A Midsummer Night's Dream (29 page)

Preparation of “
A Midsummer Night's Dream
in Performance” was assisted by two generous grants: from the CAPITAL Centre (Creativity and Performance in Teaching and Learning) of the University of Warwick, for research in the RSC archive at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust; and from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for a term's research leave that enabled Jonathan Bate to work on “The Director's Cut.”

Picture research by Helen Robson and Jan Sewell. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for assistance with picture research (special thanks to Helen Hargest) and reproduction fees.

Images of RSC productions are supplied by the Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive, Stratford-upon-Avon. This library, maintained by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, holds the most important collection of Shakespeare material in the UK, including the Royal Shakespeare Company's official archives. It is open to the public free of charge.

For more information see
www.shakespeare.org.uk
.

List of parts

PHILOSTRATE … court
in the Quarto text, he is the Master of the Revels who introduces the entertainment in the final act; in Folio, this role is taken by Egeus, leaving Philostrate a non-speaking role in the first scene.

Act 1, Scene 1

1.1
Location: Athens Theseus
mythical Duke of Athens who conquered the Amazons
Hippolyta
mythical Queen of the Amazons, captured by Theseus

2
apace
quickly

2
Four happy days
the action actually extends over two days and the intervening night

4
lingers
draws out/keeps waiting

5
Like to
like

5
stepdame
stepmother

5
dowager
widow

6
withering out
i.e. using up

6
young man's revenue
i.e. her son's inheritance

7
steep
soak, be suffused in

9
moon … bow
Diana was goddess of hunting and the moon

10
New-bent
ready to be strung or to let an arrow loose

11
solemnities
ceremonies, celebrations

14
pert
lively

16
pale companion
melancholy fellow

16
pomp
splendid display, ceremony

17
with my sword
Hippolyta was captured during Theseus' campaign against the Amazons

18
injuries
wrongs

20
triumph
public celebration

20.1
Hermia
name of Aristotle's disreputable mistress; may be derived from “Hermione” (daughter of Helen of Troy)

20.1
Lysander
derived from “Alexander” (another name for Paris, who carried off Helen of Troy)

20.1
Demetrius
a villainous Demetrius appears in North's Plutarch and in Shakespeare's
Titus Andronicus

32
feigning
singing softly/deceitful/joyful/desirous/longing

33
stol'n … fantasy
cunningly imprinted yourself in her imagination

34
gauds
showy playthings

34
conceits
trinkets

35
Knacks
knickknacks

35
trifles
insignificant tokens

35
nosegays
small bouquets of flowers

35
sweetmeats
confectionary

36
prevailment
persuasion, influence

36
unhardened
inexperienced, yielding

37
filched
stolen

40
Be it so
if

46
Immediately
directly

52
disfigure
alter/erase

56
kind
respect

56
wanting
lacking

56
voice
approval

58
would
wish

62
concern
befit

63
presence
the duke/assembled people/ceremonial place

67
die the death
be executed

68
society
company

70
Know of
learn from

70
blood
passions

72
livery
clothing (and lifestyle)

73
aye
always

73
mewed
confined

78
earthlier happy
i.e. more happy on earth

78
distilled
whose essence is extracted for perfume

80
single blessedness
i.e. celibacy

82
Ere
before

82
virgin patent
privilege of virginity

83
his lordship
i.e. Demetrius

86
sealing day
i.e. wedding day

90
would
wishes

91
Diana
Roman goddess of chastity and the moon

91
protest
vow

92
aye
ever

94
crazèd
flawed/unsound/mad

94
title
claim

96
Do
i.e. why don't

98
render
give to

100
estate unto
bestow upon

101
derived
descended

102
possessed
propertied, i.e. affluent

103
fairly
nobly/equally

104
with … Demetrius'
superior to those of Demetrius

107
prosecute
pursue

108
avouch
declare

108
head
i.e. face

109
Made love to
wooed

109
Helena
perhaps named after Helen of Troy

110
dotes
is infatuated

112
spotted
(morally) stained

115
self-affairs
personal matters

116
lose
forget

118
schooling
admonition/advice

119
look
be sure

119
arm
prepare

120
fancies
desires

122
extenuate
moderate

125
go
come

127
Against
in preparation for

128
nearly that
that closely

132
Belike
probably

133
Beteem
grant

134
aught
anything, whatever

137
blood
rank

138
cross
hindrance/vexation

139
misgraffèd
mismatched

141
stood
depended

141
merit
Folio's emendation of Quarto's “friends” (meaning “relatives”); some editors assume that both texts are wrong and that the line should read “Or merit stood upon the choice of friends”

143
sympathy
agreement

145
momentary
fleeting

147
collied
blackened

148
spleen
fit of temper

148
unfolds
reveals

149
ere
before

151
quick
living/brief

151
confusion
ruin

152
ever crossed
always thwarted

154
trial
experience of this trial

157
fancy's
love's

158
persuasion
opinion