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FLUTE What is Thisbe? A wandering knight?
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FLUTE Who’s Thisbe? A knight on a quest?
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QUINCE It is the lady that Pyramus must love.
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QUINCE Thisbe is the lady Pyramus is in love with.
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FLUTE Nay, faith, let me not play a woman. I have a beard coming.
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FLUTE No, come on, don’t make me play a woman. I’m
growing a beard.
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QUINCE
20That’s all one. You shall play it in a mask, and you
may speak as small as you will.
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QUINCE That doesn’t matter. You’ll wear a mask, and
you can make your voice as high as you want to.
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BOTTOM An I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too! I’ll
speak in a monstrous little voice: “Thisne,
Thisne!”—“Ah, Pyramus, my lover
dear, thy Thisbe dear and lady dear!”
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BOTTOM In that case, if I can wear a mask, let me play Thisbe too!
I’ll be Pyramus first: “Thisne,
Thisne!”—And then in falsetto: “Ah,
Pyramus, my dear lover! I’m your dear Thisbe, your dear
lady!”
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QUINCE No, no. You must play Pyramus.—And Flute, you
Thisbe.
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QUINCE No, no. Bottom, you’re Pyramus.—And Flute,
you’re Thisbe.
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BOTTOM Well, proceed.
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BOTTOM All right. Go on.
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QUINCE Robin Starveling, the tailor?
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QUINCE Robin Starveling, the tailor?
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STARVELING
25Here, Peter Quince.
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STARVELING Here, Peter Quince.
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QUINCE Robin Starveling, you must play Thisbe’s
mother.—Tom Snout, the tinker?
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QUINCE Robin Starveling, you’re going to play
Thisbe’s mother.—Tom Snout, the
handyman.
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SNOUT Here, Peter Quince.
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SNOUT Here, Peter Quince.
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QUINCE You, Pyramus' father.—Myself,
Thisbe’s father.—Snug the joiner, you, the
lion’s part.—And I hope here is a play
fitted.
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QUINCE You’ll be Pyramus’s
father—I’ll play Thisbe’s father
myself—Snug, the cabinetmaker, you’ll play the
part of the lion.—So that’s everyone. I hope
this play is well cast now.
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