Page 57 - No Fear A Midsummer Night's Dream

No Fear Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (by SparkNotes) -57-
Original Text
lovers twain
At large discourse, while here they do remain.
Act 5, Scene 1, Page 7
THESEUS
I wonder if the lion be to speak.
DEMETRIUS
No wonder, my lord. One lion may when many asses do.
Exeunt PROLOGUE, PYRAMUS, THISBE, LION, and MOONSHINE
WALL
(played by SNOUT) In this same interlude it doth 150 befall
That I, one Snout by name, present a wall.
And such a wall, as I would have you think, That had in it a crannied hole, or chink, Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe,
155 Did whisper often very secretly.
This loam, this roughcast, and this stone doth show That I am that same wall. The truth is so.
And this the cranny is, right and sinister,
Through which the fearful lovers are to whisper.
THESEUS
Would you desire lime and hair to speak better?
DEMETRIUS
160 It is the wittiest partition that ever I heard discourse, my lord.
Modern Text
Enter PYRAMUS Pyramus draws near the wall. Silence!
PYRAMUS
(played by BOTTOM)
O grim-looked night! O night with hue so black! 165 O night, which ever art when day is not!
O night, O night! Alack, alack, alack,
Act 5, Scene 1, Page 8
I fear my Thisbe’s promise is forgot!—
And thou, O Wall, O sweet, O lovely Wall,
That stand’st between her father’s ground and mine.
170 Thou Wall, O Wall, O sweet and lovely Wall,
Show me thy chink to blink through with mine eyne!
WALL holds up fingers as chink
Thanks, courteous Wall. Jove shield thee well for this!
But what see I? No Thisbe do I see.
175 O wicked Wall through whom I see no bliss!
PYRAMUS enters. Pyramus is coming up to the wall. Be quiet!
PYRAMUS
(played by BOTTOM) Oh, grim-looking night! Oh, night that is so black in color! Oh night, which is always there when it is not day! Oh night! Oh night! So sad, sad, sad,
I’m afraid my Thisbe has forgotten her promise!—And you, oh Wall, oh sweet, oh lovely Wall, you stand between her father’s property and mine, you Wall, oh Wall, oh sweet and lovely Wall. Show me your hole to stick my eye up against!
WALL holds up two fingers
Thank you, you’re such a polite wall. God bless you for doing this. But what’s this I see? I don’t see any Thisbe. Oh wicked wall, through which I don’t see any happiness! Damn your stones for
THESEUS
THESEUS
THESEUS
I wonder if the lion’s going to talk.
DEMETRIUS
It wouldn’t surprise me, my lord. If these asses can speak, a lion should be able to.
PROLOGUE, THISBE, LION, and MOONSHINEexit.
WALL
(played by SNOUT) At this point I, Snout, play a wall. But not just any wall. I want you to understand that I’m pretending to be a kind of wall that has a little hole in it. The lovers Pyramus and Thisbe often whispered very secretly through that hole. This clay, this cement, and this stone that I’m carrying around show that I’m that wall. It’s the truth. And this is the crack, right side and left side (points with two fingers), through which the frightened lovers will be whispering.
THESEUS
Can you imagine cement and stone talking better?
DEMETRIUS
It’s the smartest partition I’ve ever heard speak, my lord.