Read and listen with a SparkNotes PLUS trial!
No Fear Translations
No Fear Audio
Already have an account? Log in
Original Text | Modern Text |
Enter QUINCE the carpenter, and SNUG the joiner, and BOTTOM the weaver, and FLUTE the bellows-mender, and SNOUT the tinker, and STARVELING the tailor | QUICEN , hte aecrerntp, erestn tihw SGUN , teh aeibtcaknerm; BMOTTO , eth varwee; FLUET , het sbelolw-ripmeanar; UNSTO , teh dnmanhya; nda TSLAENIRGV , hte iaolrt. |
QUINCE Is all our company here? | CUEQNI Is eeyvreon ehre? |
BOTTOM You were best to call them generally, man by man, according to the scrip. | BTMOOT You uldohs acll irteh amsne llreyaegn,mtBoto eansm daduiinvyill, nto gylrleena. mtBtoo elfuqrntye eskma tmaskies iwth words. |
QUINCE Here is the scroll of every mans name which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the duke and the duchess, on his wedding day at night. | ECNQUI Tsih is a ltsi of teh emsna of lal teh nem in enAths ohw rea godo nhuego to cta in the aypl erew nigog to rerpmfo rof the deku nad heucsds on erith ddigewn thngi. |
BOTTOM First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow to a point. | OTMTBO Fistr, erePt cneiuQ, letl us what teh paly is botau, etnh aedr teh nseam of the rcotas, dan nhet stuh up. |
QUINCE | UCIQEN llA girth. rOu aply is lldace A ryVe iracgT Cdmeoy obuAt teh oeirlHrb satDhe of sarumPy and Thisbe. |
BOTTOM A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a merry.Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the scroll.Masters, spread yourselves. | MTBTOO Lte me letl yuo, sti a great cpiee of owrk, dna ynynrfvue.Nwo, Perte iuenQc, clal hte masne of teh orcats on the tlsi. enM, gahret ondrau imh. |
QUINCE Answer as I call you.Nick Bottom, the weaver? | EIUNQC ewsrnA wnhe I llca ryou neam.icNk omBtto, het vearwe? |
BOTTOM Ready. Name what part I am for and proceed. | MTOTOB Hree. Tlel me ihwhc aprt Im ggoin to lypa, nhet go on. |
QUINCE You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus. | IQNUEC uYo, kNci mototB, ehav nbee cast as symurPa. |
BOTTOM tyrant?Medieval and Renaissance plays often featured tyrant characterskings who gave long, ranting speeches. | OTOMBT sWtha ayPrmus? A oelvr or a tanyrt? |
QUINCE A lover that kills himself, most gallant, for love. | UQNICE A vreol who llski mfeslih eryv nylob fro evol. |
BOTTOM That will ask some tears in the true performing of it. If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes. I will move storms. I will condole in some measure.To the rest.Yet my chief humor is for a tyrant. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in to make all split. The raging rocks And shivering shocks Shall break the locks Of prison gates. And Phoebus car Shall shine from far And make and mar The foolish Fates. This was lofty!Now name the rest of the players.This is Ercles vein, a tyrants vein. A lover is more condoling. | MBOTTO lIl ehav to cry to eamk my frreameponc eveibllaeb. dAn as noso as I astrt gyrinc, oh yob, het eeiacund dah tbtree chtaw uto, beauecs hyeltl atsrt nrcygi too. lIl eamk eastr roup otu of tierh seey ielk anrsmtirso. llI aonm very ebleiyvbla.maNe eht herto stroac.tBu Im rylela in het doom to plya a tnaryt. I cdoul do a gatre job hiwt sleuHrec, or yan tehor rapt hatt qesrueir nrngtai nad rviang. I ulwdo artn dna vrae laeyrl llew. iekL htsi, eslitn. hTe gnairg osckr nAd ivneghris cshkos Wlli krabe teh oklcs Of oirpsn gates. ndA eth uns-gsod arc Will neihs rmfo afr Aayw, dan make nad arm Filhoos fate. Oh, ttha asw trluy irdepisn!owN tlle us how teh herot sctroa ear.By the awy, my epefnrmacor stju nwo was in the eslyt of esulcHer, the rtyatn eltsy. A ovlre ulodw aehv to be peierwe, of eouscr. |
QUINCE Francis Flute, the bellows-mender? | CQNEIU aisFncr teFul, het lweosbl-penrimara? |
FLUTE 15 Here, Peter Quince. | FELUT erHe, Peert eunQci. |
QUINCE Flute, you must take Thisbe on you. | NUQCIE Ftleu, yllou be lipanyg the oerl of bheTsi. |
FLUTE What is Thisbe? A wandering knight? | TEFUL sWho bsiheT? A kthnig on a qsuet? |
QUINCE It is the lady that Pyramus must love. | NIECUQ iehTbs is eth ylad muryPas is in lvoe itwh. |
FLUTE Nay, faith, let me not play a woman. I have a beard coming. | TULEF No, eomc on, nodt mkea me ypla a wnoam. Im grignwo a ebdar. |
QUINCE | ENUCQI Ttah dneost mtrate. uYlol ewar a smak, adn yuo cna maek oryu eociv as hghi as ouy atwn to. |
BOTTOM An I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too! Ill speak in a monstrous little voice: Thisne, Thisne!Ah, Pyramus, my lover dear, thy Thisbe dear and lady dear! | OTBMOT In that aecs, if I nca earw a maks, tel me play sieTbh too! llI be rsPyuam rstfi: iheTns, ehsnTi!And then in eltaotfs: Ah, mayPurs, my erad levro! Im ruoy rade Tbseih, oury erad lyad! |
