. He calls Puck to him and reminds him of a story be told once
before. One night, Oberon was watching a mermaid riding on a
dolphin's back when he saw Cupid try to hit a royal virgin with one of
his arrows. Royal Virgin = Elizabeth?

Line 176 – OBERON

Oberon talks about his plan. He's going to put the juice on Titania's
eyes in hopes that she'll fall madly in love with some awful, ugly
creature. In her lovesickness, he can convince her to give him the
little boy. Once his master plan is accomplished, he'll remove the
spell. Oberon hears some people approaching and announces that,
since he's invisible, he can stay and listen to the conversation.

Line 202 – HELENA

Helena gives a little speech that it's impossible to put a positive spin
on. Essentially, she says the more he beats her, the more she'll dote
on him. She loves him SO much, that it's an honor just to be treated
the way he would treat a dog.

Line 257 – OBERON

Oberon says that he’ll put the juice of flowers on Titania’s eyes, and
fill her with horrible delusions and desires. (He gives ROBIN part of
the flower) You take some of it too, and look around in this part of
the forest. A sweet Athenian lady is in love with a young man who
wants nothing to do with her. Put some of this flower’s juice on his
eyes, and make sure to do it in such a way that the next thing he
sees will be the lady. You’ll be able to tell it’s him because he’s
wearing Athenian clothes. He has to do it carefully, so that he’ll end
up loving her more than she loves him. And then make sure to meet
me at dawn.

ACT 3 – Scene 1

Line 77 – FLUTE

Thisbe sees Pyramus as something magical, radiant, a very lively

young man and also a lovely Jew. You are as reliable as a horse that
never gets tired. I’ll meet you, Pyramus, at Ninny’s grave.

Line 116 – TITANIA

Titania sees Bottom and instantly falls in love. Adding, that this is the
first time she’ve ever seen him, but he’s so wonderful that she can’t
help swearing him that she loves him. Then she begs Bottom to sing
some more.

Line 129 – TITANIA

Titania informs Bottom that he'll stay whether he wants to or not.

She loves him and he will remain with her. She’ll give him fairies as
servants, and they’ll bring him jewels from the depths of the ocean.
He'll sleep on flower petals, and she'll rid him of his mortality, so that
he'll live forever, just like her.

ACT 3 – Scene 3 – THE WOODS

Line 6 – PUCK / ROBIN

Robin says that mistress Titania is in love with a monster. He tells

Oberon that a crew of craftsmen entered the grove where Titania was
sleeping to practice their play for Theseus's wedding. Puck found
Bottom to be the most dim-witted, so he transformed his head into
that of a donkey.