A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Act 3 Scene 2

Original Text	Modern Text
HERMIA “Lower”? Hark, again!	HERMIA “Shorter!” See, she’s doing it again!
HELENA 315Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me. I evermore did love you, Hermia, Did ever keep your counsels, never wronged you— Save that, in love unto Demetrius, I told him of your stealth unto this wood. 320He followed you. For love I followed him. But he hath chid me hence and threatened me To strike me, spurn me—nay, to kill me too. And now, so you will let me quiet go, To Athens will I bear my folly back 325And follow you no further. Let me go. You see how simple and how fond I am.	HELENA Good Hermia, please don’t act so bitter toward me. I always loved you, Hermia, and gave you advice. I never did anything to hurt you—except once, when I told Demetrius that you planned to sneak off into this forest. And I only did that because I loved Demetrius so much. He followed you. And I followed him because I loved him. But he told me to get lost and threatened to hit me, kick me—even kill me. Now just let me go quietly back to Athens. I’ll carry my mistakes back with me. I won’t follow you anymore. Please let me go. You see how naïve and foolish I’ve been.
HERMIA Why, get you gone! Who is ’t that hinders you?	HERMIA Well, get out of here then! What’s keeping you?
HELENA A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.	HELENA My stupid heart, which I’m leaving behind here.
HERMIA What, with Lysander?	HERMIA What, you’re leaving it with Lysander?
HELENA With Demetrius.	HELENA No, with Demetrius.
LYSANDER 330Be not afraid. She shall not harm thee, Helena.	LYSANDER Don’t be afraid. She can’t hurt you, Helena.
DEMETRIUS (to LYSANDER) No, sir, she shall not, though you take her part.	DEMETRIUS (to LYSANDER) That’s right, Hermia won’t hurt Helena even if you try to help her.
HELENA Oh, when she’s angry, she is keen and shrewd! She was a vixen when she went to school. 335And though she be but little, she is fierce.	HELENA Oh, when you get her angry, she’s a good fighter, and vicious too. She was a hellcat in school. And she’s fierce, even though she’s little.
HERMIA “Little” again? Nothing but “low” and “little”!— Why will you suffer her to flout me thus? Let me come to her.	HERMIA “Little” again? Nothing but “little” and “short”!— Why are you letting her insult me like this? Let me at her!.