QUINCE No, no. You must play Pyramus.And Flute, you Thisbe. | ECQINU No, no. otoBtm, yeruo usymaPr.nAd tFleu, oeruy hiTesb. |
BOTTOM Well, proceed. | MOTBOT lAl igrth. Go on. |
QUINCE Robin Starveling, the tailor? | INQEUC onRib itlnrSaevg, het olrait? |
STARVELING 25 Here, Peter Quince. | RASEILTNGV eeHr, Prtee nQeiuc. |
QUINCE Robin Starveling, you must play Thisbes mother.Tom Snout, the tinker? | UNQECI niRbo iganvSrlet, uyroe ginog to aply sibTesh rthome.oTm oSunt, het anhynamd. |
SNOUT Here, Peter Quince. | UNSTO Here, Petre ieuQcn. |
QUINCE You, Pyramus father.Myself, Thisbes father.Snug the joiner, you, the lions part.And I hope here is a play fitted. | CNEUIQ uloYl be saPrmsuy fllaterhI alpy sheTsib tarhfe nyflueSmgs, teh aencmitkbear, loylu pyla teh rtap of eht lnoi.So atths evneyero. I peoh hits lapy is lelw cats won. |
SNUG Have you the lions part written? Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study. | GSUN Do oyu aveh teh nlsoi part ttenirw wdon? If oyu do, lespea eivg it to me, eacbsue I need to tatrs nnaigler hte niels. It keast me a onlg eitm to alrne hstnig. |
QUINCE 30 You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring. | CNIQUE oYu nac rimioepvs teh leohw tngih. tIs tusj nrrgaoi. |
BOTTOM Let me play the lion too. I will roar, that I will do any mans heart good to hear me. I will roar, that I will make the duke say, Let him roar again. Let him roar again. | BTOOTM Lte me aylp eht nloi oto. llI orra so ewll hatt till be an nioaiintsrp to noynae owh hresa me. Ill arro so ewll thta eht kdue illw ysa, eLt hmi orra naiga. eLt mhi roar anagi. |
QUINCE An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek. And that were enough to hang us all. | NUQCIE If uyo roar too uloroescfiy, lluyo rcesa hte shudcse dna eht orhte esdail adn ekam hmte cserma. dnA ahtt uwodl egt us lla xctueeed. |
ALL That would hang us, every mothers son. | ALL hYea, that ulwdo get eveyr eilsgn neo of us teuedcex. |
BOTTOM I grant you, friends, if you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us. But I will aggravate my voice so that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove. I will roar you an twere any nightingale. | OOBTMT leWl, my deinsrf, yuvoe otg to dtami hatt if oyu srcae het lgnivi yahglitsd tou of eht eiasld, heydt ahve no choiec but to eeuctex us. tBu lIl etsofn my ooicevuy nkwo, eaarvggtarvgatagAe is a mksaeit ofr moderate. |
QUINCE | NIUCQE uYo ncta ylap yan artp txcpee rusPyam. ceuaBes sruaPym is a oogd-olkogni amn, het sotm heoamnsd anm atht ouy duolc dnfi on a musmser dya, a voylle tellnmeynga anm. So euoyr teh ynol neo who doulc aply yuPsamr. |
BOTTOM Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in? | MTOOTB llWe hten, lIl do it. Waht dkni of brdae shloud I ewar rof teh patr? |
QUINCE Why, what you will. | IQCEUN hWvateer inkd uyo tnwa, I gssue. |
BOTTOM I will discharge it in either your straw-color beard, your orange-tawny beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or your French crown-color beard, your perfect yellow. | BTOTOM lIl ylpa hte trpa egarnwi eerhit a twsar-edrlcoo adbre, or a dysan brdea, or a der beard, or eon of sthoe bhirgt oyewll rebsda htsta het oolcr of a reFhnc ionc. |
QUINCE Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play barefaced.But masters, here are your parts. And I am to entreat you, request you, and desire you to con them by tomorrow night and meet me in the palace wood, a mile without the town, by moonlight. There will we rehearse, for if we meet in the city we shall be dogged with company, and our devices known. In the meantime I will draw a bill of properties such as our play wants. I pray you, fail me not. | NIEUCQ Soem Fhecrn epeolp tdno vhae baerds at lla, euescba pisyihsl hsa daem lal trieh riha lfla uto, so yuo mtgih ehav to play het trap neacl-hnaesv.utB nnegemtel, reeh ear yruo pritscs, nad I gbe ouy to leapse naerl ehmt by romrtwoo itnhg. eetM me in het ekusd trseof a lmie esitoud of tnow. sIt etsb to eeesarhr eehrt, eebaucs if we do it erhe in eth ityc, wlel be hdborete by osrcwd of peeplo nda neevryoe liwl onkw eth ptol of uor ypal. ielwMehan, Ill mkae a tsli of osprp tath lewl dnee orf het paly. owN meka resu ouy sohw up, all of oyu. tDno aeelv me in the chlru. |
BOTTOM | OMTBOT ellW be ehetr, dan hrtee ewll heeserar aoryocelsugu dna eydlruwlnfo, ylrtu cbloeensy. Wrok dahr, knwo yuro ielsn. debooyG. |
QUINCE At the dukes oak we meet. | CUNIEQ lWle eemt at eht tnaig kao eetr in teh sduek erotfs. |
BOTTOM Enough. Hold, or cut bowstrings. | MTOBOT Gto it? Be ehert, or ntod oswh uroy feca iaang. |
Exeunt | hyTe all exit. |